Osun Governor Rauf Aregbesola receiving blessings from the State Chapter of Labour Union after endorsement of his Re-election in Osogbo, the State Capital on Wednesday 06-08-2014

The government of the State of Osun says it is building multi channel roads all over the state, this it believes will stimulate economic prosperity of a state once described as civil service state. In this report, Seun Akioye looks at how the road projects have affected the common Joe.
It was not a political rally, at least not yet. It was a different kind of rally, one that the supporters called ‘the peoples’ rally’. At about 3:pm on the afternoon of Tuesday  April 15 2014,Governor Rauf Aregbesola rode into the city of Ilesa in an open roof white jeep and a  convoy of about six vehicles. He was dressed in a white lace that fitted his frame and a blue cap sat proudly on his head; a dark sunshade protected his eyes from the blinding rays of the sun.  Immediately, a crowd gathered and as the convoy progressed into the heart of the city, thousands of enthusiastic supporters joined in forcing the convoy to move at a snail pace.
The governor waved at the people, sometimes gave the victory sign and danced to the impromptu music of the okada riders and other supporters who ran alongside his motorcade. He bonded with the people who feel they can honestly lay claim to him as one of their own.
In the last one year, Governor Aregbesola’s administration had built 29.71 kilometers of roads round the city of Ilesa.  The new roads were located in 15 streets all over the city. It was like a ring road connecting different sections of the city so that if one began from one end, one can end up at the same spot going round the city. That was what Governor Aregbesola did when he rode into town to commission the roads, he spent over one hour inspecting all 15 roads and ended up at the Ibala road community primary school venue of the ceremony, where several thousands of people were already waiting. Time was 4:30pm.
Governor Aregbesola said his overriding ambition is to regain Osun’s place as the economic hub of the Southwest outside of Lagos and because the state is bordered by five different states of the Southwest and North central, it serves as a veritable alternative to Lagos in trade and investments. So the governor thought of linking the state with the railway and constructing standardised access roads into the state. The road construction too would serve as internal economic stimulus for the state. So almost four years into this plan, how has the state managed to achieve its objectives?
“We just want the roads fixed”
Government agencies said that the construction of 15 roads in Ilesa was unprecedented in the history of the state. Instructively, many of the residents shared this sentiment.  At the ceremony to mark the commissioning of the roads, about 15 traditional rulers both within the state and outside graced the occasion.  Speaking for the royal fathers, the Owa Obokun of Ijeshaland, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran said the administration of governor Aregbesola has made the biggest developmental impacts in the state. He mentioned the constructed roads as being unprecedented and threw in a clincher. “I can even say it was during your administration that I gave birth to twins,” he told the governor.
But it wasn’t only the royal fathers that appreciated the benefits of the new roads in Ilesa, the people do too. Mary Oyeleye, a resident of Omo-Olupe Street,  Bonnke area just opened a new business where she sells food items.  About a year ago, this had been impossible to accomplish and the reasons are not far -fetched.
“We have really suffered in this Olupe Street. Before the road was constructed, this whole area was flood and muds especially the Bonnke area. There was a river there and only okada can pass through this area, when you get to Bonnke, then you have to roll up your dress and wade through the mud and river. There were houses that have been submerged in the river too. This place was a nightmare,” she said.
The bad condition of the road also had its negative economic impact. Being a major link road to several towns including Ijebu ijesa, Osogbo and Akure, the road had been completely deserted by all commercial interests, shops closed down and residents began to move out of the area.
About a year ago, work began on the road and the when the construction was completed the area took on a new image. Apart from the standard construction, Omo-Olupe Street has opened for business. “We built these stores last December because the road is now passable. Also all the commercial buses are now using this road so it makes it busy. We are grateful to the governor for doing this; he has totally changed our lives,” Oyeleye said.
