The government of Osun has blamed political opportunists for the attack on one for its officials, Idiat Babalola, on Monday at the funeral rites of late Isiaka Adeleke in Ede.
 

 
The spokesperson for the government, Semiu Okanlawon said that the attack was an ugly way of honouring the memories of the personality of the late Mr. Adeleke, who was the first civilian governor of Osun State.
Ms. Babalola who was seated amongst some dignitaries, including the Governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun, at Mr. Adeleke’s burial, was chased out by hoodlums, who accused her of betraying the late senator.
Mr. Adeleke was reported to be nursing a governorship ambition ahead of the election next year, while at the same time, Ms. Babalola was said to have been picked as a running mate to whoever emerges the anointed candidate of the All Progressives Congress.
The protesters major grouse against her, it was gathered, was that she was not supporting Mr. Adeleke’s ambition to return to the government house, despite being an indigene of Ede.
The mob also raised allegations that the government of Aregbesola had a hand in the death of the senator, even though the governor was away in China and there is no evidence yet that the lawmaker was killed.
“Some hoodlums looking for every available thing to hold on to only took advantage of the tension created by the death of Adeleke in the minds of his supporters,” Mr. Okanlawon said.
“What they should have done is to await the outcome of the autopsy, that would guide their actions.”

The result of an autopsy conducted by the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital has not been made public.
Mr. Okanlawon said the death of the senator was a collective loss to the people of Osun State and the Ede community.
He said those who took the laws into their hands to launch the attack against Ms. Babalola were hasty and acted based on unverified information.
It was, however, gathered that Ms. Babalola is also a native of Ede, where Mr. Adeleke hails from, and her family and that of the Adekele’s have close ties.
Her father, S.O. Babalola, was also at the funeral while she was being attacked by the irate supporters.
it was also learnt that the government team, led by the deputy governor, was on its way to the burial but had to turn back on learning about the attack.
Mr. Okanlawon, however, declined comments when asked if the government would take any action against those involved in the attack.

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The First Executive Governor of the State of Osun, and acting Senator Isiaka Adeleke who died yesterday has been laid to rest in his country home, Ede, Osun state.

 
Although according to Muslim rites he should have been buried yesterday but his body was sent to the LAUTECH teaching hospital for an autopsy.
A NAN correspondent, who was at the residence of the deceased on Monday, said the grave where he would be buried had been prepared.
The first civilian governor of Osun is to be buried near his living room within the premises.
The agency said there was a heavy presence of security personnel at the residence of the deceased.
Fimihan Adeoye, the state commissioner of police, was also at the residence to ensure adequate security.

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I received with deep shock but submission to the will of Allah (SWT) the news of the death of Senator Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke early this morning. He was 62 years. Senator Adeleke was the first civilian governor of the State of Osun elected on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), in the aborted Third Republic. He was in office between January 1992 and November 1993.

 
At the return of civil democratic rule, he was elected as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to represent Osun West in the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from 2007 to 2011. Senator Adeleke came from the illustrious Adeleke family of Ede. His father, Senator Ayoola Adeleke, was a progressive politician, an ally of Chief Obafemi Awolowo and a staunch member of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), under which banner he was elected to the Nigerian Senate in the Second Republic.
It is not surprising therefore that Senator Adeleke returned to the progressives fold in 2014 when he joined the All Progressives Congress (APC). He returned to the Senate in 2015, having contested the Osun West Senatorial seat in the general election and won as the candidate of the APC.
Senator Adeleke became the first civilian governor of Osun at the age of 37, barely a year after the creation of the state, at a period he was most energetic. He therefore laboured hard, giving his best, to lay a good foundation for the then young state, the impact of which we still feel today, even though he was in office for less than two years.
He was a charismatic politician and political leader with panache, passion and fervour that traversed the political spectrum, appealing to all social strata. He was at home with the grassroots as he was with the elite.
Senator Adeleke was a very generous man who gave his all to the needy, friends and constituents, without favour to ethnicity, religion and background. Thousands benefitted from his scholarship scheme and social empowerment programmes.
He was a loyal party member and a team player who was determined to help realise the progressive agenda of the party, through legislation, not just in the whole country but in the State of Osun and Osun West Senatorial District as well.
Senator Adeleke was a personal friend who was committed to my re-election with his entire being. He was unflinching in his support and commitment, even when the security agencies laid a siege to his residence on the eve of the August 9, 2014 governorship election.
His death is very painful and a blow to us all. He is leaving a void in us, the Senate of the Federal Republic, Osun politics and his community in Ede that will be hard to fill. We give thanks to the Almighty God for the fruitful and exemplary life that Senator Adeleke lived. All mortal come from him and to him shall they return.
On behalf of the government, the good people of Osun and my family, I offer sincere condolences to his wife and children, the Adeleke Family of Ede, the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the APC national and in the State of Osun, the good people of Ede and the progressives family at large.
May God grant him eternal repose and Aljanna Fidaus.

