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Category: General

Osun Workers Wellcome Aregbe-1

Osun Workers Wellcome Aregbe-1It was a triumphant entry for the Osun Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola when the Osun workforce literally “layed ambush” as he enters the Bola Ige House in Abere- where they welcomed him to office.

Trade Union Congress TUC Chairman Comrade Francis Adetunji said the gathering was a demonstration of their love for governor Aregbesola. His NLC counterpart Comrade Saka Adesiyan said “workers trooped out as a demonstration of natural support for our governor. This is just to show that we are unrelenting in our support for this man who has done so many good things for us- workers of Osun”

The head of service, Sunday Owoeye dedcribed the ocassion as unprecedented. “No governor has ever been welcomed to office by workers. This shows that for every action, there is reaction. This is a show of workers’ reaction to the numerous good things that Osun workers have enjoyed under your administration.”

Addressing the mammoth crowd of workers, Governor Rauf Aregbesola thanked them for standing by him during the last election.

He racalled how efforts were made by the opposition to fraudulently win the election. “They tried everything within their powers. They officially deployed 73 thousand security men to our state. That is minus the over 20 thousand impersonators in DSS uniform.

“They even have the guts to attempt entrance into my official residence on August 9. Led by the “election AIG”, Police Commissioner, and the one in charge of the Army. They claimed that they got intelligence that election rigging was underway in government house. They tried but they met the right resistance”, said governor Aregbesola.

He stressed that there was nothing within the powers of members of the opposition to “cause the longest civilian coup in the last election” that was not done.
Aregbesola added that God however showed that He was with Osun people during the last election when he was returned after all.

Against the rumours that there would be backlash on some workers who brazenly joined the frail of the opposition’s machinations to take over government, the Osun governor asured the workers that there will he no backlash whatsoever.

“I say it here openly that we will not carry out any reprisal on any worker for not voting for us in the last election”, Aregbesola said.

He added that it is the right of any Nigerian to support anybody through the ballot; including workers. He explained that it is however criminal that amy civil servant who pledged allegiance to the service and still went all out to openly express support for the opposition party on election day.

“Any worker who went partisan during the last election should please desist. Though we know some of them. We will not take any step against them but we plead with them to repent and let’s build our state togather. What happened last August 9 was God’s doing. And we are sure that whoever tries to cross God’s path will fail woefully”, Aregbesola said.

BIOREPORT

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Semiu-Okanlawon

Semiu-OkanlawonSemiu Okanlawon is the Director of Press to the Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. In this interview with, he bares his mind on the last governorship election in the state, the on-going projects of the APC-led government, issues surrounding the Opon-Imo tablets and other issues. Excerpts…

What’s your observation on the outcome of the August 9, 2014, governorship election in the state?

What are some of the projects you inaugurated during that time?We never had doubts about victory. Up till two weeks before the election, we were still beginning new projects. We were so convinced of victory. It is not possible for people to drop what is good for what is bad.  People had tasted performance, they had tasted a kind of government that had elevated them and provided for them. So, we did not expect the people to jettison that for what was not good.

Shortly before the election, the Governor did the turning-of-the-sod of the assembly plant of small buses we called Korope. The assembling plant is at Dagbolu in Osogbo. If we were not so confident of victory, we would not be doing that. So, the issues of abandoning projects did not arise. Though we had some hitches financially before the election, and it was not only in Osun State – it was caused by unforeseen circumstances by the Federal Government. We had a 40 percent reduction in allocation and this was not a joke. It affected us badly but thanks to the foresightedness of our governor, Rauf Aregbesola. We had anticipated such things and we were able to pay salaries. Our opponents did not expect us to pay salaries but we were able to pay without borrowing. They did not expect us to pay salary and tried to turn the people against and thank God we scaled through the turbulent water. If you go round the state, you will see that the road projects, building projects are ongoing. We have assured people that at the end of this year we are going tom have mega class rooms that will contain not less than one hundred thousand pupils. So, if we are assuring people of that, we know what we are saying.