Omo-Olupe is not the only street opened for business, the whole of Ilesa is. From one street to the other, residents spoke of years of decay and neglect but which has been reversed by the construction or rehabilitation of the roads. Omi-Eran road for instance according to some of the engineers from Ratcon Construction company-the company responsible for the construction of the roads- was a terrible specimen of a township road.
At the ceremony to commission the roads, the residents discussed the impacts of the new developments in the city.  They were not the only ones to marvel in wonder, the governor did too. “As we drove round the roads today with the people, I was just wondering about what God can do. I was thinking to myself that to have 29 kilometers of roads round Ilesa, this is the first time in the history of this state. I was just thanking God,” the governor said, his eyes dilating with excitement and his voice rising in a sing-song. The crowd caught the bug of his excitement and somebody raised a song loosely translated to thanking God for a new era.
The excitement about the new roads however transcends Ilesa, in Osogbo, where several township and inter- city road constructions have been done and still ongoing, the physical outlook of the city has changed, probably forever.  In Osogbo, the philosophy behind the road constructions remains the same; that is opening up economic opportunities for many of the residents of the state, from the bottom up approach.
Mercy land area, a large residential and business settlement in Osogbo with thousands of residents now wears a new look. It is one of the several Osogbo township roads constructed over four months ago which linked several neighbourhoods. In Mercy land area- which conveniently sits on a small hill- there are about 10 newly constructed roads, linking one street with another up and down the hill.
Kayode Oyediran has operated his tie and dye business from Omonike crescent for five years now but according to him it was only this year that any meaningful improvement has occurred in the area. “Because the whole of Mercy land area was in a terrible shape, you find that people cannot move as freely as they want. The consequence of that is business concerns were affected. Here, it was only those who had okada that could work here,” he said.
But things have changed for his business.  Because of the newly constructed roads in the neighbourhood he could easily move his raw materials into site and also his finished goods out of his business premises. “I think on the issues of road construction, I will give the governor a pass mark. This is not the only road he has done, if you go across Osogbo, there are so many inner roads like this that have been done. Osogbo has really changed,” Oyediran enthused.
The residents of Oke Arugbo’s 12 zones neighbourhood also believe their newly constructed roads will facilitate business development in the area and boost real estate.
According to Chief Titus Osobu, the chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Atakumasa West in Ilesa but who owns a house in Oke Arugbo zone 2, the development in the area has been unprecedented.  “I came here about 20 years ago but this type of development has been unprecedented. There were times we had given up but today, we thank governor Aregbesola for doing this road for us.”
“ We never expected our road will be fixed in 10 years, this governor has really tried and we really appreciate him for that. Tell him we are grateful recipients of all that he is doing,” Titilayo Adetoun, a resident of zone 3 who followed the profession of tailoring said.
Though the construction of roads in Oke Arugbo still has about four zones to be completed, the revolution was already catching on in all the zones. “Zone 8 where I live is yet to be constructed, but we can drive on good roads up to this point. We are certain the government must complete all the remaining roads to have a complete development,” Mrs. Adebola Adeseye said.
Outside the township roads in Osogbo, there are major inter –city construction being undertaken by the Aregbesola administration. One of the major road constructions embarked upon is the famous Oba Adesoji Aderemi bypass.
The story behind this massive 17.5 kilometer road within Osogbo metropolis is as interesting as the construction itself. According to government officials, the aim of the road is to complete the ring road round Osogbo .
Sabitu Amudah, an engineer and Special Adviser to the governor on works is the man in charge of the various road constructions. The Oba Adesoji bypass is one of the projects that give him some of the most pleasure and when he talks about it, it shows.
“It’s a roundabout that connects Iwo road and the West by-pass. It ended there before, but we now want to complete the loop, we want to finish the ring. It starts from Iwo road roundabout and goes the whole of 17.5 kilometers to link back to the roundabout at Ikirun road, so that you have a complete ring road round Osogbo,” he said.
