Category: General
The President of Yoruba Foundation and former Nigerian ambassador to Ghana and Zimbabwe, Ambassador Olu Otunla, has commended the total transformation of the State of Osun by Governor Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola.
Ambassador Otunla, the Chairman at the maiden State of Osun Schools Literary and Debate grand finale, made this disclosure on Tuesday at the Centre for Black, Culture and International Understanding, Abere, Osogbo,
The former envoy said before Aregbesola’s coming to power, the state neither enjoyed peace, progress nor prosperity.
He noted that the developmental stride of Aregbesola in just a single term is worthy of commendation.
Otunla pointed out that the zeal with which he commence the development left no one in doubt that Osun is being piloted into an enviable height among comity of state’s in Nigeria.
According to the former Ghanian envoy “Before Aregbesola came to power the state did not know peace, progress or prosperity.
“When he became governor, the doors totally opened for all these virtues.
“Now, we are seeing and a witness to numerous signs of prosperity. And I make bold to say that in just a single term of four years in office, the state has been totally transformed.”
Otunla lamented that African continent has remained behind as countries across the world jostle to beat themselves in developing their nations.
He therefore, charged the school children to work assiduously to become the nation’s generation of problem solvers so as to move the country forward.
In his response, Governor Aregbesola he embarked on the education polices so as to make tomorrow of the children better than today.
He averred that all a leader needs to do is to bring a positive change to his domain where he is a leader.
He added that any government that fails to secure the tomorrow of his younger ones is destined fail.
He said: “our interest in the students is not for them alone but also for ourselves.
“What you see today in us as leaders is the effort made by some people long time ago.
“So, if we fail to provide a platform for our youth today, we are doomed.”
Earlier in his welcome address, the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiyi, who was represented by Hon. Ipoola Omisore, said that one of the many responsibilities of any government is discovering early childhood talents and the mentoring of such talents appropriately.
He stressed that the debate will not only educate the public on the governor’s monumental philosophy on education but will also enlighten the students and other stakeholders on the various political religious intrigues being introduced by mischief makers to tarnish the education policy of Aregbesola’s administration.
In his words: “This debate being organised by the Omlouabi Support Group/Oranmiyan Worldwide in conjunction the the state’s Ministry of Education, will show the quality of the policy being introduced into education by the present government.
“It will also educate stakeholders on the result of the reclassification exercise given the state’s huge investment on education.
“We must congratulate Aregbesola on the numerous achievements of his government this far.”
In her own remark, the Deputy Governor, who also doubles as the Commissioner for Education, Otunba Titi Laoye-Tomori, the turnaround being witnessed today is as a result of government’s successive revolution in the education sector.
The Deputy Governor said the inter-school debate is one of the efforts at developing the school children in the state.
“What we are witnessing today is the result of the revolution, planted and nurtured in the state’s education sector.'” she said.
A student of Osogbo High School, Ayodele Habeeb, scored 222 points beating five other contestants to became the overall winner and state champion of the maiden edition of the debate.
The race to the Osun State Government House is fully on. JOSHUA DADA in this report takes a look at the gladiators and their preparations towards the poll.
As the governorship election draws near in Osun State, more candidates and aspirants have continued to emerge for the contest regarded in many quarters as a major determinant with the capacity to alter the political power balance in the South-West part of the country.
Before now, the two prominent aspirants who have emerged as candidates of their various political parties following the conduct of the mandatory primaries are the incumbent governor, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Senator Christopher Iyiola Omisore of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
First to emerge was Senator Omisore, the candidate of PDP following a primary conducted by the party and supervised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on 5th April, 2014.
That of the APC which produced Governor Aregbesola was ratified on 12th April, 2014 following the ward congress/ primary that gave the incumbent governor100% votes.
Expectedly, the Labour Party, another vibrant political party in the state is warming up for its own primary even as the emergence of a grassroots politician and former secretary to the state government, Alhaji Fatai Akinade Akinbade as an aspirant from the party has made the party more relevant in Osun politics.
Also, though not yet confirmed through a primary, the appearance of Senator Sunday Fajimi as Alliance for Democracy (AD) candidate has brought to the fore, the relevance of the party that made the current Interim National Chairman of APC, Chief Adebisi Akande governor of the state between 1999 and 2003.
The Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) lost the immediate past Head of Service in the State, Mr Segun Akinwusi to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) following the failure of INEC to register the party as at that time.