So far, we have constructed not less than 900 kilometers of road all over the state and more and still ongoing. We have so many other projects on health, security, agriculture and other infrastructure spread across the state. Just a few weeks before the election, we distributed state-of-the-art equipment and armored personnel carriers (APC) to the Police. This is to tell you that we were never bothered.  Our opponents are so good at propaganda and they were able to change the mind of some people but they were not able to do that for the majority of our people because they know them. Election came and it has gone, we have fought a battle and now we are concerned with how we will make life more meaningful to the people of the state. The government is a continuum and we will continue with our good works. Of course, if a government knows that the only reason why the people are so personate about it and so adamant that this is the kind of government they want, then the only thing you can do is to keep on doing what endeared you to them.

There is this fear that most governments and governors who won second term don’t perform the way they did in their first term. What is your take on this?

Let me tell you one thing: this government of Rauf Aregbesola is a government that put people at the centre of all that it is doing and I tell you it can never falter, whether first term or second term. I don’t see the reason that will make Governor Rauf Aregbesola not to perform more than what he did in the first term. The first four years was like when a plane was trying to take off, which was the most turbulent time, now that it has reached the cruising level, it has stabilized. The rate at which people will see development will even be faster than before. When we came, we met a rotten state, now – after removing all the obstacles to development – is it now that we have solved all the problems we met on the ground that we will not be  able to perform? When we came, we met a terrible situation and thank God we have put an end to those problems and the people of the state are beginning to see developments like they had never seen before. If you have seen anything like governors not performing in second term in other states, that cannot happen in this state. I assure you that in four years’ time, the people of the state will tell you that the first term was just a stepping stone. The real construction in the state has just begun.

What is the assurance that developments going on in the state will get to the nooks and crannies of the state?

Let me tell you this, I can beat my chest anywhere that what is being witnessed in the state has never been seen before now. There is no part of the state that is not experiencing developments.  Places were there are no schools now have schools, places without hospitals now have it, in most places where hospitals have collapsed, the Rauf Aregbesola’s government has rebuilt them with drugs, school pupils are not been well fed. In Osun of today, everywhere is witnessing developments.

You said hospitals have been rebuilt, but when I was coming into the state, I saw an abandoned general hospital at Ikire, what is the state doing about rehabilitating it, or is there any other hospital in the town?

There is another hospital in the town. It was relocated several years ago when they people said the place was been regularly attacked by armed robbers. The place has been like that long time ago, it even preceded Oyinlola’s regime.

On Opon-Imo tablets, Prof Adeyeye spoke on a Televeison programme before the election that the Opon Imo has some issues. How soon will those issues be resolved?

There are no serious issues surrounding Opon-Imo. The opposition just tried to make an issue out of the collection of the tablets back from the pupils.  They made it looked to then people that the collection was because of any fault. The agreement was that when you are passing out of school, you are going to drop it. There was a case of a few of them who failed to return those tablets and we have to retrieve it from them.

What I learnt was that the tablets have technical issues from Evans Publishers, which owns the copyright for the e-book used for the tablets. How true is this?

It was from Evans that we got the e-book and if there is no problem with the hard book, there cannot be any problem with the Opon-Imo tablet. There is no issue whatsoever with the tablets. Currently, theOpon-Imo is being revised. Let me tell you, is there any device that doesn’t need upgrading? Look at ipad by Apple; they keep upgrading it with several innovations. I don’t know why some people are afraid of innovations. The question we should ask those who are making noise about the tablet is that, did they come close to this innovation? The answer is no; and I don’t understand why they are making noise about it. They said it is Ibo made. Even if it is Hausa made or China made, the fact is that we are doing something. If we do not attempt to do something, will there be an Opon-Imo tablet? Let them also begin to think of what they can do and not to pull down and innovation like this. Nobody can destroy Opon-Imo and it has come to stay. Subsequent governments after us will only build on it. It has become our educational standard. Nobody, no matter how wicked a government it is, will tell the people that it can not continue with Opon-Imo. The people will revolt, parents will revolt and students will stone such person. You can only come and improve on it.

At the launch of Opon-Imo, the Governor said the state will build a factory where the tablets will be manufactured. How far has the state gone with that?