Going through the length of the on-going construction is instructive about the determination to the government to bring massive development to that part of the city. A Turkish construction company, Slava-Yeditepe had the task of boring through rocks and wading through rivers to construct the new bypass. From Iwo roundabout from Channel 0, work according to government is about 40 percent completed.
When The Nation visited the site, workers were seen engaged in the road work. Between channels 0-4, new bridges were springing up over railways and dual carriage ways took the place of deep forests. At Abere junction, a flyover would pass over it to link the road with Oke-Ijetu/Ilesa garage. According to Edwin, one of the site engineers, the flyover will have four loops and ramps to divert traffic. When completed, it will be the first flyover in Osogbo. The engineer also said the road being constructed is of the highest standards using 30cm stone base. Another source inside Slava- Yeditepe also said the roads are being constructed to last 40 years.
Even though many houses were demolished in many neighbourhoods, the people continue to look ahead to the economic prosperity it will bring. They don’t have to wait for long as the road has been throwing up business and developmental opportunities.
“ I give this road two years and you will see a business district here, you just need to picture the road the whole stretch and you can imagine the endless possibilities for business development,” Edwin said.
Alhaji Moruf Adenekan, who lives around testing ground area, corroborated this view: “Everywhere on this road people are buying up land. I know the land is appreciating now; people are buying up to build shopping malls and other things. If you have the money, it is a good business deal to buy land here even for resale later on.”
The economic benefits are not lost on Oladele Akindele, who owns a business on Oke-Ijetu too. “ Well, there are many houses that were demolished, I don’t know if they had been compensated because mine was not demolished, but this road will bring development to this area, that is for sure,” he said.
Another road generating interesting permutation is the Oshogbo Ikirun road which began from the old garage and terminated at Ila-Odo /Kwara state border. It is being handled by a wholly indigenous construction company, Sammya Constructions. The former single carriage way has been made into a dual carriage way, completed with drainage one meter deep and wide. Construction too is almost at 40 percent completion.  Businesses that were disrupted before have reopened. One of them is Best Oyin Aluminium Company.  “During the construction we had to cope with a lot of things, but now we are very happy because business here has improved,” says Yessuf Dada, one of the workers.
But the progress did not come easy. From the old garage to Aiyetoro many buildings had to give way despite this however,  Moruf Adeyemi, a traffic warden says his job has been made easier with the new road.
One of the greatest beneficiaries is Elder Olalere Isaiah, a steel worker at the Kobo area said: “We have not seen this kind of governor before in Osun, this area was the home of flood, when it rains we experience massive flood. But with the drainage, this place is dry and our business has improved.”
Engineers at Sammya said there were various impediments which necessitated an extension of the time needed to finish the job. “We had to deal with the telecommunications  and power cables. We have written to them to move them and even electricity poles have to be moved, all these take time, that is why we have to request for a little extension to finish,” a source said.
The Gbogan/Akoda/Ede expressway is another massive inter- city road network being constructed by the government. According to Amuda, the thinking behind this road is to facilitate the movement of goods into the state. “We want a situation where coming from Lagos, you can continue with the same dual carriage way into Osogbo. We already have mapped out how this will benefit commercial activities in the state, that is why we are into all these road constructions,” he said.
But the people begged for more. Olaleye from Omo-Olupe Street, Ilesa said the residents still need a speed breaker on the road to prevent future accidents. Dada also wants a speed breaker on the Ikirun road while Isaiah wants the government to complete the inner roads around the Kobo area.
At the Ikirun Thursday market, sellers mingled with buyers even as they watched the tractors move into town and a part of the market disappeared to pave the way for the new road. “It’s our market but the government is trying to bring improvement to the state so we are happy even if a part of the market is going,” a representative of the market leader told The Nation.
THE NATION