He had initially opted for UPN because of his belief in the late sage’s (Chief Obafemi Awolowo) ideology for which the party stands. He however switched to the SDP which he claimed to be the reincarnation of the party on which platform Chief MKO Abiola who died in the process of fighting for the actualization of his election won a popular mandate in 1993.
Now that INEC has registered UPN, a party that shares the ideology and name of the great sage, it is expected that the ex-HoS will now make a choice whether to stick to Abiola or return to Awolowo’s fold.
Though some green horns in politics are also touted to be flying the flags of other less visible political parties, their successes are not near the catch gambit unless the miraculous circumstances that produced Late Michael Otedola as the Governor of Lagos State rear their heads in Osun State. Indeed, such are far away from the corridors of power.
It is obvious that the battle is likely to be between the PDP and the APC, the parties that have tasted the Bola Ige Governors office, Abere, Osogbo from 2003 to date.
As a matter of fact, if what the APC claimed, when the battle over the PDP flag bearer among aspirants is anything to go by, the party should be sleeping by now. This is because the party had boasted that should Omisore emerge as PDP candidate, it (APC) will go to sleep.
But now that Omisore has emerged, the APC cannot go to sleep because the former Chairman of Appropriation in the upper chamber of the National Assembly is a factor anybody cannot ignore in the politics of Osun State. This is by virtue of his contribution to what Osun State is today as a Deputy Governor and a Senator of the Federal Republic.
The APC based their decision to go to sleep on their belief that the people have identified Senator Omisore with the toga of violence put on him by his political adversaries.
While Omisore has been accusing the ruling APC of planning violence following alleged utterances of the party’s flag bearer, he has consistently described Aregbesola’s administration as oppressive and promised to change most of the transformation policies of the government to meet the need of the people.
But the APC is rest assured that with the positive impact of the Aregbesola’s administration on the people, the governor deserved a second term in office.
Admittedly, Aregbesola has touched the lives of every family in Osun State with his programmes and projects that have qualified him for awards nationally and internationally. This is to the extent that the Interim National Chairman of his party said recently at a public forum that the election of Aregbesola is a foregone issue because the people will vote massively for him.
Since no good thing comes without a prize, the PDP is ready to use into advantage those areas where changes have brought hardship to individuals and corporate bodies to tackle Governor Aregbesola at the poll.
Another underrated party is the Labour Party (LP) because it has never been at the corridor of power in the state. But with the emergence of Alhaji Akinbade who is known to have touched lives of individuals.
He is known to have practiced his politics within the confine of the state as commissioner in various ministries during the military era, chairman of PDP under whom Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola became governor and the secretary to the state government for over seven years. The LP, with Akinbade as candidate, cannot also be wished away as a factor in Osun politics.
Akinbade has told other parties that he stands a better chance of winning the election because he is well-known by the people unlike his opponents that are either rooted in Lagos or Abuja.
He claimed that by virtue of his accessibility to the people, he knows where the shoes pinch more than any other candidate adding that he can as well provide solution to their problems.
The technocrat among them, Elder Segun Akinwusi has served the state in various capacities until he got to the pick of his career as Head of Service.
By virtue of his knowledge of the operational structure of the state, while tackling the administration of Aregbesola, he has presented himself as one that has been the brain behind the successes of successive governments in the state. He insists that he is better positioned to tackle headlong the problem of the people and take them to the promise land.
Other aspirants are also lending their voices probably to be noticed, heard, bargaining factor or seriously committed to emerge as the governor of Osun State miraculously.
In all these, one cannot but think about the potency and quality both Chief Akande and erstwhile national secretary of the PDP, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola might bring to bear on the race.
Both are former governors; once adversaries but now seemingly aligning to forge front with no thanks to the internal national crises that have rocked the PDP, forcing some governors, other leaders, including Oyinlola to make a forced exit.
Only recently, during the Easter period precisely, Governor Aregbesola paid an understandably strategic visit to Oyinlola. Indeed, this development, laced with possible balancing factors, has led to a hushed curiousity on the part of political watchers.
The ball is in the court of the electorates of Osun State to decide who controls the affairs of the State from November, 2014 through the August 9 governorship election in the State of the virtuous.
LEADERSHIP
Parents resident in the state of Osun especially mothers have been advised to keep their children warm by putting on them warm clothing especially in this cold weather as being experienced nowadays.
The Commissioner for Women and Children Affairs, Mrs Mofolake Adegboyega made this known in a press statement.
