As the activities commemorating the OsunOsogbo Festival  comes to a climax today, and in a move to ensure adequate information about the dreaded Ebola Virus , organisers of the OsunOsogbo Festival have produced  10, 000 leaflets to be distributed to people who will be attending  the grand finale of the festival  to sensitise them on the decease.

Ayo Olumoko, Chief Consultant to the festival, told Daily Independent Tourism that the organisers felt it expedient to do so to keep the people abreast of how they can prevent the decease during and after the festival.

“We are prepared for this festival and that is why we have printed these leaflets to sensitise our people. Our prayer is that nobody will contact the decease at the festival and that we are joining hands with the Osun State Government to ensure that we have a hitch free and Ebola-free festival,” he stated.

However, in a statement jointly signed by Ayo Olumoko and the Legal Adviser to the Ataoja of Osogbo, Mr. S B Ajibade, the organisers thanked the  people of the state for the continued support of the organization, promotion, presentation and participation of the OsunOsogbo Festival in the past years and most especially, in the ongoing 2014 Osun Fiesta which is midway.

“We all know that the OsunOsogbo Festival prides itself as a festival that has been celebrated consistently since 1370 AD without any default. Even, when the presentation of the 2010 edition of the festival coincided with when the immediate Ataoja of Osogbo, late Oba Iyiola Oyewale Matanmi III joined his fore fathers on Tuesday August 3rd 2010, the presentation of the 2010 OsunOsogbo Festival still held on Friday, August 27, 2010. Hence, it is a festival that has withstood several challenges and will still withstand challenges even in the face of the current outbreak of Ebola in Lagos State,” the statement stated.

The organisers said that Ebola virus is not a ruse, but a fact and that it is here in Nigeria.  “But our sincere prayers and hope  is that it will not get to the State of Osun before it is nipped in the bud by the Federal Government of Nigeria with the assistance of the Government of the United States of America in which a relationship in ensuring that the cases we have in Nigeria are attended to.

“As enumerated by the State Government of Osun, we want to support their efforts and admonish our people to please inculcate the prescribed hygiene measures put in place as neither anybody nor religious group are being intimidated in performing their religious obligations.

“They then implored each and every one of us to ensure that we moderate our reception of our visitors, either from overseas or most especially from other states within Nigeria, where cases of this deadly disease are being managed. Also, we the organisers of the Festival are in total support of the State Government’s crowd control measures being put in place to minimize the risks of the spread of this disease during the OsunOsogbo Grand Finale coming up on Friday, August 22, 2014.

“To you our gentlemen of the Fourth Estate, we want to thank you for your steadfastness in the coverage and reportage of the newly packaged OsunOsogbo Festival since 2002 which earned the Osun Grove the enlistment by United Nations Educational Scientific Organisation(UNESCO) at Durban, South Africa, on 15th July, 2005,” they said.

Meanwhile, the Osun State government has  announced that it has barred foreigners and non-residents from attending this year’s annual Osun Osogbo festival.

It was authoritatively gathered that this development was aimed at checkmating potential spread of the deadly virus to the state.

Announcing the ban placed on foreigners and other categories of people who are not resident in Osun, the state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Sunday Akere, at a press conference, expressed the determination and readiness of the administration to safeguard the state from the menace of Ebola virus.

He maintained that the state took the “painful” decision in order to prevent some people who might have contracted the virus from spreading it to others who would also attend the festival.

While disclosing that the state government had taken some measures to ensure effective treatment of affected victims, in case of an outbreak of the virus in the state, Akere implored the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and other groups not to mobilise people to attend the festival.

“In our effort to make sure that the dreaded virus does not find its way into our midst, government has, at great pain, decided to restrict the influx of tourists into the state for this year’s Osun Osogbo International Festival.

“Government does not, in any way, intend to deprive the festival of its glamour or keep people away from being a part of the festivity. However, government has a duty to ensure the safety of lives and good health for the people, especially in situations of mortal threats such as the one posed by the deadly Ebola virus,” he said.

DAILY INDEPENDENT

The Osun Osogbo Festival 2014 Advisory Committee yesterday insisted that the Ebola virus does not pose  any threat to the celebration.  The Chief Festival Consultant, Mr Ayo Olumoko, said the federal government did not at any time contact organizers of the festival to discuss possible cancellation.

He said it was only the state government who sought the understanding of Osun devotees and the organizers on the need to put crowd-control measures in place because of the Ebola virus.