This piece examines the achievements of the Aregbesola Administration in the last three and half years and contends that there is basis for continuity in the State of Living Springs.
I believe that all men and women of peace should commend the present administration in Osun for the far-reaching development programmes it has initiated for the benefits of our people. It is our duty to see to it, that these positive programmes of development succeed and the momentum maintained. Our people should commit themselves to this noble cause. What others could not do during their tenure, Aregbesola has done in three and half years of coming into office, very prudently and transparently.
Indeed, anything is possible if we have faith, the will and heart. I know we all have the will to play our parts in this campaign for accelerated development in Osun State. I know we have faith in the present regime and we have the hearts to face the challenges ahead. Our people are urged to support this administration’s laudable programmes of economic reconstruction, social justice, unity and religious tolerance, that will guarantee our present happiness and future prosperity. Test of faith can only be ascertained by God Almighty, in whose hands are the sovereignty of heaven and earth.
The cause of Aregbesola’s regime is the cause of the common people and the less privileged members of our society-the villagers, the labourers, the farmers and those millions of unemployed. It is a cause that compels our serious attention and commitment.
What is therefore left for us as a people of Osun State is to make a pledge from now on that we will bury all our differences and come out fully to consolidate on the achievements of Ogbeni Aregbesola.
Let the politicians pledge, that they will not misuse the trust and responsibility that are thrusted upon them by our people. Let them pledge, that they will speak for those who have no voice, and to remember those who are forgotten. Let them pledge that they will love us as themselves and that looting of public treasuries will not be their major preoccupations. Let them remember Hisab-accountability before God Almighty, on the day that all would be assembled before Him.
The challenges for the electorate is to give voices and votes to people of integrity and for those fundamental democratic principles of human freedom, free economic enterprises, self respect and accountability.
Indeed, Aregbesola’s regime has offered us new hope. New hope of gainful employment and self respect for those thousands of our school-leavers, graduates-skilled and unskilled through O’YES.New hope of economic recovery through the dedicated pursuit of individualistic and collective approach to agrarian revolution and small-scale industrialization in the state through O’REAP.New hope of good quality of life for the rural populace through the faithful execution of populist-oriented programmes, like the DAGBOLU scheme, through O’HUB.
Socially, we must build bridges of understanding. And economically, we must narrow the wide gap between the rich and the poor, if we want peace and stability in this country. Indeed, we stand at a great turning point, when Osun State and indeed Nigeria is looking for a new direction, through a second term for Aregbesola and an APC federally controlled government.
A time like this calls for leadership like Aregbesola that can set a firm focus and positive vision for the future and rally the people of Osun behind it. We thank God that at this point in time in OsunState, we have such leader in the person of Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola. Let me commend all his good efforts toward ensuring progress in the state since he took charge. However, the governor himself must continue to reinforce the attributes of good leadership with which he is already identified and make more use of home-grown people to man key positions in his second term in office.
The school merger programme by the government should be vigorously pursued, possibly with modifications. The structures being put in place are of world standard and a legacy that will outlive Aregbesola. I am impressed that the various sites demolished are now been beautified with walkways. Definitely, we need to embrace modernity in all aspects of our life, though no changes come about without temporary pains. Only change is permanent.
Aregbesola government has been listening not only to the clamorous voices of the priviledged few and the opportunists at the corridor of power, but also the hardly audible voices of the proverbial silent majority.
The governor has declared that his administration does not presume to have a monopoly of knowledge. He has brought ‘dissenters’ into policy discussions, rather than freeze them out. He has invited constructive criticism, because he believes the critics have a right to be heard. We should realize that the lamps of enlightenment are lit by the spark of controversy and that their flame can be snuffed out by the blanket of consensus.
In this regard, we must concede, that out experience in this state between 2003 to 2010 was not particularly edifying. We saw hatred and sorrow on our faces waiting for love and happiness. We saw families divided against themselves, waiting to be brought together again. To find answers to all these unwholesome acts, we must look within ourselves. Let us forget the past and come together to build this state, for nobody else can do it for us because it belongs to all of us. We must close all sullen pages and open a new chapter.
Let us give unalloyed support to Ogbeni Aregbesola, so that those who were left out in the cold in those years of inaction, could be accommodated for positive contributions. Let us know that we cannot learn from one another until we stop shouting at one another; until we speak quietly enough so that our words can be heard as well as our voices.
Let us remember that if we succeed, generations to come will say of us now living, that we mastered our moment. That we helped to make Osun safe and prosperous to live in. This is our summon to greatness. Let us pray that strength and courage abundant be given to us; that the good that lies in each of our hearts may day by day be magnified. That we may come to see more clearly not what divides us, but that which unites us. That the true spirit of this time – its joy, its hopes and above all its binding faith may live among us. Osun State must always be many steps ahead of others.
We must build a virile state and improve the standard of living of our people, because the worth of a nation is the worth of the men and women in it. We must not lose hope, for in ashes there can still be spark. For as the passage in one of the Shakespeare works put it “there is a tide in the affairs of men which taken in time leads to good fortune.” We must not allow this golden opportunity to slip by.
The prelude to August 9th governorship election should be devoid of violence and acrimony in whatever forms. We should know, that our leaders can only govern over the living. Both APC and PDP should call their supporters to order, as there is no cause to make the forthcoming election, a matter of do or die.
Aregbesola is working. Osun is progressing. For Aregbesola, it is a goal scored in a grand style, after an epic and protracted play against concerted forces of fate.
THE NATION

