Photos showing  Some of the 500 Motorcycles (Okada) bought by Aregbesola’s administration to Support the Okada Riders in Osun at the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo, State of Osun, during the weekend

Some of the 500 Motorcycles (Okada) bought by Aregbesola’s administration to Support the Okada Riders in Osun. Insert: Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola cutting the tape to Commission the Motorcycles, during his Endorsement for Second Term by the Okada Riders, at Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo, State of Osun, during the weekend

Some of the 500 Motorcycles (Okada) bought by Aregbesola’s administration to Support the Okada Riders in Osun. Insert: Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola cutting the tape to Commission the Motorcycles, during his Endorsement for Second Term by the Okada Riders, at Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo, State of Osun, during the weekend

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola acknowledging cheers from the Okada Riders, during the Distribution of 500 Motorcycles to Okada Riders in Osun and Endorsement of Aregbesola for Second Term in office at Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo, State of Osun, during the weekend

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola acknowledging cheers from the Okada Riders, during the Distribution of 500 Motorcycles to Okada Riders in Osun and Endorsement of Aregbesola for Second Term in office at Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo, State of Osun, during the weekend

Some of the 500 Motorcycles (Okada) bought by Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s administration to Support the Okada Riders in Osun, at Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo, State of Osun, during the weekend

There is a town called Asipa in Ife North local government area of Osun state. It is a town founded by a warrior called Fashina. It is historically known as a town of warriors. But last week, Asipa was in the news not because it conquered another town or kingdom like their ancestors did consistently in the days of old. It was because an aspiring warrior met his untimely death testing a bullet-proof charm.

Rasheed Sulaiman, according to reports, had gone to a herbalist to fortify himself for only-God-knows- what. The herbalist gave him a bullet-proof charm. Last Saturday, Sulaiman decided to test the charm that he had spent good money on. He called his cousin, Siji to accompany him to a secluded spot where they would check out the bullet-proof. He gave a gun to Siji, wore the amulet and told his cousin to fire. Siji fired and Sulaiman joined his ancestors. Just like that. By the time those who heard the strange gunshot got to the ‘shooting range’, Sulaiman was long gone, amulet and all. It was a sad day indeed for Siji. Other parents went into panic mode, afraid that their other children may also have gone to procure bullet-repellent and machete-cut-proof amulets.

This therefore is where I will start my prayer for Osun.

Dear Lord, protect our children, especially our young men from fake herbalists and bullet-proof amulets that have no NAFDAC numbers. I do not want to believe that Rasheed Sulaiman bought the amulet that killed him because of August 9 election but God I pray that you lay your hands on the youth of Osun state. May your spirit remind them that this election is only for a few hours and life will go on even if anybody is shot playing thug. God Almighty, remind my brothers that only the living reap the dividends of democracy.

Lord you are omniscient, you know politicians will always give money to some people to put their lives on the line so their own children can reap the bounties of political office. You know what they give is peanuts but because my people are poor they scramble for these crumbs, Tonight as they sleep, in their dreams, please show them the folly of accepting even N100,000 from anybody to go and risk their lives. Show them that the death of even the only child of a family will not stop the swearing-in of the governor of Osun state. Let your spirit constantly remind those who have been brainwashed that this is a do-or-die election that all we need to do is to vote, not die because in vain die those who think their families will be compensated because they chose to play thug.

The federal government has said it will deploy  troops that will be armed to the teeth. Most of these men are trained to shoot to kill. Some of them do not know how to shoot legs. They only aim for the head and the chest. May our impressionable people know that even if we sue a soldier for killing one young person, the dead will remain dead. May they know better than to challenge a man carrying AK 47 with a bush amulet.

And Lord, please deal with these fake charm merchants. Most of them are just emergency herbalists trading on the desperation of young people who do not know any better. Please give their customers the wisdom and the presence of mind to test the bullet-proof charms on the heads and chests of the herbalists.

I also need to pray for the candidates in the Osun election. May the Lord guide your steps but need I remind you that only one candidate, only one winner can emerge in this kind of competition? I pray that the Lord will grant the winner the wisdom to rule in grace and the grace for those who do not win to accept the verdict.