Yes, the factory is on-going and it is one of the ways the governor want to create employment for the people. The Governor said out of the 1,500 units of the tablets, 50,000 will be imported and that the rest 100,000 units will be manufactured by the company.

Will the 50,000 units be enough for the SS1 to SS3 in the state?

When we first took delivery of the first batch, we prioritized it and we first gave them to those students in the final year. I mean students that are about to write their West African Examination Council exams. We were giving them out as we collect them. We collected them in batches. There was no student who did not get his tablet.

DAILY INDEPENDENT

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timthumb (1)Students of Osun State University, UNIOSUN, in Faculty of Humanities and Culture, Ikire, have called on the state deputy governor who doubles as Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Titi-Laoye Tomori, to wade into crisis rocking the university.

In a press release which was jointly signed by the faculty students’ association outgoing president, Siji Samson and the president elect, Abubakar Basit, the students made the call and prayed the deputy governor to facilitate reopening of their campus to enable them complete their course works and sit for exams.

The faculty was on Saturday, 16th of August, 2014, closed indefinitely owing to violent protest by students of the institution over an ugly accident which occurred when the vehicle conveying some students on excursion to Oke-Ila, a town in Ifedayo local government area of the state, had an accident.

Siji and Basit said further that the ugly news of the unpleasant accident was received with shock and its aftermath; violent protest which led to indefinite closure of Ikire campus on 16th of August, 2014, was regrettable.

The press statement read in part: “With the compromise reached by our parents on 6th of September, 2014, concerning the closure of our campus, we pray your Excellency to facilitate reopening of our classes to enable us complete our course works and sit for our exams.”

“The current reality of this critical matter and threats posed by the indefinite closure of the campus stopping us from writing our second semester examination, has already put us behind our colleagues, who had on 8th of September, 2014, commenced rain semester examination in other campuses of our reputable institution.”

“While we appreciate the management’s concern, we appeal to them to bury the hatchet. It is enough that the unique opportunity to display our civility in such a matter that could have marked the end of our frustration was misused.”

“We do not share the position and sentiments of those justifying the vandalisation of school properties, but we charge the school management to address students’ grievances and resolve whatever issue that arose from the incident with fairness and not by throwing out the baby with birthing water.”

BIOREPORT

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National-Union-of-Road-Transport-Workers-NURTW

National-Union-of-Road-Transport-Workers-NURTWCOMMITTED to checkmating any incidence of Ebola Disease Virus (EVD) in Osun State, the state government’s committee on the monitoring and prevention of the scourge, on Tuesday, organised a sensitisation workshop for leaders of transport unions in Osogbo.
Addressing participants at the workshop, the Director of Primary Health Care (PHC) and Disease Control in the Ministry of Health, Dr Kayode Ogunniyi, warned commercial drivers against movement of corpses from outside the state to Osun, stressing that such practice was capable of aiding the spread of EVD to the state.
He charged members of National Union of Roads and Transport Workers (NURTW) to request for death certificate of any corpse, with a view to ascertain the cause of death as a precautionary measure to prevent Ebola disease.
Ogunniyi, who underscored the need for effective hygiene among all stakeholders in combating Ebola disease, described the transport unions as key integral parts of the society, stressing that it was imperative for them to collaborate with government and relevant agencies in the fight against the EVD.
According to him, “the virus is more contagious among dead bodies than the living being,” saying that the people should desist from moving close to corpses.
In her remark, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr (Mrs) Temitope Ilori, said the essence of the workshop was to teach the officers of the union how to prevent the scourge from getting into the state.
Participants at the workshop included leaders of the NURTW, RTEAN, Cooperative Transport owners, ACOMORON and others.
SCANNEWS
 

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OLORUNSOGO-ALADURA GATE ROAD(LG ROAD)IFELODUN LOCAL GOVERNMENT IKIRUN(IFELODUN-BORIPE-ODO OTIN FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY PIC 3

OLORUNSOGO-ALADURA GATE ROAD(LG ROAD)IFELODUN LOCAL GOVERNMENT IKIRUN(IFELODUN-BORIPE-ODO OTIN FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY PIC 3The Osun Rural and Mobility Project (O’RAMP) is to begin repair work on rural roads in the state.