History has shown that we forget things easily in Nigeria. We do not remember things easily, we do not look at past events, and we move on as if yesterday never existed. Nigeria has gone through a chequered history, seen many wars, seen many tragedies and recorded sordid and awkward events. Yet, whenever we scale through these calamities our bags and luggage are dusted up and businesses go on as usual. Questions are not raised, answers are not expected, no solution proffered and the rot continues unabated.

But the events of December 23, 2001 will not be forgotten in a hurry. On that day Chief Bola Ige, the Attorney General of Federation was murdered in Ibadan at peace time in Nigeria. Before the tragedy of December 23, 2001 something unusual in Yorubaland took place in the Palace of Ooni of Ife where Chief Bola Ige was physically assaulted and his cap removed by thugs put together by Iyiola Omisore. After that ugly incident, Mr Iyiola Omisore granted an interview to the defunct TempoMagazine where he almost ate Chief Bola Ige alive. In that interview Omisore prepared and wetted the ground for Chief Bola Ige’s death. Chief Bola Ige was murdered on December 23, 2001. The rest is now history.

Iyiola Omisore and his gang were arrested and put in prison custody. From prison, Omisore was rewarded by PDP with a very questionable mandate to go to the Senate, a great chamber meant for decent men and women. He went to the Senate. Meanwhile, the shoddy way the federal government handled the so called trial of Omisore and those accused with him for murdering Bola Ige was enough to churn the stomach. It was so bad that on the very day those that confessed of killing Bola Ige were acquitted through a sham trial, the wife of Bola Ige, Justice Atinuke Ige, a judge of the Court of Appeal died of heart attack. It is now 13 years after the tragic event and no one has been prosecuted for killing Chief Bola Ige, a sitting Minister of the Federal Republic and the nation’s number one law officer.

The only offence Chief Bola Ige committed then is that he gave the PDP controlled Federation government he was serving as a Minister of Justice the information that he was leaving to work for his party, Alliance for Democracy (AD) in the coming elections. He never lived to fulfill that dream. The nest of killers led by Iyiola Omisore stopped him in the most bizarre and callous manner. His wife Justice Atinuke Ige also died as a result of the shock she received during the trial of so-called killers of Chief Bola Ige.

Saturday August 9, 2014 is again decision time for who will preside over the affairs of the State of Osun, the land of Chief Bola Ige and Omisore, the principal suspect in the brutal murder suspect is standing for election under the platform of PDP. Omisore has been gallivanting all over Osun pretending that Osun people have forgotten the ugly events of the past 13 years. He has been pretending to love Osun people more than anyone else, riding on Okada and buying corns by the road side pretending to be a grass root man. No, Osun people are wise people and they know their leaders.

I do not want to believe that Nigeria is a basket because I will be indicting myself but our sense of history worries me. How can we easily forget Chief Bola Ige, Justice Atinuke Ige and others? How can we be eating our food in the midst of human waste? How can we continue to pretend that yesterday do not matter? How can the worst in our midst be the ones to remain in the front page and driver’s seat? How can the blind continue to lead people with eyes? How can the crippled be our commanders in a war situation? How can the deaf and dumb be our spoke persons? Rewarding Criminals and Murderers has been the greatest threat to National Unity in this country. It has at once exposed Nigeria as Country for Scammers, fraudsters and vagabonds.

I consider it the biggest joke of the 21st Century in Nigeria that an Ayo Fayose will defeat a Dr. Fayemi in Ekiti State and some Nigerians will be celebrating it. I consider it an absurd and an affront that in this stage and age in Nigeria, an Omisore of all persons will be a contender in Osun guber race as if we are all historical idiots. No, Nigeria can do better than this.

Now, if the State of Osun still remains the land of Chief Bola Iges , Omisore is no match to Governor Aregbesola. If the State of Osun still remains the land of the Iges, I know then that history cannot be reversed. A friend Bayo Oluwasanmi tells me that “Yorubas are not gullible, manipulable and downright callous. We have long and enduring memory. Yoruba do not anoint thieves, fools, saboteurs, traitors and hoodlums as heroes and heroines. Yoruba do not drive a car forward by looking at the rear Mirror, Yoruba do not use shoes for hammers, newspapers for umbrella, and a fingernail to tight a screw” I like this so much and I have been quoting it always.

Saturday August 9, 2014 will be a date with history in State of Osun. It is a day PDP will be told in the strongest terms that apples and oranges are not the same. It is a day PDP will come to terms with the phenomenon called Gov. Rauf Aregbesola in the State of Osun. Omisore and his forty murderous thieves will meet on Aregbesola with the strength of Samson, Wisdom of Solomon, the Humility of Daniel and the Character of Abraham. In the State of Osun, Omisore’s PDP will meet a performer, an achiever, a leader and a popular Governor.