“The federal government cannot cancel or put Osun Osogbo festival on hold because of the issue of Ebola. President Goodluck Jonathan was here a few days ago to campaign for the candidate of Peoples’ Democratic Party and the Osogbo City Stadium was full of people, without anyone talking about the spread of Ebola. Similarly, the state governor who was the candidate of All Progress Congress had his own campaign at the same Osogbo City Stadium and they were not considering the spread of Ebola there, despite the massive crowd that attended the  rally”, he added.

Olumoko said any attempt to tamper with celebration of Osun Osogbo festival would amount to denying the traditionalists their right to religion and freedom of association.

He insisted that the festival must hold as scheduled and that if  it is stopped because of the fear of Ebola, it means that “ Sallah and Christmas will not hold in the state”

“If they cannot stop Muslims from going to mosques and they cannot stop Christians from going to church, then, they cannot stop traditionalists from holding Osun festival. We all agree that there is Ebola, but despite the outbreak, workers are going to their offices, people are going to markets and no one is stopping them. So, they cannot stop us from holding Osun Osogbo festival,” he said.

Meanwhile, some residents of Osogbo, Osun State, have expressed fear on the danger the influx of people to the state for Osun/Osogbo festival can pose in the face of the Ebola virus.

They told newsmen yesterday that the chances of  contacting the virus were high because of contacts with tourists.
A resident of Dada Estate in Osogbo, Mrs Olayinka Ajibola, said the outbreak of Ebola virus in West Africa would adversely affect the Osun/ Osogbo festival and the tourism sector.

Ajibola said the annual Osun festival always attracts many tourists from far and near, especially Lagos, where the virus has been reported.

She called on the state government to put in place a robust mechanism to forestall any outbreak.

Another resident in the town, Mr Shittu Akeju, said most of those who visit the groove during the festival might have a rethink this year.

Akeju identified the heavy presence of monkeys at the groove as the main reason for this, since the animal is one of the major carriers of the virus.

“The celebration of Osun festival this year will suffer a little setback because of the menace of Ebola virus that is threatening communities in West Africa, including Nigeria. You will agree with me that aside the fear of contracting the disease from the crowd, the groove is also a thing of concern to them due to the presence of monkeys. It is common knowledge that monkey is a first class carrier of the disease,’’ Akeju said.

Dr Abiodun Ogunwale of the Department of African Languages, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, on his part, has called on the government to protect the tradition with diplomacy.

DAILY TRUST

‘It is welcome news when the dog dies at the abode of the hen, for if the reverse were the case, the story would be that the cannibalistic dog has done again what it is known for.’ This proverb from my people holds metaphorical connotations. The aptness of that saying captures the spirit of the moment as the incumbent governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, was formally declared the winner of the governorship election in Osun that held on Saturday August 8 2014.

Electoral results officially released by INEC show that Mr. Aregbesola defeated his closest rival, Iyiola Omisore of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), by over 100,000 votes, while beating him clean in 24 of the state’s 30 local government areas. The pontification that voters will be harassed by security men also failed. The alleged plan of a scientific rigging that was perfected in Israel for the ruling PDP also crashed to inconsequentiality. What all these meant is that the winner emerged as a result of an admixture of factors including but not limited to the personality of the winner as well as the goodwill of his party. For me, Rauf Aregbesola won because the Osun people considered him a better candidate.

The lesson to learn from all these include firstly, the fact that INEC is improving steadily in giving Nigerians free and fair elections. To have more of such free and fair elections, INEC deserves more cooperation from the Nigerian political class and their band of supporters. Altercations associated with the stoppage of the invading APC governors during Ekiti election had no place in the Osun experience. For all who care to know, Osun people have spoken and Omisore would have heard them in clear terms.

History is beneficial but only to those who are ready to learn from it. This country is going through a lot of challenges and requires patriotic actions, comments, counsel as well as constructive criticism to make meaningful progress. The day we learn to appreciate that for any election, there must be a winner if there is a looser, that day we will begin to kill the spirit of do or die in our national politics. It is in the spirit of the greater Nigeria of our dream where every citizen will have his rights and privileges as given.

DAILY INDEPENDENT

Still basking in the euphoria of its victory in the just concluded Osun governorship election, the Osun State government has called for a thanksgiving ceremony for the re-election of Governor Rauf Aregbesola.