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The Government of Osun on Sunday said it is still in shock over the sudden death of the first Civilian Governor of the state, Alhaji Isiaka Adeleke.
 

 
The Government described as a nightmare, the news of the death of one of the illustrious sons of the state.
In a short statement signed by the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Office of the Governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, the government said the death of Senator Adeleke is hard to accept.
“The sad news of the death of the first civilian governor of our state, Alhaji Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke, has struck us like a thunderbolt. Governor Rauf Aregbesola, who is far away in China on state assignment is still speechless and in mourning.
“While the government awaits the reports of the autopsy which is being conducted, we can only calm our people to take this huge and incalculable loss with equanimity.
“Alhaji Adeleke, no doubt, has served our dear state well. First as its Civilian Governor and currently as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria where he has provided adequate representation for the people of his senatorial district and the state. He was a politician with towering dossier.
“We find this loss inexplicable but we are restrained by the fact that we cannot query the verdicts of our Creator, the Almighty.
“We commiserate with the good people of Osun over this sad loss. We are still in shock,” the statement added.

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President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with Osun State Government and members of the National Assembly on the passing away of Sen. Isiaka Adeleke on Sunday.
 

 
President Buhari sent his condolences to the family and friends of the “gentle and kind-hearted former Governor of Osun State who had passionately and relentlessly championed the cause of the less privileged and most vulnerable in Nigeria.
“The President believes the sudden loss of the legislator will create a gap in the hallowed red chamber as Adeleke had always epitomised unbridled patriotism, maturity and experience, especially with his recent interest in the protection of whistleblowers.
“President Buhari affirms that Adeleke’s contribution to his state, as first elected governor, and the country will always be remembered by posterity.

“He prays that the Almighty God will grant the soul of the departed eternal rest, and comfort the family,” a statement by Femi Adesina said on Sunday.

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The Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, has expressed shock over the death of Sen. Isiaka Adeleke, likening it to “rainstorm at the height of dry season.’’

Ekweremadu, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr Uche Anichukwu on Sunday, said the lawmaker’s death was really a sad development, adding that the deceased was a brother and friend.

“He was cosmopolitan in nature and started his education in Enugu, my State.

“This nature showed in his broadminded approach to debates and national issues, which stood him out as a statesman and pan-Nigerian.

“With him as Chairman of Senate Committee on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), I found a willing partner, as Chairman of Senate Committee on Review of 1999 Constitution in the 6 Senate.

“We worked in our collective effort to better the nation’s electoral system.

“He will be remembered for the gains of those reforms as witnessed in the 2011 and 2015 general elections,’’ he said.

Ekweremadu, who described the deceased as a perfect gentleman and patriot, noted that the incident was a grave loss, not only to the Senate and people of Osun State, but the entire nation.

He condoled with the family of the late senator as well as the government and people of Osun.

He also prayed for the peaceful repose of the soul of the departed.

Adeleke died on Sunday at 62, after a brief illness, while observing in his constituency, the National Assembly’s Easter break.

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The State of Osun House of Assembly under the leadership of Rt. Hon. Najeem Salaam has described as a rude shock and great loss, the death of the first Executive Governor of the State, Senator Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke, who currently represents Osun West Senatorial District at the National Assembly.

 
In a statement by the Chairman, House Committee on Information and Strategy, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, the Assembly said the death was a great loss to the people of Ede town, Osun West Senatorial District, Osun State, Upper Chamber and the Nigeria in general.
 
The parliament said the death of the federal lawmaker had robbed of the state of one of its grassroots experienced politician and a philanthropist who has entrenched himself in the quest for good governance.
 
Describing the late Senator Adeleke as a politician of repute whose existence was significant to the democratic tenet in the state, the statement notes that the role he played as the first executive governor of the state could never be over-emphasized.
 
“Senator Adeleke was a leader of leaders, a philanthropist par excellence has made significant impacts in the lives of many young ones in Osun and Nigeria as a whole”.
 
“There is no gainsaying the fact that the state has lost one of its most experienced politicians, whose death will no doubt leave a huge vacuum in the pool of experienced politician and democrats in our state.
 
“The state parliament valued the invaluable contributions of Senator Adeleke to the development of our state, and entrenchment of democratic tenets. No doubt, he will be greatly missed”
 
“In the State of Osun parliament, we offer our heartfelt condolences to the immediately family of Senator Adeleke, the people of Ede town, Osun State with particular reference to Osun West Senatorial District, the Senate and Nigeria as a whole.
 