Lord, cane anybody from above, on their buttocks who decide to foment trouble during or after this election. If a man offers to serve and the people he wants to serve say they do not want his service, it should not cause fight. If the people make their choice, then that is their choice. Do not allow these politicians to bathe their feet in the blood of the people they promised to serve.

NATIONAL MIRROR

Speaker of Osun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Najeem Salaam, has charged Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to ensure that the August 9 gubernatorial election in the state is credible, free and fair.

The Speaker appealed to INEC to continue to play the role of unbiased umpire for the purpose of conducting election that would be acceptable to all.Salaam made the call while speaking with newsmen shortly after a visit to the Olusongbe of Songbe, Oba Kamilu Ajadi, in Ejigbo Local Government Area of the state.

Urging INEC to ensure a level praying ground for all the political parties and prompt delivery of both sensitive and nonsensitive voting materials to all polling units on the day of election, Hon. Salaam charged politicians to desist from any act capable of causing violence, before, during and after the election.

He said the governorship election should not be a do-or-die affair, adding that the well-being of the electorate and the peaceful atmosphere in the state after the election should be paramount to all politicians.

Appealing to electorate to go out en-mass on the day of the election and vote, Salam advised them not to sell their voter cards, stressing that their cards remains their power to elect the leader of their choice.

In his remarks, the Olusongbe of Songbe, Oba Ajadi, urged politicians to shun violence during the election, describing the exercise as a marathon race, during which all players should play by the rule of the game.

 NATIONALMIRROR

Less than a week to the election, there are 450,560 Permanent Voters Cards (PVC) representing 32% of the total number of 1,410,684 produced, yet to be collected according to INEC, this is quite disturbing, as the deadline for the collection of the cards is Monday 4th August.

There must be coordinated efforts to ensure these cards are collected by or before the deadline to prevent unwholesome usage of the cards by unscrupulous elements who are on the prowl.

We only have 2 days to achieve this feat, it is not an insurmountable challenge.

There’s need for the party chieftains at all levels (State, LG, Wards) and all stakeholders to get involved in mobilizing the registered voters to various INEC offices across the state to collect these outstanding PVCs

BIOREPORTS

Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola will win the August 9 governorship election by 73 per cent, if there is a free and fair election, TSN-RSM, a survey group, has predicted.
The research firm, which is a member of Gallup International, also reported that Aregbesola’s main challenger and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Iyiola Omisore, is behind by 54 points.
However, the survey, which was conducted in Osun State between June and last month, also said that public confidence in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dropped by 10 points.
The survey stated: “The APC continues to dominate the political landscape in Osun State, judging by its performance on key indicators evaluated. It scored highest and increased in rating on first mention, sympathy and voting intention.”
It added: “The governor, Rauf Aregbesola, is the candidate of choice by Osun voters with 73 per cent lead over other candidates. This is a clear indication that the choice of Osun voters in the next governorship race is Governor Rauf Aregbesola.”
Omisore polled 19 per cent, representing a two percent decline from the earlier survey.
“The governor remains the main voting choice. Voting choice for Senator Omisore declined by two per cent and seemed not to pose a threat to the incumbent’s chances of re-election as he remains firmly ahead of the race.”
“Not only is the APC the most preferred party in Osun State, it has largely retained this goodwill from way back in the past. It was the party that most people claimed to have voted for in the last election and it is still the party with the highest chances of winning the election again. More importantly, the gap by which it outperforms the opposition, continues to widen and more convincing in the survey.”
In the report, the APC is rated very high as its top-of-mind and awareness increased from 75 per cent to 78 per cent over the two polls, followed by the PDP with 18 per cent, a drop of three per cent from 21 per cent in the first study.
The Labour Party (LP) came third, with a negligible one per cent. Furthermore, the “electorate choice” for the APC is now 70 per cent, boosted by one per cent increment. Nineteen percent indicated that they would vote for the PDP, which represented another three per cent drop. The electorate’s choice for the LP remained one percent.
The report stressed:  “While Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is more known than his party, Senator Iyiola Omisore is less known than his party. The top-of-mind awareness of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola increased to 85 per cent (from 79 per cent), affinity increased from 72 per cent to 74 per cent and chances of being re-elected increased from 71 per cent to 73 per cent.”
“Conversely, it is a tale of decline for the man in the second place, Senator Omisore. For the top-of-mind awareness, the PDP candidate dropped to 13 per cent from 19 per cent, affinity fell to 19 per cent from 21per cent and chances of being elected declined to 19 per cent from 21 per cent.”
The analysis showed that while the affinity of the Osun electorate towards the APC increased by four per cent, the PDP failed to maintain its connection to the people. The positive perception of the APC by Osun voters stood at 83 per cent while on 17 per cent viewed the APC as unfavourable.
According to the polls, 98 per cent of respondents said they would participate in the August 9 election. This suggests that the people are prepared for any eventuality in election.
The survey also showed the strength of the candidates and their parties in the local government areas across the state.
“The repeat of the APC high chance to win in all the local government areas (LGAs) seem to play out again in the next election. The APC is poised to repeat this feat, except in Ife Central and Ife East. The PDP seemed well-positioned to win these two LGAs. The LP’s weakness is imminent across all the LGAs.
“The incumbent’s chances of being reelected remain same across the LGAs, except in Ife Central and Ife East. The incumbent’s chances of re-election remain high and leads his closest rival by a good margin of 54 per cent – an increment of four per cent over the last survey.”
But the voters’ confidence in the INEC dropped to from 57 per cent to 67 per cent.
Statistically, the research firm stated that that “the margin of error for the survey is “plus or minus five per cent, with 95 per cent level of confidence.”
NATION