The coordinator of O’ RAMP, Mr Adelere Oriolowo, told NAN in Osogbo on Tuesday that the state government was committed to maintenance of rural roads in order to boost agricultural production.

The initiative, according to him, would facilitate easy transportation of agricultural produce from rural areas to urban centres.

He also said government would carry out the exercise through direct labour with the use of road maintenance gangs made up of youths.

Oriolowo said an agreement on the initiative had already been signed, adding that, government would ensure quality work through effective monitoring.

The project coordinator also said females would be involved in the project.

PM NEWS

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Mechatronics-Trainees-in-Germany

Mechatronics-Trainees-in-GermanyThe Chairman, Nigerian Society of Engineers, Osogbo branch, Mr. Adeniran Ibitoye, has said that the society will partner the Osun State College of Technology, Esa Oke, to develop the Bola Ige Institute of Mechatronics.
He said this in an interview with our correspondent in Osogbo on Tuesday.
Ibitoye said that the branch would facilitate how some professors would teach students and artisans at the Mechatronics institute, saying this would assist in imparting auto technicians with the modern skills needed in the repair of modern vehicles.
He said, “We will send a memo to the institution. Experts from related fields will be encouraged to lecture in practical aspect at the Bola Ige Institute of Mechanics. Some fellows of the NSE who are at the Obafemi Awolowo University will be mobilised to teach at the institute.”
Commending the establishment of the institute, Ibitoye said it would equip students and auto technicians with the skills needed to function at this time when technology was fast changing.
He said, “Study and implementation of mechatronics will assist auto technicians in fault diagnosis of modern vehicles. It makes possible the use of modern technologies that aid quick delivery of services at a glance.
“It has a high precision and accuracy in determining possible causes, symptoms and solutions to be administered on the vehicles.
“With the aid of mechatronics, the design and anatomy of modern vehicles can be studied and subjected to various modelling and simulating physical complex phenomena which can provide first hand information of the performance of various models of modern vehicles and in service. Ranges of possible solutions are administered on vehicles quickly and efficiently.”
He said that science and technology should be encouraged among Nigerians students to assist in developing the nation.
Ibitoye also urged students to develop interest in science subjects, saying they would discover that science and technology courses are much more interesting than they ever thought.
PUNCH

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Deeper Life – 1

Photos of the Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; his Deputy, Mrs Titi Loaye-Tomori, the State Overseer, Deeper Life Bible Church in Osun,  his wife and others, during a Courtesy Visit by Leadership of Deeper Life to the Governor at the Government House, Osogbo, State of Osun

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (right); his Deputy, Mrs Titi Loaye-Tomori (2nd right); State Overseer, Deeper Life Bible Church in Osun, Pastor John Adeniran (left) and his wife, Mrs Elizabeth Adeniran, during a Courtesy Visit by Leadership of Deeper Life to the Governor at the Government House, Osogbo, State of Osun

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (right); his Deputy, Mrs Titi Loaye-Tomori (2nd right); State Overseer, Deeper Life Bible Church in Osun, Pastor John Adeniran (left) and his wife, Mrs Elizabeth Adeniran, during a Courtesy Visit by Leadership of Deeper Life to the Governor at the Government House, Osogbo, State of Osun

From left, Deputy Governor State of Osun, Mrs Titi Loaye-Tomori; Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; State Overseer, Deeper Life Bible Church in Osun, Pastor John Adeniran and his wife, Mrs Elizabeth, during a Courtesy Visit by Leadership of Deeper Life to the Governor at the Government House, Osogbo, State of Osun

From left, Deputy Governor State of Osun, Mrs Titi Loaye-Tomori; Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; State Overseer, Deeper Life Bible Church in Osun, Pastor John Adeniran and his wife, Mrs Elizabeth, during a Courtesy Visit by Leadership of Deeper Life to the Governor at the Government House, Osogbo, State of Osun

