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Tag: AREGBESOLA

  • Ajimobi, Aregbesola, Mimiko visit Fayemi over deputy’s death

    Ajimobi, Aregbesola, Mimiko visit Fayemi over deputy’s death

    •Imoke, Afe Babalola, Ita-Giwa, Oshun extol Olayinka’s virtues

     

    Governors Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo) and Dr. Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo) yesterday visited their Ekiti State counterpart, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, to condole with him on the death of his deputy, Mrs. Funmi Olayinka.

    Mrs. Olayinka died of cancer on Saturday at the St. Nicholas Hospital in Lagos. She was 52.

    Ajimobi, who was accompanied by his wife, Florence, described the late Mrs. Olayinka as “a lady of substance, who lived an exemplary life and achieved much for her age”.

    Mimiko, who was accompanied by his wife, Olukemi, and some top officials of the Ondo State Government, described the deceased as “a strong pillar in the Fayemi administration”, adding that her death was a great loss to the state and the nation.

    He said the late Mrs. Olayinka was active in the struggle that led to the enthronement of the Fayemi administration.

    Mimiko said death is inevitable and will come at God’s time. He urged women to check their breasts regularly to detect any abnormality early.

    Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola also visited Fayemi on Sunday evening.

    He said Mrs. Olayinka had gone to rest with the Lord and urged Ekiti people to support the governor and the deceased’s family.

    Aregbesola said only God can fill the gap her death has created.

    Signing the condolence register at the Government House in Ado-Ekiti, he said it was “such a pain to lose a polished, smart and diligent person like Mrs. Olayinka”.

    Aregbesola said: “Conscious of the transience of life, we are consoled by the fact that her short life was very eventful and successful. We pray for eternal bliss in the bosom of God and the grace of God for her family.”

    Aregbesola and Fayemi visited the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe, around 10pm on Sunday night to condole with him.

    Legal icon and founder of the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Chief Afe Babalola (SAN) said the late Mrs. Olayinka served Ekiti people with all she had.

    Babalola said ABUAD is working in partnership with a foreign university to establish a Department of Pharmaceutical Science and carry out researches on a possible cure for cancer.

    Cross River State Governor Liyel Imoke, in his condolence message, said: “Although words seem inadequate to express the sorrow felt by her loss, we must focus on the memories of her good works and life-long achievements.”

    Senator Florence Ita-Giwa described the late Mrs. Olayinka as “a down-to-earth, dedicated and people’s politician, who was humble and knowledgeable”.

    In a statement, she said: “Mrs. Olayinka was one of the few women that ventured into politics at a time when Nigeria needs independent and strong-willed women to help in nation-building. On the few occasions that I met her, I saw a very humble and totally committed woman, who worked very well and cooperatively with her principal.

    “I commiserate with Fayemi, who lost a partner in the development of the state, and the good people of Ekiti, who bestowed a traditional title on me. I pray that God gives them a good replacement for her. I call for more opportunities for women in politics, not only as deputy governors, but as governors.”

    Chairman of the Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) Adewale Oshun urged the government to provide effective and efficient health care services for the masses.

    Oshun described the late Mrs. Olayinka as a courageous woman, who preferred to be treated in a Nigerian hospital although she had other choices.

    He said: “We are all in God’s hands, but those in government should ensure that our medical services are of international standard.

    “Funmi believed strongly in Nigeria and that must have informed her decision to be treated in the country. With her death, you can see that sometimes we pay heavily for what we believe in.

    “Funmi was the first ARG chairman in Ekiti State. She was a principled fighter and a very loyal person. All we can do is pray for her family as well as the good people of Ekiti State.”

    The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Lagos State said the party has lost “a priceless jewel and a courageous woman of class and beauty”.

    In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, ACN said: “The death of our beloved Deputy Governor of Ekiti State is like a dagger in our hearts. The pain is deep and our wounds will take years to heal.”

    The management of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, also commiserated with the governor.

    In a statement, the institution’s spokesman, Mr. Ade Adeyemi-Adejolu, described the late Mrs. Olayinka as “a warm, humble and brilliant woman, who displayed an astute sense of purpose”.

    In her honour, flags in the institution were flown at half-mast, programmes were rescheduled and the monthly staff prayer meeting on Monday was held with soberness.

