Osun State is one of the 24 states currently contending with the challenge of unpaid workers’ wages. Obviously, the state’s workers are currently on an indefinite strike action over the issue.
Consequently, things are a bit more complicated for the people and government of the state. Dealing with dwindling revenue, unpaid salaries and labour unrest is certainly not what any progressive and people oriented government prays for. Forlornly, the way things currently stand, this is what the Osun State government has to contend with.
It is, however, rather excruciating that while the Osun State government is making constructive and strategic efforts to ensure that all issues relating to the unpaid salaries debacle are addressed (the government has actually begun the process of offsetting part of the unpaid salaries), there seems to be a politically motivated plot and a groundless campaign of calumny against the state government. From the reprehensible activities of some self styled ‘activists’ and emergency ‘friends’ of Osun, one is tempted to conclude that those that were rejected at the polls by the good people of Osun have suddenly seen an opportunity to hide behind the unpaid salary matter to cause confusion in the state. Like a bolt from the blue, some of them had suddenly found their hitherto silenced voices. And they are not just talking; they are actually singing like a Red-eyed Vireo bird which sings more than 20,000 songs a day.
In their hypocrisy and desperate pursuit of political vendetta, together with their co-travelers in the mischievous contrive to ridicule the State Government, these unprincipled elements have continued to shamelessly trade in blatant and unfounded lies against the state government. Their mission is simple: To distract the state government and confuse the good people of the state. But like it is with all dubious individuals who love to play to the gallery, it is not surprising that these men are attempting to bounce to reckoning on the platform of the current Osun workers’ salary issue. How irresponsible!
What is, perhaps, quite absurd is their proclivity for rumour mongering and peddling of falsehood. How on earth could any reasonable person accuse Ogbeni Aregbesola, whose major selling point is his integrity and sincerity of purpose, of fraud? It needs to be stressed that Ogbeni Aregbesola has run, perhaps, the most prudent and transparent government in the country, thus far. In order to save cost and get the much needed funds, which were subsequently committed into judicious use for common good of the state, the governor, for nearly a year, during his first term in office, did not constitute a cabinet. Through this astute imitative, the government was able to make a few savings that were used in uplifting public education, agriculture, job creation, road construction, culture and tourism, environmental sanitation and beautification, flood control, rural development among others.
What this self pseudo ‘activists’ and unfriendly ‘friends’ of Osun did not tell the public is that what is happening in Osun is not peculiar to the state alone. About 23 other states and, indeed, the federal government, are experiencing same harsh economic reality. For the record, Osun State, which received five billion naira as monthly allocation in February 2013, got a mere N466 million in April, 2015! This aptly captures the dire financial strait of the state and the country as a whole. But these peddlers of falsehood won’t tell their audience this. Since their intent is devilish and naughty, Osun must be singled out for constant persecution and needless ridicule.
Ironically, it was the sixteen years’ reign of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, that anti-people’s platform which these defective individuals represent, and in particular the six-year reign of former President Goodluck Jonathan that actually plunged our beloved nation into the present mess. It is common knowledge that Dr. Jonathan ran a truly clueless, visionless and most corrupt government in the history of the country. Under his watch, the nation’s foreign reserve was recklessly depleted. Like never before, corruption became the order of the day during Jonathan’s tenure. When the President of a country affirms on national television that ‘stealing is not corruption’, you don’t need to be a prophet to know that such a country is in trouble. The truth, however, is that our economy is actually in trouble courtesy the Jonathan and PDP years of gross misrule.
It must be stressed that prior to the dawn of this present national economic predicament, Osun State had faithfully discharged its responsibilities to its workers. For a period of not less than 30 months, there was no record of rancorous moment with its workers. Indeed, the state, despite its lean purse is one of the few states in the country that paid its workforce a 13th-month salary every December. The government has equally helped to develop the local economy. For instance, the uniforms of pupils and students in all public schools in the state are sourced and produced locally. This has brought about a perceptible boom in the local fabric and fashion industry in the state. Equally, local contractors have been given a great boost as they handle most of the State Government construction works. Artisans, especially at Osogbo, the capital, would readily attest to the fact that things have never been this rosy for them as a result of the unprecedented
patronage they currently enjoy from the State Government. The free meal programme for primary school pupils also offers local entrepreneurs sufficient opportunities to make ends meet.
It has, therefore, become imperative for Osun State workers to call off their strike, team up with the governor to find a lasting solution to the financial crisis bedeviling the state. Their cause is a justified one, and they deserve their wages, but the strike option would only worsen the parlous financial situation of the state. It is simply a counter-productive alternative. Since the State Government did not hide the facts concerning the finances of the state from them, the rational thing to do is to put faith in the already existing line of communication between them and the State Government.
It is important to stress that the workers are part and parcel of governance in the state and as such are in prime position (especially those that work in the state revenue board) to come up with viable strategies that would help shore up the state’s IGR. The state’s civil servants need to rise up in unison by encouraging every eligible resident of the state to fulfill his civic responsibilities of tax payment to the state. Until this is effectively done, the state workers could not be actually absolved of complicity from the current economic woes of the state.
Raji is former Special Adviser, Information & Strategy, Lagos State.