The parliament then prayed that Almighty God to grant everyone affected by the death of the former governor, the fortitude to bear the loss.
 
The State of Osun House of Assembly under the leadership of Rt. Hon. Najeem Salaam has described as a rude shock and great loss, the death of the first Executive Governor of the State, Senator Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke, who currently represents Osun West Senatorial District at the National Assembly.

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Governor of Osun Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on Friday expressed shock over the death of the Director General of the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria, Mr. Dipo Famakinwa.
 

 
Aregbesola said Famakinwa’s sudden exit has left a sour taste in the mouths of all stakeholders in the development agenda for the South-West.
In a statement by the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy in the Office of the Governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, Aregbesola has played a pivotal role in the efforts to integrate the South-west and use the platform to engender a new growth for the people of the region.
“We are left speechless with this sudden loss,” Aregbesola was quoted as stating.
The statement went further, “Famakinwa has been very dogged in the pursuit of that assignment given to him. He was committed wholeheartedly to the progress of the Yoruba. Through the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria, we have moved to accelerate regional revolutionary growth to rediscover our strength as a people of common heritage through agriculture, culture, education, and even sports development.
“Since the birth of that organization, Famakinwa has left no one in doubt on his comprehensive understanding of what we set out to do and the zeal with which he pursued the assignment has been commendable.”
The Governor said it is painful that the late Director General of DAWN did not live long enough to see the objectives of the organization come into full fruition before his untimely exit.
“We are however consoled by the fact that Famakinwa did his best to raise the consciousness of this region. We are also consoled by the fact that death is a necessary end and must come when it is its time. On behalf of the good people of the State of Osun, I commiserate with his immediate and extended families, members of the DAWN Commission family, my colleague governors and other stakeholders in the development agenda of our region. May the soul of Famakinwa rest with his Lord perfectly.”

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The Government of Osun has paid a total of #1,471,996,379.00 as counterpart funds for RAMP projects covering the year 2013 to 2017 of
the World Bank Assisted Rural Roads Projects. (RAMP)
 

 
The move by the Aregbesola administration has qualified the State for the next stage of the project, just as the State is ranked top among the five benefiting States under the RAMP projects done in collaboration with the World Bank and French Development Agency (AFD).
Project Coordinator, Osun Rural Access and Mobility Project (RAMP II), Engr. Adelere Oriolowo disclosed this while speaking at a
programme to usher in a 3-day Bi-Annual World Bank Supervision Mission, held in Osogbo.
He stated further that, Osun Rural Access and Mobility Project (O’RAMP-II) is a credit finance projects of the World Bank and French Development Agency (AFD) assisted project brought up for the provision of access to the rural areas of the State on transport facilities, adding that, apart from the construction of rural roads, Osun RAMP also take it as her onerous duties to campaign against AIDS and advise the people to have best practices.
Engr. Oriolowo also said that the mission was among other things, to look at the project implementation holistically with the
emerging issues serving as an impediment to snub implementation and proffer solutions.
He said the meeting is a referral on the project implementation comprising the RAMP Family of the five participating States on the Rural Access and Mobility Project-II (RAMP-II) which includes; the State of Osun, Enugu, Niger, Adamawa and Imo State with the motive of presenting the achievements and challenges to the World Bank and AFD Representatives for assessment, so as to pave way forward to the next levels.
He noted that the World Bank Mission has been tremendously helpful in having impacts on all the rural communities where the rural
roads construction are being done, saying that two Petrol Stations and commercial centres were already being put in place at Osi-Ara and
Gbengbeleku in Ife region to boost the economy/commercial activities of the area.
The Project Coordinator also maintained that the completion of Iwo to Patara 4km roads brought up the erected structures like,
residential, commercial and religions buildings saying that the indigents in the State of Osun are mostly farmers and the hindrances
in taking input to the farm and carrying of farm products to the markets or having access to schools and hospitals have been drastically reduced.
Earlier, the State of Osun Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) led the World Bank and AFD Team on a pre-mission technical visit to
cover parts of the work being undertaken by RAMP on a field visit to the project site, to assess the levels of implementation and the way
forward.
While appreciating the Governor of the State of Osun, OgbeniRauf Aregbesola for the regular payment of the State counterpart fund,
he enjoined all the rural road users, especially the Okada riders to be courteous and make good use of the road signals and protect the
public utilities.
Engr. Oriolowo added that, the Timber lorry drivers at Osi-Sooko, Ara-Joshua in Ife region en route Womonle – Orile-Owu in Ayedaade Local Government Area of the State should do away with the idea of putting heavy loads on carriageway and blocking of the roads which is meant for the general public, saying that, the dumping of refuse or waste products on drainages must henceforth be stopped.

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