Residents in Osun on Thursday condemned in a strong term the attitude of heavily armed security men, from the Department of State Security (DSS) in Osogbo, engaging in war-liked scenario, with sporadic shooting in the air, meant to create fear in the mind of electorates.

Dr Husseini Abdullahi, Medical Director in a Hospital who spoke in an Interview with Bioreports said, ‘’Over 50 Hilux armed vehicle parading the city, had really create fear in the mind of some electorates.

Abdullahi said, ‘’The DSS in Osun ought to know that the state was peaceful and with the current behavior, electorates maybe scared and discouraged.’’

‘’The irregular shooting by the DSS was barbaric, uncivilised and should be condemn by all. Urged the Boss of the Security service to be electorate friendly.’’

“I want the Heads of DSS to talk to their apparatus not to victimized electorates. What we saw yesterday was a picture of what may happen during and after the August 9 gubernatorial election”. He added.

Abdulahi, urged electorates to come out en masses on the day of election without any iota of fear.

Mrs Foluke Ajayi, a trader at the Old Garage area, lamented that over the acquisitive attitude of the DSS, which frighten a lot of people in the state capital city.

Ajayi, said the peace of the state is of utmost priority and such act can lead to public disturbance.

Corroborating the view, Mr Olawoyin Adewumi and Prince Ojo Olalekan condemned the shooting, saying that they were just using the system to intimidate electorates from exercising their civic responsibility in the coming election.

They said, no amount of intimidation can deprive them from coming out come August 9 to cast their vote for the candidate of their choice.

It would be recalled that, DSS had on Wednesday stormed the state capital with a sporadic shooting which made majority of the people in the state capital started running helter skelter for the fear of being hit by bullet.

The development which made motorists and commercial motorcyclists hurriedly packed their vehicles, just as pedestrians also abandoned the roads as the armed official profoundly took over the roads.