Pictures showing the on-going construction of multi-million Fish Pond project of Aregbesola’s administration to boost the revenue generation in the State of Osun, to be commissioned soon in Osogbo.

The Osun State governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has disclosed that his government has never spent a dime without the approval of the State House of Assembly since he assumed office.
Aregbesola made the disclosure while addressing a gathering during the Special Parliamentary Session organized by members of the House of Assembly in honour of the  Speaker, Hon. Najeem Salam, who turned 50.
Aregbesola stated that his government has been conscious of the legislative roles in the running of the constitutionally designated duties of the government, stressing that the impact of the legislature can never be over emphasized towards the achievement of a sustainable democracy.
Aregbesola who reacted to the recent petition allegedly written and forwarded to the House for investigation  by a sitting Judge of the State High Court, Justice Folahanmi Olamide Oloyede, where he was accused to have collected and mismanaged over N538billion  between 2010 to 2014, described it as unfortunate fabrication and baseless.
While denying the allegation, he stated  that even if the state is earning five billion (N5billion) every month, it could not still accrue to such outrageous amount within the years in question.
The governor noted that despite his high level of transparency and openness,  he could not believe that such hate statement could emanate from other arm of government who is part of the system and who by the virtue of her office is highly respected.
He vowed that he would not be distracted or forced to deviate from the right path of fulfillment in spite of the current economic challenges ravaging the state and the country at large.
According to him, the role of the legislative arm in a democratically elected government can never be over emphasized as most of the executive roles are hinged on the collective ratification and approval of the legislature, adding that in the eye of the law, nothing can be done without the approval of the members of the House of Assembly.
He  explained that the roles of the legislature was not only limited to the approval of the appropriation bill from the executive but also has a prominent oversight functions and roles in ensuring that executive performs his statutory duties as expected in line with the constitution.
Aregbesola said it is also the duty of the State House of Assembly having approved the implementation of a proposed appropriation bill or the proposed projects to be executed by the executive, to equally monitor it and ascertain that the approved fund is used for the said projects which his government has been successfully managed with the previous and current legislators.
The governor said if anyone now feels that he or she at the comfort of his house can just petition the Governor without the requisite knowledge on the fact that it is not possible for the executive be it Governor, Commissioner, and other government parastatals and agencies, to implement any project whatsoever without the consent and approval of the House, he or she is just wasting his or her time and such petition will always amount to mere emotional disposition that can never be enforced by law.
Governor Aregbesola lauded the resilience and doggedness of the state legislators for being forthright and unwavering in carrying out their constitutional duties since its inauguration, stressing that the House has been very cooperative, supportive and collaborative with his government.
He  assured that the current economic crisis in the state would soon become a thing of the past as his government is working round the clock to make life more prosperous, meaningful, fulfilling, peaceful and abundant for the entire citizenry.
Governor Aregbesola stated that the  parliamentary system of the government remained the best for Nigeria and other developing countries of the world, noting that it is the only system of government that concentrates all governmental powers in the hands of the legislature and as such, helping the financial management of the government because all the financial resources are concentrated on legislature for distribution and disbursement and whoever fails, either member of the parliament or the executive will definitely face the sanction of the parliament.
He, however, described Speaker Najeem Salam as an epitome of humility, patience, tolerance, perseverance and God fearing.
He therefore wished him more prosperous life on earth as he celebrates his golden jubilee, urging him not to deviate from good deeds, good work and as well be more committed and dedicated welfare of the people as part of his traits.
THE NATION

The organisers of the 2015 Osun Osogbo Festival on Thursday said participants from 11 countries would attend the 2015 edition of the festival slated to begin on Aug. 9.