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (3rd left); his Deputy, Mrs Titi Loaye-Tomori (2nd left); State Overseer, Deeper Life Bible Church in Osun, Pastor John Adeniran (3rd right); his wife, Mrs Elizabeth (2nd right); Regional Overseer  Ede, Pastor Roland Oludare (left); Pastor Adeola Olusegun (right) and others, during a Courtesy Visit by Leadership of Deeper Life to the Governor at the Government House, Osogbo, State of Osun

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (3rd left); his Deputy, Mrs Titi Loaye-Tomori (2nd left); State Overseer, Deeper Life Bible Church in Osun, Pastor John Adeniran (3rd right); his wife, Mrs Elizabeth (2nd right); Regional Overseer Ede, Pastor Roland Oludare (left); Pastor Adeola Olusegun (right) and others, during a Courtesy Visit by Leadership of Deeper Life to the Governor at the Government House, Osogbo, State of Osun

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facebook_-736342082 (1)

The Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has described the death of President General,  League of Imams and Alfas in Yorubaland, Edo and Delta states, and ‎Chief Imam of Osogbo, Sheikh Mustafa Ajisafe as a big loss to the entire Muslim community in Osun and Nigeria.

In a condolence message by the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy in the Governor’s Office, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, Aregbesola described Ajisafe as a cleric of repute, saying that his contributions to the search for peace in the state and the country was outstanding.

He added: “The death of Sheikh Ajisafe is a big loss to the Muslim Ummah in Osogbo as well as the entire state because he preached peace and unity while alive. His preaching at home and his gospel of Islamic scholarship will be missed.”

While praying for the repose of the soul of the late cleric, Aregbesola urged members of various Muslim societies to continue the good works Sheik Ajisafe started, adding “this is the only way to immortalise this pride of Osun in particular and Nigeria as a whole.

“This is a sad moment for the Muslim Ummah in Osun, we are however grateful to God that he led a profoundly peaceful life.‎

“The Muslim Ummah will miss him dearly and we pray Allah (SWT) to forgive him his shortcomings and grant him Al-jannah firdaus. May Allah give all of us the fortitude to bear the loss.

“Words are inadequate to describe the contribution of our father to the growth of Islam in Osogbo, Osun, Edo, Delta and Nigeria. Baba Ajisafe was popularly known for his commitment to the promotion and propagation of peace and unity.

“He was no doubt a scholar of higher integrity who touched the lives of many Muslims positively”. The governor pointed out.

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timthumbThe governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has said it would amount to failure of unimaginable proportion if his government had failed in his first term to demonstrate that good governance, even in the face of meager resources, is possible.

Aregbesola said he went into governance in Osun fully conscious of the challenges of poor leadership the state had faced and fully determined to change the course of affairs and bring about unprecedented changes in the lives of the people.

The governor spoke at the Manchester Business School, University of Manchester at the weekend, after being presented with an award of recognition for his administration’s commitment to job creations and infrastructure provision.

Represented at the event by the Director, Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Office of the Governor, Mr Semiu Okanlawon, Aregbesola said, “If we were looking for a comfort zone, contesting for the seat of governorship of Osun would certainly not be an option. But we were quite conscious of the enormous challenges facing our people and we were poised to change that.

“We knew there were no resources even though the state is sitting on some vast opportunities which remained untapped. Our people needed the right quality of leadership to galvanise them into action and make them see the opportunities,” he said.

ORANMIYAN

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Wale-Afolabi-09-09Osun State Attorney–General and Commissioner for Justice, Chief Wale Afolabi, was in Owerri, Imo State for the 2014 Nigerian Bar Association Annual Conference. He shared his experience with journalists, in the hands of security operatives, leading to his alleged disenfranchisement at the last governorship poll in the state. The Guardian’s Charles Ogugbuaja, was at the briefing.

Excerpts:

MAY we share your experience in the hands of security operatives during the last governorship elections in Osun State?