In the State of Osun , Omisore and his co-travelers will meet a great and consummate mobilizer in the class of President Obama of the United States . Come Saturday August 9 2014, the world will know a Governor Rauf Aregbesola is no pushover in Nigeria’s political equations and calculations. On Saturday this case will be settled for good and Nigerians will learn a lesson or two and possibly start the recovery of the country from the land of anomie where PDP has dragged it for fifteen years. Till then!

Joe Igbokwe

NIGERIA VILLAGE SQUARE

To ensure that senior citizens of Osun State do not wallow in abject poverty having served the state meritoriously, the state government has paid N37.9billion as pension and gratuity to them.

The state commissioner for finance, budget and economic planning, Dr. Wale Bolorunduro, who stated this at a press conference in Osogbo said that N24.3billion was paid to retired workers in the state while N13.6billion was paid to those at the local government councils.

The state government has committed such huge money for the welfare of the retired workers despite challenges posed by the dwindling revenue to the state from the federation account.

According to him, “Despite challenges posed by the dwindling revenue to the state from the federal government, the state government has paid a total sum of N24.3billion to pensioners as pension and gratuity to retired workers in the state”.

While assuring that the retirees will continue to enjoy their monthly emolument, Bolorunduro hinted that the current administration has jerked up the monthly pension obligations to retired workers from N250million to N600million.

On the actual debt of the state, Bolorunduro said the state debt stand at N39billion which he described as sustainable.

The opposition had claimed that the state debt has risen up to N400billion. Bolorunduro posited that the total debt of the state was not beyond redemption, stressing that the state is buoyant to carry out its day to day duties to all citizens of the state.

According to him, the philosophy of the present administration is based on the welfare and good living standard of the people unlike in the past.

LEADERSHIP

Students in their thousands on Wednesday defied stern looking security agents in Osogbo‎ who had laid siege to the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park venue of the scheduled adoption of the governor of the state, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as their candidate for the August 9 election.
The students under the aegis of Youths and Students Coalition for the re-election of Aregbesola took to the Olaiya Junction in the heart of the State Capital and marched to Ogo-Oluwa axis of Osogbo before they converged at Fakunle area to address members.
The student coalition which comprises of National Association of Nigerian Students Joint Campus Committee‎, National Association of Osun State Students (NAOSS) and all other students associations on campuses.
Convener of the Youths and Students Coalition group, Comrade Abiola‎ Oludele, stressed that the Independent Electoral Commission should be fair enough to conduct credible election in Osun, saying Youths in the state will take no excuse for any failure.
According to Oludele,”We want to use this medium to charge INEC to conduct an election that will be seen by all as free and fair. Youths in Osun will take no excuse for their failure and any attempt to go against the popular wish of our people will be resisted.
“Youths and students coalition wish to inform INEC and security agents deployed to the state that we bargain for nothing other than free and fair governorship election come August 9.

“People as the owners of votes, we do not need any clearance to monitor, safeguard and protect ‎our votes.

“We wish to state it clearly that we are fully aware that various security agents and others deployed for our protection and as such should not be turned to instrument of oppression and harassment before election.

“It is important for INEC to note that the duties of its officers are not expected to be carried out by any of the security agents in any of the polling units across the state,” The Youth association pointed out.
It will be recalled that Mobile policemen and the Military men ‎were seen on Wednesday morning turning back people who had arrived the Mandela Freedom Park, venue of the event for the endorsement of the governor by the students.

The Bureau of Communications and Strategy in the Office of the Governor, commenting on the development said it was unthinkable that the PDP-led Federal Government is allowing this to happen at this stage of Nigeria’s democratic journey.

“One is miffed by the audacity of the security agents who dared to stop members of the workforce of Osun and students who wanted to adopt the Governor today and tell the whole world that they are behind Aregbesola.