Mr Ayo Olumoko, the Managing Director of INFOGEM Ltd., a cultural consulting firm, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Osogbo.

Olumoko listed the countries as: Trinidad & Tobago, Austria, Philippines, Brazil, France, Cuba, Germany, South- Africa, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda.

He said that this was an increment from eight foreign countries that participated in the festival last year.

“This is due to the mass publicity given to the festival this year. More participants indicated their interests to attend this year’s events because we do not have any cases of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) challenge the country faced in 2014,” he said.

Olumoko said that participation by those countries would strengthen their cultural relations with Nigeria.

“It will enable citizens of those countries to know and understand the Nigerian culture,” Olumoko said.

He said that the festival would bring influx of tourists into Osun in particular and Nigeria in general.

According to him, it will boost the commercial activities of the city.

“The festival will increase foreign exchange earnings and increase the state’s revenue base,” he told NAN.

Olumoko speaking on security arrangement said that the state government and the organising committee have a working relationship to ensure maximum security in the state before, during and after the festival.

“Osun is a peaceful state. The state government is at the fore-front of security matters. The safety of indigenes, visitors and tourists is paramount to the government and the organisers,” he said

Justice Oloyede Folahanmi, a judge of the Osun State High Court, would have made history for the second time as the first judge to testify before a legislative committee on why she believed the governor of her state and his deputy should be impeached by the legislature (i.e. charged with an offence committed while in office) and subsequently sacked.
The first time she made history was last month when she petitioned the House of Assembly and urged its members to investigate its governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, and his deputy, Otunba Titi Laoye-Tomori, in line with sections 128 and 129 of the constitution in order to establish the grounds for removing both from office in line with sections 188 and 189 of the constitution.
By her petition to the House of Assembly, she has stood the procedure for impeaching an elected government official on its head in the sense that until she came along, it has never been heard of for a judicial officer to initiate impeachment proceedings. Rather the procedure invariably ended with the appointment by the legislature of a panel presided by a judge to investigate allegations against an elected government official so as to establish the grounds, if any, for removing the official.
As things turned out, Justice Folahanmi failed to honour her scheduled appearance yesterday before a committee of the Osun State legislature to defend her charges, which were essentially against the governor, with his deputy apparently added only as a footnote. However, in failing to appear before the Ad-Hoc Committee appointed under the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Akintunde Adegboye, to investigate her petition, the judge was represented by a lawyer, Mr Lanre Ogunlesi (SAN), who asked for a new date for his client. None was fixed and all indications are that none will, because the judge may have lost the will to defend her charges.
Her Lordship’s petition contains charges against Aregbesola that are truly grave. The governor, she had said with all the solemnity a judge can muster, is a hypocrite, a spendthrift and a thief. Some examples of the governor’s spendthrift and venal ways, she said, were “the cruel and harsh debasement of pensioners and civil servants in deliberately and maliciously withholding their salaries for months on end…”
Another example, she said, was that “there is nothing on the ground in Osun to indicate or justify (the) huge gargantuan quantum of loan” the governor took to build infrastructure in the state. As for his hypocrisy, she said, while few people spoke against corruption especially at the centre like the governor, his own stank to high heavens. The governor, she said, was “guilty of unjustified assassination of the character of a sitting president and of moral murder.” This is an obvious reference to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, whose presidency is turning out to be the most venal by far in possibly Africa’s history.
Her petition, she said, was nothing personal. “I declare that in presenting this petition,” she said, “I am not in any way motivated by malice, spite, pecuniary interest or promise thereof, nor am I propelled by a desire for higher office…”
As someone who has had more than a nodding acquaintance with the politics of Osun State and who has written at least twice about Aregbesola’s record as governor, I was shocked that anyone, not to talk of a judge of a high court for who restraint is a necessary virtue, can accuse the governor of the high crimes Her Lordship mentioned in her petition.