Speaking in Osogbo yesterday, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Sunday Akere said that the state government appreciated the good people of Osun for standing by the governor during the August 9 2014 governorship election.
Akere said the battle was reminiscent of the biblical David and Goliath, “for we did not contest with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but with the Federal Government and we won the race”.

He said if the race was only between the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the PDP, it would have been a minor race, “but with the support of the federal-might, that is why the PDP candidate garnered such huge votes, and because of the tension in the town most of the voters miscast their votes, even we the leaders panicked and would have chickened out if not for our strong hearts.

He also commented on the Ebola outbreak, saying the virus would not get to the state, urging the people of Osun to inform their people not to bother themselves about coming for the Osun Osogbo festival.

“They should stay where they are and people should also stay clean.”

On his part, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health Matters, Dr Rafu Usamatu, said Osun State had set up one quarantine centre in each of the three senatorial districts in the state.

He said the quarantine centres were for people suspected of having Ebola symptoms and that hotlines to reach all the centres which include Osogbo, Ejigbo, Ilesa, and Iragbeji had been set up.

The Commissioner for Environment and Sanitation, Professor Olubukola Oyawoye and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Environment, Mr Bola Ilori, thanked the people of the state, especially civil servants in the Ministry of Environment for rising up to the challenge.

Ilori promised the people that Governor Aregbesola was not going to sack anybody in the state, and that he was still going to do more.

HALLMARK NEWS

Osun State Government says it will continue to provide a level playing ground for all religion.
The State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola stated this at the grand finale of 2014 Isese day.
Represented by the State Commissioner for Culture, Tourism and Home Affairs, Mr. Sikiru Ayedun, Mr. Aregbesola appreciated the support of traditional leaders urging them to maintain peace in the forthcoming Osun Osogbo festival.
Delivering a lecture entitled “are the traditional rulers still second in command to the gods? ”  a Lecturer from the Department of Linguistics and African languages, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Mrs. Adeola Faleye identified Western civilization as the cause of disrespect to traditional institution.
While urging the traditional rulers to go back to the basis so as to be accorded the deserved respect, Mrs. Faleye appealed to government to set out dignified roles for the monarchs as custodians of culture and tradition.
The President, traditional religion worshippers association in Osun state, Southwest, Nigeria, Chief Idowu Awopetu enjoined the state government to inaugurate board of traditional religion worshippers it approved since last year.
The programme which witnessed the presence of traditional religious worshippers from across the country featured the display cultural display and special prayers.
The state government had earlier declared today as public holiday to enable people of the state to enjoy celebration of the festival.
RADIO NIGERIA

Mr Oyewole Enibukun, the Head of  Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (O-YES), says more than 150,000 youths have applied for  enlistment into the programme.

Enibukun made this known in Osogbo while speaking to  the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

“The processes of  recruiting another 20,000 youths into the O-YES programme is currently ongoing.

“More than 150,000 applications had already been received as at the close of registration on Saturday,’’  he said.

He said the application procedure was internet-based, adding that this was to create opportunity for a large population of youths to enlist into the programme.

According to Enibukun, those recruited in the current exercise will take over from the present cadets  exiting the scheme in February  2015.

“Presently, the scheme is not limited to indigenes of the state alone as the current batch of  cadets comprises of youths from 12  other states in the country.

“The criteria, however, used  to select and absorb those from outside the state into the scheme is based on their residency in the state, ” he added.

He advised other states to replicate the programme, saying it could help tackle unemployment.

NAN

Special Adviser to the Osun State Governor on Tourism and Culture, Mr. Oladipo Soyode, says the introduction of marathon race to 2014 edition of Osun Osogbo festival is an innovation upon the last edition.

Soyode made the remark at Osun Osogbo Grove while addressing the participants at the marathon race and Osun worshippers at the end of the race which is one of the programmes for 2014 Osun Osogbo.

The special adviser commended the participants at the race to keep up and assured the winners of compensation at a programme later.

The race started at Ido-Osun palace down to Lameco junction to Osogbo Stadium, Mandela Park, Ataoja Palace and at Osun grove.

At the end of the race, Jayeade Sodiq came first, Taiwo Osuolale came second while Adeyemi Olaoluwa took the third position.

Present at the event were directors and staff of ministries of Home Affairs, Tourism and Culture and Youths, Sports and Special Needs and Zeigists Aesthetics.

DAILY INDEPENDENT

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

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

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

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

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

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

Adegbite writes from Apake, Ogbomoso

PRIME CHRONICLE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

GAZELLE NEWS