    The Rector, Mrs. Taiwo Akande prayed for the repose of the deceased’s soul.

  • Soyinka, Aregbesola, Uduaghan, others condole with Awolowo family

    Nobel Laureate Prof Wole Soyinka, Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, his Delta State counterpart, Emmanuel Uduaghan and former House of Representatives Speaker Dimeji Bankole yesterday visited the matriarch of the Awolowo family, Chief H. I. D. Awolowo, to condole with her and other members of the family on the of death Chief Oluwole Awolowo.

    Others at the Ikenne home of the Awolowos were Senator Bode Olajumoke as well as the children of the late Ondo State Governor Adekunle Ajasin.

    Soyinka and Aregbesola urged Mama Awolowo and other members of the family to “take heart”.

    The publisher of the Nigerian Tribune titles died last Wednesday in a London hospital. He was 70.

    The Nobel laureate, who spent some time with the Awos before signing the condolence register, wrote: “To the Awolowo family and Mama, take heart.”

    Aregbesola was accompanied by Dr. Charles Iyore, a member of Osun State Committee on Urban Renewal.

    The governor urged the family to take with equanimity the loss of Oluwole to death. He said death is an inevitable end for everybody living being.

    Aregbesola said: “One clear lesson is the transience of life itself; it’s not about him but about the fact that death is a certainty that must come to every living being, not only human but every living thing will pass on.

    “To me, the moral, the lesson here is the courage of the matriarch of this dynasty and her fortitude, her strength of character and spirit, her ability to imbue this. I pray that the Almighty will further strengthen her, endure her with the capacity to weather this.

    “It is not easy for a human being to have the experience she has had but God, in His Omniscience, will provide her the capacity to bear it. We must all join in praying for her for greater fortitude. To the family, my wish and prayer is that this experience will never happen again.”

    Uduaghan described the late Oluwole as someone who was concerned with Nigeria’s unity.

    He said: “He (Oluwole) was like an elder brother and, of course, as a publisher, you know the Tribune titles are quite popular in Nigeria. I remember on two or three occasions I had some private discussions with him. He was concerned about the unity of Nigeria. He was concerned about development of Nigeria and he used the opportunity of being a publisher to propagate, especially the unity of Nigeria, and the progress of the country.

    “Of course, we know that his father was somebody who gave people like myself the opportunity to go to school. I grew up in a community where there was no light, where there was no water and no amenities. But there was a school and I attended the school free of charge. So, when I say I have an emotional attachment to the family, that was the beginning of my emotional attachment to this family.

    “So, he did his best to see how we Nigerians could be our brothers’ keepers.”

  • Don’t be distracted, group urges Aregbesola

    A socio-cultural group within the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Osun State, the Oranmiyan Worldwide, has urged Governor Rauf Aregbesola to forge ahead with his efforts to make the state a model for others.

    In a statement by its President, Prince Felix Awofisayo, the group urged the governor to remain focused on improving the life of the common man and not be distracted by the “plot” to derail his administration.

    The group condemned the allegation that Aregbesola was planning to Islamise the state. It said a governor who allows Christians, Muslims and traditionalists to pray at public functions and treats them equally would never pursue such an agenda.

    It warned mischief makers against causing religious crisis and urged religious leaders to teach the people to be tolerant.

    Oranmiyan Worldwide said: “No one should read a negative meaning to the visit of the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakar, to Osun State. His visit was not in anyway different from the ones paid by many Christian leaders, such as Pastor Enoch Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) and Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo of the Kingsway Ministries, to Aregbesola lately.

    “Considering the high number of Christians holding political positions in the Aregbesola administration, it would be absurd to see the governor as pursuing an Islamic agenda.

    “It is important that all Muslims, Christians and traditionalists support the unprecedented development and reconstruction going on in Osun, which will be for the public good.”

     

  • Osun Speaker: Aregbesola is an achiever

    The achievements of Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola within two years have put the state on the right track of development, House of Assembly Speaker Najeem Salaam has said.

    The speaker spoke during a visit to the Aregbesola Campaign Office in Ibokun, headquarters of Obokun Local Government.

    He said the governor has made life easier for the people through his six-point integral action plan.

    Salaam said the conclusion drawn from the comparison of the present and past administrations will have a great effect on future elections.