According to her, since we are in the raining season,a lot of ailments are attached to this period due to the cold weather.
To forestall this cold related ailments, mothers should ensure that they have their children adequately clothed so as to prevent them from any embarrassment .
Mothers were also advised to note that the weather tends to be colder at night for the children hence they should keep their children comfortable always.
OSUN NEWS
The Governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, has said the Boko Haram sect should be crushed because of the havoc the group had wreaked on many homes in the country.
He said the sect’s campaign against education is a misadventure and unacceptable, adding that it has no basis in Islam.
He also decried the abduction of over 200 girls from Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State and their continued captivity by the sect.
He spoke in Ilorin on Wednesday during the 10th Mosobalaje Oyawoye Faculty of Science Endowed lecture of the University of Ilorin titled ‘Revitalizing education in Nigeria: the Osun example’.
The governor was represented by his Special Adviser on Innovation, Science and Technology, Mr. Azeez Ajayi.
“The campaign by the renegade insurgent group, Boko Haram, against education and female involvement is totally misplaced. It has no basis in any of Prophet Mohammad’s teaching. It is purely a misguided mission and must be stoutly countered with all gravitas.
“The group itself must be pulverized because of the sorrow it causes in homes and the deprivation it makes some children to suffer with respect to education,” Aregbesola said.
President, Nigerian Academy of Science, Prof. Oyewale Tomori, said Nigeria had neglected science and misapplied technology.
He added that this had truncated the nation’s orderly development and progress.
His lecture was titled ‘Scientific and technological transformation of Nigeria: Role of tertiary institutions’.
Tomori, who is a delegate to the ongoing national conference, said Nigerians must have a new and creative thinking about the role of science and technology in stimulating and advancing national development.
He urged government to stop paying lip service to science and technology, adding that it should adequately fund science and research activities.
OSUN DEFENDER
Legal experts argue that an effective criminal justice system is central to the sustenance of law and order in the society.
A criminal justice system is a set of legal and social institutions established for enforcing the criminal law, in accordance with a defined set of procedural rules and limitations.
The importance of a criminal justice system notwithstanding, observers note that criminal trials are often delayed, particularly where the defendants are able to hire lawyers who could exploit the weaknesses in the system.
In the light of such observations, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) organised a workshop in Osogbo recently for stakeholders in the legal profession.
The workshop was designed to expose the participants to pragmatic ways of developing a strategic approach to ensure effective justice delivery system in Osun State.
Organised in conjunction with the European Union (EU), the workshop deliberated on the necessary means of enhancing good governance, respect for human rights and the rule of law.
The workshop, which has “An Action Plan For Justice Sector Reform in Osun’’ as its theme, examined methods of effective coordination and cooperation among justice sector institutions within an enhanced legal and policy framework.
Mr Edwin Berry, the Deputy Coordinator of UNDOC, said that UNDOC was the UN agency entrusted with the mandate to assist member states in their efforts to tackle corruption, illicit drugs, crime and terrorism.
He said that UNDOC was also providing technical assistance in the area of justice sector reform globally, adding that it had built up a knowledge base of successful practices.
He said that Osun was important in the area of judicial reform, having set a remarkable example as being the only state in Nigeria that already had a reform plan developed by the government.
Berry said that the workshop would as well strengthen capabilities and operational structures in the justice sector to increase access to justice and respect for human rights and the rule of law.
“Given this experience, the EU and the government of Nigeria have entrusted UNDOC with the responsibility of implementing a justice sector support programme and a campaign against drugs, organised crime and anti-corruption.
“The justice sector support programme is being implemented at the federal level and in some pilot states such as Rivers, Imo, Osun, Katsina, Lagos and the FCT,’’ he said.
Expressing the support of the state government for the programme, Mr Wale Afolabi, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Osun, said that the government was passionate about reforming the criminal justice system in the state.
He pledged that government would ensure speedy acceleration of justice, while improving the welfare of judges and magistrates in the state.
Afolabi said that the state government would construct two new prisons as part of efforts to enhance access to justice, adding that the government recently employed 19 magistrates to facilitate speedy dispensation of justice.
According to him, the prisons will be located in Osogbo and Iwo Local Government Areas to decongest the two main prisons in Ilesa and Ile-Ife, which were established over 30 years ago.