No doubt, Aregbesola is one of the country’s most controversial governors, not least because he was among the first governors to adopt a state flag and state anthem and, even more controversially, he was the first to declare the first day in the Muslim calendar a public holiday in his state in 2012, probably because it has the largest proportion of Muslims among the Southwest states.
That declaration alone has since made him a marked man among non-Muslims in a state famous for producing at least two of the country’s leading Pentecostal pastors. And not even his attempt to assuage Christians hurt by building what PUNCH called a “misguided church project”, in its editorial of January 21, last year, changed the minds of some powerful opposition elements in their determination to deny him a second term in August last year.
PUNCH was right to criticise him for planning to build a church for, in a multi-religious country like Nigeria, government has no business building churches or mosques or any place of worship, for that matter. Nor has it any business sponsoring people on pilgrimages.
The newspaper was, however, wrong to have criticised him, as it did in 2012 for declaring the first day of the Muslim calendar a public holiday. After all, it is the constitutional prerogative of a governor to declare any symbolic day a public holiday.
However, right or wrong, criticisms of the man over his politics of religious identity have cast him unfairly in the image of an Islamic fundamentalist. Sadly, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party in the state tried to reduce his re-election bid last year into a religious issue. Happily it failed; he won his re-election with about 392,600 votes to Senator Iyore Omisore’s 292,700 or so. And as if to rile the opposition party even more, he won the re-election in spite of its alleged attempt to use the army, police and other security services to rig the election as had happened in the neighbouring Ekiti State earlier.
Following the elections the PDP candidate petitioned against his loss all the way to the Supreme Court – and lost all the way. However, Aregbesola’s predicament suggests that PDP and those opposed to his victory are still determined to achieve through the rear window what they have been unable to get through the front door.
Their main weapon of choice seems to be his failure to pay the state’s civil servants and pensioners for over 10 months. Her Lordship says the governor has defaulted because he has frittered away the state’s resources. She seems to have forgotten that until the oil revenue crunch from last year, the governor paid the state’s civil servants their salaries not only as at when due. He also paid them a bonus of a 13th month each year.
And when she said there was “nothing on the ground” to justify all the loans the man took to build infrastructure in the state, she was clearly speaking out of character of a judge since judges are not supposed to indulge in hyperbole. The fact is that no one who has been in Osun would deny that Aregbesola has turned Osogbo, the capital, and much of the state, into a giant construction site. One telling evidence of this is that Osogbo has never known any flood, much less the devastating one it was used to, since he became governor. Again, no fair-minded person can deny that he has also invested meaningfully into the future of the education of the state’s population.
Aregbesola, of course, has had his fair share of mistakes. One of them is the purchase of helicopter, which is essentially for his personal use. Another, as far I am concerned, was his payment of 13th month salaries to civil servants when the going was good. There are possibly others more. But the fact that he has been singled out for widespread bashing over his inability to pay civil servants in his state is proof positive that his predicament is more partisan politics than anything else. After all he is only one of about 27 governors who have failed to pay their civil servants, in some cases for much longer than he has. Besides, unlike most of them, he has been honest enough to own up to his failure.
Aregbesola should, however, accept that it’s mere cold comfort that he is not the only governor who has failed in his responsibility to his civil servants, marginal as they are as a percentage of the state’s population. As a compassionate politician, he owes at least himself to be counted among the best not the worst. He must therefore find a way out of his predicament.
The first step is to sell the state helicopter even if it fetches little revenue. It is a symbol of self-aggrandisement he can do without. Second, he should travel out of his state far less frequently than he has. Third, he should reduce the size of his aides and cut their allowances.
All these may not add up to much in solving his fiscal problem. But they do mean a lot as evidence that he shares the pains of ordinary folks in the sacrifice they’ve been making because hard times are here.
THE NATION

Pictures showing the 2nd phase of Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, for various recreational and picnics activities to boost the State revenue, ready for commissioning in Osogbo on Thursday 06-08-2015