    The speaker, who met with some traditional rulers in the area, said the Aregbesola administration will fulfill all its electioneering promises, adding that there is no council or community where the government’s impact has not been felt.

    He said the building of the campaign office in the area would strengthen the Action Congress of Nigeria’s (ACN’s) hold there.

    Responding on behalf of the traditional rulers, the Owa-Oye of Imesi Ile, Oba Adelola Adeyemi, acknowledged the transformation of the state by the Aregbesola administration.

    He urged the government to focus more on grassroots development.

    The Assistant Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Office of Governor, Mr. Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, thanked the Speaker for visiting the campaign office.

    Oyintiloye pledged the support of the people of Obokun to the administration.

    He urged ACN members to continue to mobilise people for Aregbesola’s reelection.

  • Aregbesola warns against religious violence in Osun

    Aregbesola warns against religious violence in Osun

    Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has warned fundamentalists against using religion to cause confusion and destabilise the state.

    Speaking at the swearing-in of the executive secretaries of the 30 local government areas and one area office in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, he said religion is too sensitive an instrument to use for sectarian violence.

    He said the Yoruba people respect all religions and do not fight over religious affiliations.

    Aregbesola noted that disgruntled elements are sponsoring crisis as well as promoting hatred and division among the people.

    The governor said: “We don’t fight over religion in Yoruba land. Religion is a very sensitive instrument which must not be used to cause chaos and disharmony.

    “Yoruba people respect all religions. They have not and will never fight over religion. Our people will never be influenced by their dastardly act.

    “In all the religions, salvation is personal. It is not collective. Those who want to use religion to destabilise the state will meet their waterloo.”

    Aregbesola pointed out Osun people have seen the difference between the former administration and the current government, which is focused primarily on welfare of citizens.

    He commended the local government secretaries for their performance, organisation and clear thinking.

    He stated that the renewal of the local government bosses’ mandate was informed by the initiation of an unprecedented rural and community developments in collaborations with the councils about eight weeks ago.

     

  • Mediation’ll promote peace, says Aregbesola

    Mediation’ll promote peace, says Aregbesola

    Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola yesterday inaugurated the State Citizens’ Mediation Centre, tagged O’Mediation.

    He said the centre would promote peace and justice in the society.

    Speaking at the ceremony, which was attended by top government officials, senior civil servants and traditional rulers, Aregbesola said the centre would have branch offices in the nine federal constituencies.

    He said the objective is for the centre to resolve 60 to 70 per cent of disputes and leave complex civil and criminal matters to the courts.

    The governor said Alternative Dispute Resolution (ARD) ensures that only about 15 per cent of cases end up in court.

    He said in developed countries, most cases are resolved through ARD mechanisms, such as conciliation, mediation, arbitration and pre-trial conciliation.

    Aregbesola said: “When we deny landlords and tenants; creditors and debtors; complainants and respondents the opportunity to ventilate their grievances in a structured manner and with a view to mutually acceptable resolution, we would have an explosion of court cases.

    “People would be frustrated with the judicial system, as cases may not be attended to with the speed the parties’ desire. This is aside the possible resort to self-help, which always leads to a break-down of law and order.”

    Explaining that mediation is not alien to the Yoruba and African cultures, he said village and palace squares have been known to be venues of dispute settlement.

    The governor said this manner of peaceful resolution of conflict is in tandem with the Omoluabi ethos that is being espoused by his administration, explaining that the concept goes to the root of “our very existence”.

    He said: “It is what we are as a race and it transcends our dialectal and communal boundaries as Yoruba people. It is the essence of the totality of our culture, beliefs, values and more.

    “Even in this modern age, the most elegantly drafted Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and other legal documents creating contractual obligations always have the arbitration clause. The reason for this is not far-fetched. It is the best way to resolve a dispute.

    “As a matter of fact, the Citizens’ Mediation Centre will not charge money for services rendered. Its services are free. It also helps parties to adopt a problem-solving approach to find a win-win outcome.

    “When a dispute is resolved through this process, there is no winner or loser as the parties agree to the solution. But in litigation, there is always a loser and even the winner goes back home exhausted physically, mentally and financially.”

    Commissioner for Regional Integration and Special Duties Ajibola Basiru said: “The centre we are inaugurating today will remove the bureaucratic bottlenecks encountered in conventional courts.”