“By the time these prisons are ready; they will decongest the main prisons, make transportation of suspects to the court faster and easier, while improving on our criminal justice system. This present administration inherited 18 magistrates but we discovered they were not enough and we employed additional 19 magistrates to ensure speedy dispensation of justice,’’ he said.
The attorney-general said that 17 lawyers were also recruited as public prosecutors for efficient prosecution of criminal cases. Besides, Afolabi said that the Osun House of Assembly was reviewing existing laws in the state to ensure that they conformed to the present realities.
He noted that the government had revived the Public Defender and Citizens Rights Department as well as mediation centres to enable indigent people to have access to justice via alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.
“We discovered that many people are very poor in the state and cannot employ the services of a lawyer to handle their cases. And as a result of this, when the present administration came into power, the Department of Public Defender and Citizen Rights in the Ministry of Justice was revived to help the citizens. Lawyers in the mediation centres are government employees and they render their services free of charge,’’ he said.
Commenting on the workshop, Justice Oyebola Ojo, the Chief Judge of Osun State, said that the workshop was essential, as part of efforts to carry out occasional review of strategies in the dispensation of justice.
She said that the workshop would also be useful in efforts to conduct the internal and external assessment of personnel and tools available to the judiciary for optimum service delivery.
Represented by Justice Jide Falola, Ojo said that the workshop would also expose the participants to modern techniques to sharpen their skills and motivate them.
She, however, noted that the judiciary was not funded properly as one of the three arms of government.
She commended the Osun Government for providing an atmosphere that was conducive to the work of the judiciary and lauded UNDOC for making Osun one of its seven focal states.
Appraising plans for the reform, Mr Ibrahim Lawal, Senior Special Adviser to Gov. Rauf Aregbesola on Legal Matters, said that appreciable progress had been recorded in efforts to reform the justice delivery system.
Lawal conveyed the government’s determination to reform the criminal justice system in the state.
He said that government was also striving to ensure speedy dispensation of justice, while improving the welfare package for judges and magistrates in the state.
Observers, nonetheless, underscore the need for a more aggressive justice sector reform in the country, so as to improve the criminal justice delivery system.
NAN
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Aregbesola, who spoke through his Senior Special Assistant on Community Forum, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, on Monday, at a special service organised to pray for the state and Nigeria, at Everlasting Rock Ministry Church, Ibokun, said the girls needed prayers, as the search by security agencies continued.
He noted that bombing, killing and kidnapping of innocent citizens by Boko Haram insurgent must not be seen as a religious issue but as a grave act of inhumanity against man.
The governor described Boko Haram insurgency as a revolt against the entire socio-political order in the country.
Aregbesola also noted that terrorism would send bad signals to investors and cripple economic activities in the affected areas and added that the menace should be fought without religious sentiment.
He also said the activities of Boko Haram were outside the tenets of Islam, which he described as a religion of love and peace. He said Boko Haram target was to destabilise the country by all means.
He said, “That is the more reason we must pray fervently and without ceasing for the unconditional release of these girls, not only in places of worships, but also in our homes too. We should pray so that they can be reunited with their families who have been in sorrow since the unfortunate incidence. We must continue to pray until these girls are released and Boko Haram insurgency in this country becomes a thing of the past.”
Aregbesola however used the occasion to urge the people to be more vigilant and report any suspicious movement or objects to security agencies.
He also urged parents to warn their children against being used by politicians to disrupt peace in the state. He also warned the people against selling their voters cards to “desperate politicians.”
OSUN DEFENDER
The chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, yesterday advanced reasons why the commission will not use card readers in the governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states.
In another development, INEC, in its bid to bridge the increasing gender gap and promote mutual partnerships between men and women in the operations of the Commission and its relation with relevant stakeholders, said it was working assiduously towards articulating a proper framework for mainstreaming gender through its gender policy.
Jega, who received the United States (US) Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, Sarah, in Abuja, explained that the interest generated by both elections would not allow for it to be used for the pilot scheme.
Ekiti State governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi and his Osun State counterpart, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, had, at a fund raising dinner recently, called on INEC to rescind its decision not to use Voter Card Reader machines in the forthcoming Ekiti and Osun states governorship elections.
But Jega said: “It will not be wise to use a pilot scheme in an election that will be keenly contested.”
He also noted that in the next three month, the commission would have been done with Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) distribution.
The INEC boss, however, gave the assurance that the commission was fully prepared to conduct free, fair and acceptable election in 2015, saying INEC was now prepared technically and in terms of personnel for the forthcoming elections.
LEADERSHIP