 Thank you very much. On the eve of the election, that is the 8th day of August, 2014, I went to my Local Government to prepare for the election. I am from ward 7 of that Local Government. Around 8 p.m., in the evening. The collation agents for the ward, the chairman of the ward, the Council of the ward, they were at the collation centre, expecting electoral materials to come from INEC. They told me, because of what happened two or three days previous to that day, in fact, they will prefer to keep night vigil and watch when the materials will arrive. That they wanted to stay there and make sure nobody tampered with the materials. As they were there, somebody called me that combined team of soldiers, police, SSS and Civil Defence; that they came there; that they interrogated them; that they were arresting them. I quickly called the chairman of the council who was with me that he should go there and intervene and explain to the security operatives that those guys are not thugs. That they are members of our party; that the chairman of the Party is here, the councillor of the ward is here and the collation agents. The chairman of the council, executive secretary, immediately went there and interface with the security officials. They came back to inform me that after talking to them, they insisted to arrest those people and that they may likely take them to Osogbo, but before taking them to Osogbo, the capital, they will find a convenient place to camp, to interrogate them. If they discover they are not thugs, that they will release them. If they are thugs, they will take them to Osogbo.

After about five minutes, those ones called me, that from their countenance, they were taking them to Osogbo. That it was better I come and intervene. I asked the chairman of the council to join me in my vehicle. I drove my car myself.

As I was going to town, I saw a convoy of about four hilux vans. I waved them down, they stopped. I came out of my car. The chairman introduced himself. The chairman had earlier met them. They now asked me, are you the commissioner for Justice, I said yes. They now told me, the head of the team had left for Osogbo, that I should follow them to Osogbo. I said please, I have job to do here. I cannot follow them to Osogbo. They took my car key from me. They pushed the chairman of the council into one of the hilux vans. When they took my car from me, they pushed me inside the back seat. One of them by my right, one by my left, two in front. They drove us straight to Osogbo.

I now asked them, am I under arrest? They said not necessary, but I have to go with them to Osogbo. I told them I am the Commissioner for Justice. I am a lawyer. They said no problem I should follow them to Osogbo.

When we got to Osogbo, some of them were masked so that you cannot even identify them. Because I am a lawyer, I have been a lawyer for more than 30 years. I was afraid. I thought they were going to kill me. But then, I had to cooperate. They asked me to go inside. When I got there, I met over 200 party members lying down in the floor outside, the grass, in the cold.

But may be because I am a commissioner, they kept me in the room. When I got into the room, I met the Commissioner for Agric, a colleague of mine from Ilesa. He was arrested too and brought there. Later the head of the team asked me to put down something on paper. He said I cannot go anywhere. That I have to stay there.

They put me inside a room with 10 other people. As I was there, a man from Ogba Local Government was arrested and brought to that place. Later on, there was a High Chief from Igboko. The regent of Igboko. The Oba of Igboko is dead. We call him High Chief Omokaya. He was arrested and brought there. We were inside the room through out the night. The second day, that was on the 9th the SSS person from Abuja said they told her that the Commissioner for Justice is here and that was why she was here to see me. She now called me outside.

She asked me why I was arrested. I narrated the story that brought me there. After that she told me she did not mean to embarrass me. That she apologized to me. That I should leave, that I should not even talk to the press. That I should just keep it like that.

Before, I signed papers. She invited the other commissioner too. She said two of us should go. I told her. I cannot leave. There are others in that room. They are leaders of our party. What will I say that happened to them. She now said that she was going to release them to me. Eventually, she released eight of them to me.

I now told her again that we have about 200 people here. I don’t know if they were inside cell. She said that she did not have the power to release any person again. That her mission was to come and see me and interface and see the possibility of releasing me. That those ones she could not do anything about them.

Before I finish filing the papers and all the other documentations, it was almost 1 p.m. There was no way I could go back to my local government. Even if I went back, they would have finished accreditation. That was why I was not able to vote that day, for the first time. I had been voting for a long time when I was a Councillor. I was a Local Government chairman, Speaker of the House of Assembly as Honourable member, before I became the Attorney- General. That was the first time in my life, I could not vote.

Did you have signs before then?