    The Acting Chief Judge, Mrs. Adepele Ojo, said: “Mediation occurs when aggrieved parties agree to amicable settlements. This is a good development. Courts will have fewer cases to deal with because some issues would be resolved at the mediation centre.”

    House of Assembly Speaker Najeem Salaam hailed the governor on the establishment of the centre.

    He said it would strengthen the peaceful co-existence among the people.

    Salaam said: “I have been an advocate of peaceful conflict resolution without intervention of a court or the neck-breaking cost of litigation. With the inauguration of O’Mediation, the poor would no longer be marginalised in the dispensation of justice.”

    He urged the mediators to be fair in their duties.

     

  • Okorocha, Aregbesola, Chime, Amosun, Ajimobi mourn a role model

    Okorocha, Aregbesola, Chime, Amosun, Ajimobi mourn a role model

    Governors yesterday mourned the late Prof. Chinua Achebe. Governors Rochas Okorocha (Imo), Sullivan Chime (Enugu), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo) and Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun) described the late literary icon as a man who was dedicated to the country.

    Okorocha, in a statement by his Commissioner of Information Mr. Chinedu Offor, Okorocha said: “I am shocked by the death of our literary icon. I pray for the repose of his soul and the fortitude of entire Ndigbo to bear the irreparable loss.”

    Chime described the death of Prof. Achebe as a huge loss to mankind.

    The Enugu State governor, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary Chukwudi Achife, said the world has not only lost one of its most renowned and celebrated literary icons but one whose works and efforts towards the advancement of the human race would continue to be acknowledged and respected.

    He said Nigeria would miss a patriot, a worthy ambassador and a role model.

    Aregbesola, in a statement by his media aide, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, said the loss of the late Achebe was monumental.

    Aregbesola said his writings contributed immensely towards putting Nigeria on the global map of literature.

    The Osun governor said: “Through his writing, he carried the Nigerian cultural values to the whole world and with the translation of his works into several languages across the world, the history and culture of our people, especially those of the Igbo extraction have been etched permanently on the psyche of the world. There is no doubt that the place of the likes of Achebe will be hard to fill as he promoted a genre of writing that was uniquely his own.”

    Ajimobi, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Dr. Festus Adedayo, said the late Achebe told the Nigerian/African story and showed the world African’s rich cultural heritage.

    He said: “Through his story-telling, which he did with a baffling mastery and simplicity, Achebe told our own story with arresting simplicity, thus arresting the slide of negative perception of Africans as devoid of a worthwhile historical past. He showcased our rich history, culture and language, thereby changing Western historians’ wrong perspectives about Africa and Africans as a people without history.”

    Ajimobi said through A man of the People, which was written before the first military coup, the late Achebe demonstrated that the writer could be a seer as the book predicted the military coup.

    The governor said through other books, such as Things Fall Apart, Chike and the River and There Was a Country, the late Achebe navigated between re-telling the stories told by Africans as moonlight tales to revealing the writer as a historian who sought to put on record critical historical moments of the nation’s life.

    Amosun condoled with the government and people of Anambra State and the world literary community.

    In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mrs Funmi Wakama, Amosun described the death of Achebe as a great loss to Nigeria.

    He said: “Professor Achebe was a scholar of first magnitude and one of the pioneers of modern African literature. Through such works like A Man of The People and The Trouble With Nigeria, Achebe deployed his literary gifts to mirror the ills of our society with a view to building a better and prosperous Nigeria.”

    The governor urged the new generation of Nigerian writers to imbibe the sterling qualities of the erudite scholar and produce interesting works that would help revive the culture of reading among the youths.

  • Attack saddens Aregbesola

    Attack saddens Aregbesola

    Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has condemned Monday’s bomb attack at the Sabon-Gari, Kano, describing it as heartless, inhuman and barbaric.

    In a statement by the Director-General, Bureau of Communication, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, the governor urged security agents to ensure the safety of lives and property of Nigerians and foreigners in the country.

    Aregbesola said the mindless killing of defenceless citizens represented an act against humanity and God.

    He said that under no circumstance should anyone or group take the lives of fellow human beings.