“But we are consoled by the fact that the people have shown them their power. People have demonstrated that even in the face of intimidation, they are peaceful but resolute on the decision to vote for Rauf Aregbesola,” said Semiu Okanlawon, Director, Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Office of the Government

Photos of the Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and his predecessor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola during the Mega Rally for the Re-election of Governor Aregbesola, at Osogbo City Stadium, Osogbo, State of Osun on Tuesday 05-08-2014

Governor State of Osun, ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and his predecessor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola (right on Top of the Bus), during the Mega Rally for the Re-election of Governor Aregbesola, at Osogbo City Stadium, Osogbo, State of Osun on Tuesday 05-08-2014

Governor State of Osun, ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and his predecessor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola (right on Top of the Bus), during the Mega Rally for the Re-election of Governor Aregbesola, at Osogbo City Stadium, Osogbo, State of Osun on Tuesday 05-08-2014

Governor State of Osun, ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and his predecessor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola (right on Top of the Bus), during the Mega Rally for the Re-election of Governor Aregbesola, at Osogbo City Stadium, Osogbo, State of Osun on Tuesday 05-08-2014

Governor State of Osun, ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and his predecessor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola (right on Top of the Bus), during the Mega Rally for the Re-election of Governor Aregbesola, at Osogbo City Stadium, Osogbo, State of Osun on Tuesday 05-08-2014

Crowd in and outside of the Osogbo City Stadium, during the Mega Rally on Re-election of Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on Tuesday 05-08-2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (On Top of Bus), at a Mega Rally on his Re-election, held at Osogbo City Stadium, Osogbo, State of Osun on Tuesday 05-08-2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (On Top of Bus), at a Mega Rally on his Re-election, held at Osogbo City Stadium, Osogbo, State of Osun on Tuesday 05-08-2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (On Top of Bus), at a Mega Rally on his Re-election, held at Osogbo City Stadium, Osogbo, State of Osun on Tuesday 05-08-2014

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NANS Press Release On OSUN gubernatorial elections.

“Just Before The People Of Osun Decides” By Comrade Yinka Gbadebo, National President, National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS.

Gentle Men of the Press,

Our organization considers it sacrosanct, germane and imperative to address the world today to objectively express and confidently make our position known in respect of the fast-approaching governorship election in Osun State, South Western, Nigeria.

As an ideologically based organization, rooted, grounded and cerebral, we viewed it as a matter of necessity to place on records, for the sake of history and posterity that our members in Osun, the land of living spring, know where we stand before they decide.

Without any iota of doubt and without equivocation, the National Association of Nigerian Students wishes to state categorically that we are for free, fair and credible elections as a panacea to sustaining and deepening our democratic experience across Nigeria and particularly now that the people of Osun go to the poll to pick the governor of their choice.

As one of the formidable foot soldiers who fought against the tyrannical and despotic regimes the military represents alongside other pro-democracy platforms, that led to the restoration of democracy to Nigeria, it is important we let the whole world know we are against any attempt to circumvent the tenets of democracy as far as the August 9th governorship election in Osun State is concerned.

Greatest Nigerian Students! We urge those of you that domicile in Osun to troop out on August 9th and vote for any candidate of your choice having in mind that the exercise has implications for the future well-being of our people. As such, it should be approached with all the seriousness it deserves.

We urge you to vote rightly! Vote for character! Vote your best personality! Vote for integrity! Vote for tradition! Cast your vote for virtue! Use your vote to uphold the sanctity of the ballot box! Vote for competence. Reject acts that work to make students gangsters.

Fellow Nigerian Students, once again, we wish to say that our stand on the Osun State governorship poll is that, it should be free, fair and creditably conducted. We say to no rigging, violence, intimidation, harassment and disenfranchisement of eligible voters.

Further more, while we support the move of the Federal Government to mobilize security men to all the nooks and crannies of Osun in order to ensure that the election is free and fair, we wish to state without any fear or favor that the security situation in Osun State, as we speak, does not warrant mobilizing the men of the Nigerian Army for election purposes instead of its constitutional role of maintaining and securing the country from any form of external aggression. Election is a civil matter, and our position is that it should be treated by people with civil minds.

Be that as it may, may we state that as the most informed and radical youth movement in Nigeria, we shall ensure that the electoral brouhaha that lead to the collapse of first, second and third Republics is avoided in Nigeria starting fromOsun State Governorship Election.

Lastly, we urge Nigerian Students of Osun State origin, to vote for the candidate that values education! Education is a right and not a privilege. We implore you to Vote for the candidate who will truthfully give you access to quality and affordable education! We beg of you not to sell your vote.

The only panacea for development in a complex nation like Nigeria is to have characters embedded with virtues, integrity and as Plato opined, philosophical skills, at the corridor of power.

Therefore, we urge Osun Students and all voters to think wisely before they cast their votes.

Long Live Osun State
Long Live Nigeria
Long Live NANS

Yinka Gbadebo, National President, National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS.

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