Classically defined as the government of the people, by the people and for the people, contemporary conventional wisdom describes democracy as the best form of government. One of the reasons for this view is that representative democracies are predicated on the will and consent of the people and must thus be responsible and accountable to them. Since democratic governments derive their legitimacy from the will of the people and remain in power only at the pleasure of the electoral majority, it is assumed, at least in theory, that they will be more compelled than dictatorships to promote development and the public good. However, this assumption cannot be taken for granted. Its validity depends firstly on free, fair and credible polls and, secondly, on performance being a key determining factor in electoral outcomes.
What we have experienced in Nigeria since 1999 is the strange phenomenon whereby the PDP has continued to ‘win’ elections at the centre and in a majority of the states even as the fortunes of the country continue to decline in virtually all sectors and the vast majority of Nigerians increasingly impoverished under its watch. What then can be the motivation for a government to perform and keep its electoral compact with the people when it is rewarded with emphatic victories at the polls irrespective of the quality of its performance or the extent of its ineptness and moral degeneration? As the country has grown richer, at least according to the re-based GDP, unemployment, insecurity and hunger have worsened with the majority of Nigerians descending deeper into poverty. The increased impoverishment of Nigerians has fuelled the monetisation of elections with the highest bidder likely to triumph at the polls through the deployment of stolen public wealth. It cannot get more absurd than that. This is a classic case of what the late Claude Ake would describe as ‘how democracy underdevelops Nigeria’.
Matters are not helped when a desperate Jonathan presidency cynically and ruthlessly exploits all opportunities to keep Nigerians divided along ethnic, religious and regional fault lines all in a bid to perpetuate itself in power at all costs beyond 2015. Can you see, for instance, how a Chibok community, hitherto united in their single-minded quest for the return of their abducted girls by Boko Haram brigands, have been divided through monetary gratifications by a delegation’s visit to Abuja’s cash-laden presidential Villa? All that the Jonathan presidency touches, it taints and divides!
The enthusiasm and impunity with which the Jonathan presidency deploys asymmetric federal powers and resources to crush all opposition and impose its might on Nigerians no matter how lawlessly, shows that the whole idea of the national conference , purportedly convened to restructure Nigeria, fundamentally reduce the powers of the centre and create a more balanced federation, was an entire ruse. Let no one think that resolutions passed by a collection of unelected Nigerians with absolutely no legal powers can convince this president to give up the immense powers conferred on him by the existing constitution. That purpose can only be achieved by the irresistible force of people’s power expressed through a genuine mass movement. But that is a matter for another day.
Is all therefore lost as far as elections are concerned in Nigeria? Must we raise our hands in helpless surrender and watch federal might and the emergent culture of ‘stomach infrastructure’ enable the PDP actualise its wish of imposing its suzerainty over Nigeria for the next six decades? I do not think so. There are some glimmers of hope that people’s power can still triumph in elections over arrogant and irresponsible use of federal might. In the Ondo and Anambra governorship polls, for instance, the PDP could not use its federal might for its own benefit. It had to work through auxiliary parties, Labour Party (LP) and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) respectively to contain a resurgent and threatening APC. The behemoth may be grossly overrated after all.
In Edo State, massive deployment of federal force and resources as well as crude ethnic manipulations could not displace the ebullient, high performing and grassroots-oriented Adams Oshiomhole. The jury is still out on what went wrong in Ekiti. Some attribute the unexpected outcome of the June 21 governorship election to sophisticated, scientific rigging. The APC has taken its case to the Election Petition Tribunal contending that a process tainted by excessive militarisation, intimidation and harassment of targeted party leaders could not have produced a flawless outcome. My take is that the gains of excellent governance and visionary reforms were eroded by inept, divisive and detached politics, which enabled an intellectual and moral Lilliputian like Ayodele Fayose to defeat a far more competent and credible Kayode Fayemi in Ekiti.
An excited and misguidedly optimistic PDP now has Osun as its target in next Saturday’s governorship election. The Minister of State for Defence, Musliu Obanikoro and his collaborator in mischief, Minister of Police Affairs, Jelili Adesiyan, are once again hyperactive. Thousands of heavily armed security operatives have already been deployed to Osun, driving roughly round major towns and shooting in the air like thugs and ruffians. And this at a time when we need all the men and resources we can muster to contain the raging insurgency in the North-East – a war in which the country is continuously being given a bloody nose. This is clearly the most irresponsible Federal Government in the history of Nigeria.
Yet, in Ogbeni Raufu Aregebesola, the diminutive Governor of Osun State with a razor sharp intellect and magnetic political charisma, the PDP has met its match. You cannot fault Aregbesola on the terrain of performance. Osun is 34th of the 36 states in terms of statutory allocation from the Federation Account. Apart from this paltry federal allocation, previous administrations were incapacitated by an Internally Generated Revenue of approximately N300 million monthly. Thinking outside the box and devising ingenious strategies, Osun’s IGR has grown to N1.6 billion monthly under Aregbesola’s watch. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Osun state today has the lowest poverty index in Nigeria.
Through the revolutionary Osun Youth Employment Scheme (OYES), Aregbesola created 40,000 jobs, which injects N200 million into the local economy monthly. This is in addition to recruiting thousands of workers into the civil service and teaching service cadres. His massive road construction projects are visible across the state with beneficial impact on economic productivity. His administration has consistently supported the huge population of farmers to boost food production and enhance food security. His reforms in the education sector have created jobs for hundreds of tailors who produce school uniforms as well as caterers who provide one nutritious meal per day for all children in public schools. Of course, the innovative and revolutionary computer learning tablet, ‘Opon Imo’ has become a household name and even received international acclaim. There is no doubt in my mind that the flawed and insulting ‘stomach infrastructure’ hypothesis will be discredited, cremated and buried in Osun next Saturday.
Aregbesola is at home both in the company of professors as well as of farmers and marketmen and women. He is the quintessential man of the people. As a grassroots mobilizer, he is incomparable. This is why the PDP candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore’s antics of riding on okadas and eating roasted corn with a masked gun man behind him is so utterly ridiculous and laughable. You cannot give what you don’t have. Incidentally, Omisore, who recently claims to have acquired a Ph.D in some nebulous discipline, ran away from engaging Aregbesola and other candidates in a televised debate.
Aregbesola’s grassroots mobilization skills are understandable. As a student, he was the President of the Black Nationalist Movement. Under the influence of the late Marxist theoretician and economist, Comrade Ola Oni, he became inclined towards revolutionary Marxism. We can thus understand the progressive, welfarist orientation of his politics. As commissioner for works for eight years in Lagos State, Aregbesola was a key pillar of the formidable grassroots structure of the ACN. This is why the APC in Osun is a true mass movement.  Although a fervent and devout Muslim, Aregbesola symbolises the liberal and tolerant religious outlook of the Yoruba of the South-West. The attempt to negatively tag him as a religious fanatic has failed abysmally. All religious faiths have been allowed to thrive under his administration and leading Christian clerics have openly identified with his administration. Next Saturday, we will see a confrontation between federal might and people’s power in Osun State. I am confident that the latter will triumph decisively as a signpost to the possibilities of 2015.
THE NATION

Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun state has said that eradication of youths unemployment remains one of the major missions of his administration.

Governor Aregbesola stated this at the official launch of the OYESTECH empowerment scheme.

Aregbesola explained that his administration embarked on the scheme as a means of reducing chronic youth unemployment in the state.

He stressed that the 700 OYESTECH  youths have been trained with necessary skills needed for sustainable employment in the information and communication technology by the RLG company.

According to him, the skills acquired during the training would provide wide range of opportunities for gainful employment for the youths involved.

He further maintained that his administration will stop at nothing at ensuring a reasonable reduction in youth unemployment and promoting a better life for all and sundry.

Earlier in a remark, the managing director osun state investment company limited  OSSICOL, Mr Bola Oyebanji noted that about 700 OYESTECH members will be given direct employment by Multichoice.

Also speaking, the country director RLG, Mr Tosin Ilesanmi said the the idea behind the scheme is to make the youths employers of labour rather than employees.

The Osun State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists has invited Governor Rauf Aregbesola, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Iyiola Omisore; and four other candidates to a public debate ahead of the election.
The Chairman of the NUJ in the state, Mr. Abiodun Olalere; and its Secretary, Mr. Bamigbola Gbolagunte, said this in a statement made available to journalists in Osogbo on Thursday.
Apart from the candidates of the All Progressives Congress and the PDP, the four other contestants invited for the debate are the Labour Party candidate, Alhaji Fatai Akinbade; Alliance for Democracy governorship candidate, Senator Sunday Fajinmi, Social Democratic Party candidate, Mr.Sunday Akinwusi; and the Accord Party candidate, Mr. Niyi Owolade.
The debate, according to the organisers, would hold on August 4 and would be broadcast live on the radio and television stations in the state.
However, Omisore said that he would not attend the debate because he would not be in Osun State on that day.
PUNCH