 About a week before the election, we had information that some of us, leaders of the party, would experience this. When we heard that information, we went to court to get an injunction that they should not arrest anybody for any frivolous allegation. We did that. So after the arrest and detention, harassment, we decided that the best thing for us to do is to go to court to challenge the infringement of fundamental rights of our people; to challenge the unlawful arrest of our people. We had enlisted the services of Femi Falana (SAN) to go to court on our behalf, and as I speak with you now, we have about 700 people that could not vote, that were arrested, detained, humiliated, tortured. About 700 of them now, we are filing cases for them.

Before I left Osogbo, we had filed about 500 cases. I am sure by the time I get back to Osogbo, they should have filed about 200 more. So, about 700 of us are going to court to challenge this infringement. Even before this election, our party had gone to court to protest that the President should not deploy unnecessarily soldiers, SSS and Police to disturb the election.

 How about a case of fake DSS officer reportedly arrested?

 That is the point we are making. That during that election, they brought in so many fake police, so many fake SSS men to Osun state to cover the election. One person was arrested at Ile Ife. That is the town of the candidate of the PDP, Senator Omisore. I have requested my lawyer to take over the file from the Police. They have taken over and I have gone through the file. The man said himself and five others came all the way from Ekiti and they were fake SSS men and police. That police were able to arrest only him. Others escaped. They have charged him to court. He is on bail. He is on remand in prison custody in Ilesha. I cannot remember when we fixed the hearing of the case. When we get back to Osogbo, we are going to commence hearing.

I have decided as a government and as party we will go to court. That is why we are now in court. Like I said, our fight is for 15 Local Government Areas.

 We are not saying the security operatives should not come to Osun, but the point we are making is that they don’t have right to arrest people unnecessarily. Their duty is to maintain law and order. Why should they arrest somebody like me? Why should they arrest somebody like the Commissioner for Agric and many of our leaders? Since that time they have not charged anyone to court. You arrested about 700 people and you have not charged them to court, because you know you don’t have any case against them.

Since your party won the election, Why are you still taking the Federal Government to Court?

We want to make a statement to them that you cannot trample upon the rights of the people unnecessarily without any just cause. We want to correct that. Two, you don’t have to arrest people unnecessarily. They arrested me in my Local Government. I could not vote, even our leaders did not also.

What do you think warranted the heavy deployment of security officials?

 That is the point we are making. And if you don’t challenge and correct it now, it is going to be very dangerous. What we are saying is except there is a commission of serious crime, you cannot just go and arrest people. Some people were arrested in their homes. If we don’t correct it now, it may be dangerous in the next election.

Before the election, we had gone to court to challenge the power of the President to deploy people anyhow. We are not saying he does not have power to deploy, but not anyhow to go and arrest people and intimidate and harass them.

The first four years, the government touched so many lives. The governor has done so many people-oriented programmes. In education, he is doing good. Some of the students, he feeds them on daily basis, with good food in good locations. In Agric, he has done many things. In employment, he employed 40,000 youths. In our OYES scheme, 3,000. He has decided to employ another 20,000. So we have intervened like no other government in so many areas. Also, we pay elderly people in our state, the highly vulnerable, we pay them N10,000 per head. Construction of roads. He has constructed roads in all the Local Government Areas, in all the nooks and crannies of our state. All these have made people to love our governor very well.

We are saying that they brought over 20,000 police men to Osun state. Over 6,000 Civil Defence. It was too much. Before the election, when they came, they were shooting in the air, sporadically. The job of these people is to prevent crime and not to go to polling units, they were not supposed to arrest people unnecessarily. Just to come and maintain peace. Osun is about three million.

 What about the issue of rule of law?

 For me as a person, I believe the rule of law should be fully entrenched. My state in Osun, there is no court judgment we do not respect. All court rulings, all court judgments, we abide strictly by them.

 How do you pay the number of youths you have engaged and still do some capital projects?

In Osun any money we have, allocation, IGR, we spend them on people. Even if we have very lean resources, we still have many programmes, lots of projects. If we give you a job of N1 billion, we give you about N10 million, when you finish the job, we pay you the balance. That is how we have been able to do our projects.

GUARDIAN

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