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Osun State House of Assembly yesterday dismissed the petition of Justice Folahanmi Oloyede, against Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
The House held that the petitioner was found wanting of abandoning the petition for non-appearance, lack of evidence, premising her petition on rumours and hearsay.
Oloyede, a serving judge in the state had, in a 39-page petition sent to the House of Assembly accused Governor Aregbesola of mismanagement of public fund and demanded his investigation and possible impeachment by the House.
The speaker, Hon. Najeem Salaam asserted that the judge has betrayed the oath of her office, saying that Folahanmi filed the petition out of partisanship and emotional disposition.
He stressed that the violation of processes and procedure as spelt out by the constitution and judicial code of conduct has shown her as unfit for the bench.
Besides, the House in a motion of 25 against one, as moved by the majority leader, Mr. Timothy Owoeye and seconded by Mr. Abdulahi Ibrahim representing Iwo State Constituency, adopted the recommendations of the seven-man committee headed by Mr. Akintunde Adegboye which dismissed the petition and recommended the petitioner for sanction through the State Judicial Service Commission.
Explaining why he allowed the petition to sail through, the speaker noted that the state parliament under his watch elected to look into the petition not to gag Oloyede’s freedom of expression in accordance with sections 128 and 129 of the constitution which empowered the legislature to investigate any public petition forwarded to the House, saying the issue of impeachment raised in the petition was a mere opinion of the petitioner not the position of the law.
Salaam reiterated that the parliament was conscious of the letter and the spirit of section 188 raised by some lawyers.
LEADERSHIP

Nigeria gained political independence in 1960, and here we are in 2015 (55 years later), we still cannot boast of an economic engine that is self-sustaining, and objectively measurable by known economic metrics. By some estimates, more than 70% of economic activities of Nigerian citizens, are informal and undocumented.

In the mean time, we are hurtling ahead in population growth, and soon to overtake the United States as the third most populous nation, after China and India (soon to trade places as first and second). At the heart of our economic dysfunction, is, in fact, the educational system.

Like everything else, including our world view and belief system, we continue to tow the path established by our colonizers, whose design for our economy was no more sophisticated than the creation of mechanisms for extracting the natural resources on (and in) the land, and indoctrinating us to pursue ambitions that are only rewarded by activities that are in compliance with this design.

The educational system established by our colonizers was nothing more than a filtering system, which was used to motivate our citizens to learn what they were taught, and do what they were told – imagine the audacity of “fail in English, fail in all!”. How many geniuses have been denied advancement because of such imperialist policy? This is why everything about our education is predicated upon one examination after another. We are still perpetuating the same filtering system via JAMB and similar constructs.

We are not aligning the education of our citizens with the challenges of our society. We are not developing problem solvers, innovators and entrepreneurs. We are not aligning our national expenditure with the development of our people’s abilities to solve our problems. All these years that we have contracted out every single infrastructural project, we have failed to establish domestic expertise to maintain those infrastructure, talk less of building new ones with home grown expertise. But, I am not the complaining type. I see tons of problems that need to be solved, and I thrive on finding solutions to problems. My two prescriptions for a more effective educational system for Nigeria is as follows:

1.     Every child (free of charge) must be educated with the basics of Math, Science, Art, History, Language, Enterprise, Reading and Writing to a minimum of High School level – an Annual budget of the Federation must be committed to this goal by law;

2.     Education beyond the High School Level must be linked to Applications, Problem Solving, Enterprise and Innovation i.e. College Professors and Instructors must be practitioners of their trade – The cycle of book learner teaching others book knowledge must be broken somehow. There are too many Educators who have no idea how the world operates, and what actually produces value in society. A line item in the National Budget must support Exploratory and Applied Research at all levels.

The challenges and needs of the nation, should be the driving force behind educational initiatives. The mentality of colonialism was what made our country remain a raw material supplier to European nations – having been sold on the faulty economic theory that we are better off just earning money from raw materials, instead of investing ourselves in value added industries – “you won’t be competitive” is what we are told, and we swallow this like idiots.

Sometime not too long ago, under Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, we were told that we should not subsidize our local industries because they needed to be globally competitive. I wonder where she was when the US Government was subsidizing its own Automotive Industry in order to make them more globally competitive!  How long shall we continue to tolerate such nonsense?

James Ayinde Fabunmi, Adulawo Institute

Pictures showing the on-going construction of the State of Osun House of Assembly Pavilion in Osogbo, the State Capital on Wednesday 05-08-2015