Tunde Poonle is chairman, MicCom& Wires Limited, Comic Holdings and MicCom Golf Hotel, Osogbo, Osun State. Poonle was former chairman, West African Portland Cement Company (WAPCO). In this interview with select journalists in Lagos, he spoke on transformation work of the current administration in his home state, Osun; politics in the state ahead of 2015, among other issues. Zebulon Agomuo was there. Excerpts:
How do you assess the performance of government in your state?  
My state governor has never been this good; we have never had such an active and productive governor. I am not a politician, but when people perform, you must appreciate them. Go to anywhere in the state, go and see the roads. It is in Osun you will see that government can do good roads. During the military era, a road of 10kilometers was completed within 3 months but 6 months after, it becomes as bad as it was before. In Osun State today, you will see real construction, you see serious people, you see serious government and that is what leadership is all about. It means in this country, if we have good leaders, Nigeria would move forward. After all, the people working in Osun today had been there before, but because they have dynamic leadership now, everything is going on very well; we hope it continues that way.
It is not roads alone, go to education – the schools have improved, and in agriculture, you see vegetables, rice farms and others all over the place despite the fact that the state has no money.
Despite these efforts you listed, the recent controversy over school uniform was almost becoming embarrassing; what is your take?
Listen, like anywhere in the world where there is change, some people have to be dissatisfied. No serious change comes without problem. The problem we have in Osun today is because of drastic changes everywhere. Take for example, the uniform you are talking about, everybody wants an identity, that’s because I ask why are you getting this uniform free of charge and you are complaining? Why is change of uniform a problem to you? The answers are as ridiculous as it can be. The background of it is that some mischievous people alleged that the government made money from uniform which I don’t think is true. They said they wanted some identity, which is okay but they should give the government some time, maybe next year when they are making uniform for government, they should say for Baptists – make blue, for Catholics make red and so on. But they are just starting and if they don’t start, they will not see where the problems are.
So all the schools wear the same uniform?   
Yes, for now. That is why they are complaining, but the government asked to be given sometime to rectify some issues. It is a new thing being introduced, so there are bound to be mistakes here and there.
How do you distinguish school during an event? 
For now, it is not possible, but they are now saying there are ways they will devise apart from colours, they will use caps to distinguish the schools and the logos for every school, but I think the way they will probably deal with the situation is that for instance, all schools in Oshogbo should wear blue and so on.
But if they get the type of schools they are getting now and if the remuneration they are getting now and all that, the matter of uniform will come as a natural thing.
The government is accused of nurturing islamisation agenda, how about that?
Every one of us thought so, but if you have the opportunity of meeting him one to one, you will know that this governor is a real radical who does things most conscientiously. Until he wanted to marry, he didn’t believe in any religion.
His Muslim wife engaged him and told him to choose one religion; that was how he became a Muslim and has since become more fervent than his wife. He is definitely not a religious fanatic; all he wants is a change from nonchalance to progressive attitude.
BUSINESS DAY

Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has signed into law a bill extending the retirement age of lecturers in state-owned tertiary institutions from 60 to 65 years.
This puts them at par with their counterparts in Federal Government universities.
Commissioner for Information and Strategy Sunday Akere told reporters yesterday that the Osun Tertiary Institutions Academic Staff Retirement Age Bill, 2014, has three sections.
He said the first section deals with the time of commencement of the law; the second deals with “short life” and the third addresses punishment for age falsification.
Akere said the governor also signed the State Water Sector Bill, 2014, into law.
He said the bill provides a proper framework for the articulation of the water sector, which, if implemented, would facilitate the realisation of three of the administration’s six-point integral action plan.
The bill guarantees access to potable water supply and reduce water-borne diseases.
THE NATION

The attention of the Government of the State of Osun has been drawn to the discovery of an object suspected to be an explosive device at the banking hall of one of the branches of a bank in Osogbo, the state capital.
Reports available yet indicate that the object was found concealed in a polythene bag inside the banking hall.
This led to the invitation of the Anti-bomb squad of the Osun Command of the Nigeria Police whose men evacuated the dangerous object from the banking hall.
While reminding the people of Osun and Nigerians in general of the various pro-active measures taken by government of the State of the Virtuous on security of lives and property generally, we are compelled to call on the security agencies to get to the root of this strange discovery in Osogbo and tell the whole world how this device found its way into a banking hall.
Considering the usually impregnable fortification of banks through their various screening machines which detect metals and other objects of lesser dangers, it is unthinkable how the device scaled through this fortress of the bank before it got into the banking hall where it was discovered.
To be specific, we suspect a deliberate foul play in the antics of those who desire to create a sense of insecurity in this state through their various machinations and manipulations.
We are however assured of the readiness of the security agencies to conduct a thorough investigation on the development in order to strengthen the assurances of our people and visitors that Osun remains a safe haven for businesses and pleasure.
Since this administration came, Osun has remained peaceful and inviting to more people ever than before in her 21 year history.
Semiu Okanlawon
Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy,
Office of the Governor,
Osogbo

Photos from the 2014 Obafemi Awolowo Memorial Symposium, at Nigeria Employer Consultative Association ( NECA ) House, Alausa, Ikeja Lagos on Tuesday 4/03/2014.

Governor State of Osun,Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola(2nd left); Chairman National
Summit Group, Alhaji Tanko Abubakar Yakassai (left); Professor of African
Literature & Culture, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada, Professor
Pius Adesanmi(2nd right) and Executive Director Obafemi Awolowo
Memorial Symposium, Dr (Mrs) Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosumu, during the 2014
Obafemi Awolowo Memorial Symposium, at Nigeria Employer Consultative
Association ( NECA ) House, Alausa, Ikeja Lagos on Tuesday 4/03/2014.

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola(middle); Chairman National
Summit Group, Alhaji Tanko Abubakar Yakassai(left) and Professor of African
Literature & Culture, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada, Professor
Pius Adesanmi during the 2014 Obafemi Awolowo Memorial Symposium, at
Nigeria Employer Consultative Association ( NECA ) House, Alausa,
Ikeja Lagos on Tuesday 4/03/2014.

The Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola has been commended for the constant training and retraining of its workforce in the Public Service for the purpose of effective service delivery to the people.

Commissioner for Commerce, Industry, Cooperatives and Empowerment, Mr. Ismaila Jayeoba Alagbada has advised all South-West states to harness the vast human and material resources of the region for the economic emancipation of the people of the region.
He gave the charge at the 3rd South-West Regional Integration Programme organized by the Nation Newspaper in collaboration with CEEDEE Resources which held at the Trade Fair Complex, Ado-Ekiti recently.
The Commissioner stated that the programme was put in place to boost the economy of the region through the promotion of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMES) which provided the opportunity to unveil and showcase products to the world, and also aimed at solving to a large extent, the high rate of unemployment in the states.
Alagbada explained that for the entire region to experience rapid growth in their economy, there must be an upgrade of infrastructural facilities in each state. Using the State of Osun as a mirror for the South-West states, the Commissioner cited various achievements of the administration of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola in the areas of Agriculture, Education, Market and Industrial development, which has boosted the economy of the state.
He therefore enjoined the participants from the South-West states to take advantage of the golden opportunity of patriots who are in governance in this region, by placing the region on the path of sustainable and irreversible economic development.
Similarly, the Commissioner called the participant’s attention to the establishment of the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN), by the current governors of the states, stressing that the birth of this body indeed marks the dawn of a new era in the annals of history, as a people, and also to pursue the regional integration agenda of the states of western Nigeria.
Alagbada stated further that in order for the South-West states to achieve rapid and monumental socio-economic development, they must work assiduously in enacting a focused development paradigm for mobilizing the collective strength, assets and capabilities lying within the region, towards achieving an enhanced socio-economic growth and development.
He finally stated that once the region sets the pace in this regard, the other regions will no doubt follow and the end result will be an economically strong nation.
OSUNNEWS

The Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola administration has built 400 kilometers of road across the state in less than four years.
Speaking with reporters yesterday in Osogbo, the state capital, Commissioner for Information and Strategy Sunday Akere said the roads include intra and intercity roads.
They include 21 roads in Osogbo, which are over 26 kilometers; 15 Ilesa township roads of about 30 kilometers; 14 Ede township roads of 21 kilometers; 22 intercity roads of 317 kilometers across the state and 13 intra-city roads of 79.5 kilometers.
Akere said the roads were built through direct labour.
He said six roads, stretching over 74 kilometres across the state, are 81 per cent completed, adding that many others are at various levels of completion.
The commissioner said before the end of the second quarter of this year, more roads would be inaugurated.
THE NATION

Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola; elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, and Professor of African Literature and Culture, Carleton University Ottawa, Canada, Pius Adesanmi, said on Tuesday that the ideals of the first Premier of the defunct Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, were enduring nuggets capable of transforming the country if well utilised.
The trio spoke at a symposium in Lagos titled ‘The Nigerian Constitution: The Awo Road Not Taken’, organised by the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation.
Aregbesola said Awolowo’s enemies were not human enemies. He said, ‘‘The enemies are ignorance and want. Ignorance is a great disaster anywhere it reigns. That is what Nigeria is managing in the North (Boko Haram).The greatest value of Awolowo was that he used education to create a middle class that has absorbed the dislocation in the social structure. The situation in the South-West could have been worse.”
Yakassai, who was the chairman on the occasion, stated that Awolowo’s Action Group made Nigeria a federation.
‘‘The National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons wanted a unitary system for Nigeria while the Northern Peoples’ Congress wanted confederation. Now is the time to use Awo’s ideas to develop Nigeria, ’’ he said.
In his keynote address, Adesanmi said the current situation in the county called for a sober reflection. Saying Awo was an originator, creator of paths and a visionary, he added that he was the loudest of the nationalists. Adesanmi added, ‘‘Awo stands out in the national discourse for the right way to greatness because he did more than his peers.
He stood by Nigerians at critical times, by showing the way and placing them in the right way to go. He was committed to Nigeria’s constitutional development, going the extra miles to show the right path to tread. In all of Awolowo’s books, throughout the years, he pointed at federalism as the path and unitarianism as bush.’’
THE PUNCH