    He said: “For no reason whatsoever should any human take the life of another, no amount of anger or intimidation should make one spill the blood of another human being. It saddens when these barbaric and heartless people are described as fighting in the cause of any religion. Islam doesn’t support suicide bombing, Islam is a religion of peace. Islam does not encourage compulsion in religion. Qur’an 5:32 says if any one slew a person, it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people.”

     

  • Aregbesola’s American visit

    Aregbesola’s American visit

    As someone who very well knows that exaggeration diminishes credibility, I give it a wide berth in claiming that the vocal governor of the State of Osun in South-west Nigeria, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, is doubtlessly a focused, clear-headed, and innovative political leader. It is doubtful whether I could so describe him prior to my encounter with him at Cambridge when he visited a few weeks back. To be sure, before that day, I had heard and read many things about him, particularly the avalanche of controversies which defined his person and administration since he became governor.

    When on Tuesday February 19, I heard that he was in Cambridge, close by Boston where I am resident, to attend the town hall meeting with Harvard African Caucus made up of black students, I did not hang fire – actually more out of curiosity – in getting myself there. The taste of the pudding is in the eating. And there he was in his charming unassuming disposition, beaming with the trademark smile I am accustomed to through still pictures. The centrepiece of his address to the august audience was the innovations he has brought to governance since he came into office as governor.

    He spoke eloquently about the unprecedented reforms that his state’s educational, agricultural, and health sectors had successfully undergone under his watch. He zestfully primed his audience of how his administration through its carefully designed policies – he actually said Six-Point-Integral-Action Plan – has made a huge dent on the monster of youth unemployment, cured the state of its financial ailment, and impacted the lives of the citizens who are mostly farmers. All of these and more he said, exuding affecting confidence, coruscating brilliance, and unpretentious calmness. But his most impactful presentation was the computer tablet he called Opon Imo, which indeed is an innovation. According to him, the tablet which will be distributed to all the senior students in the state’s public secondary schools, contains all recommended textbooks, past questions on certificate and matriculation examinations and moral instructions. This I am sure is going to help parents who cannot afford to buy books for their wards and also help the students to focus on reading. More importantly, it will introduce them to computer at an early age. I must admit that even in the United States, this is a novel thinking. This idea has never occurred to anyone to the best of my knowledge.

    I was really impressed by his clinical deployment of non-convoluted details. By creditably giving a good report of himself in his smooth delivery, this springy politician unequivocally made it manifest that he is political leader of uncommon dedication, discipline and character.

    Deservedly, the attentive audience expressed their appreciation of his memorable delivery through thunderous ovation lasting for a while. Of course, I needed no prodding to attend the lecture he delivered the next day at the Weatherhead Center. He whetted my appetite for his depth and insights.

    As I listened to his lecture, it dawned on me that, as the Americans would say, I ain’t seen nothing yet. Governor Aregbesola’s lecture at the monthly seminar of the Weatherhead Centre for International Studies, Harvard University, centred on the multifarious and overwhelming development challenges assailing Nigeria. Though the challenges are ubiquitous and form the subject of public discourse, both at national and international forums, the governor’s analyses was thorough and seminal. I must admit that his analytical exposition added depth to my perspective on the socio-economic and political setbacks the most populous black nation is inured in. Nigeria’s development calamities are of Byzantine complexity, he enlightened. For him, blinding ethnicity, defective federalism, rapine military system, adulterated religious practices, clueless leadership, among many other horrifying human-inspired debacles, are the foxes pitilessly destroying the rich vineyard of the Nigerian state.

    A courageous leader, he warmed the cockles of my heart when he flintily noted that it would amount to weak reasoning to carp that “outsiders” are responsible for the present condition of the country. The wisdom in this is that when the nation continues to bellyache that the foundation of its underdevelopment can be located in its colonial experience, it will lose the sense to think of the way out of the woods. Yet, colonialism is not exclusive to Nigeria. Other peoples who were even more ruthlessly colonised have since pulled off the burden and are today havens of unexampled human and material developments. The right leadership that can champion this cause and make things happen, he reasoned knowledgeably, is what the country must inexorably find.

    Governor Aregbesola’s report on the achievements of his administration revealed to me a leader who knows what is amiss and works squarely to fix it. The kind of leadership he longs to see his country possess is exactly what he selflessly provides in Osun. Within two years, he has achieved notable reforms in the educational and agricultural sectors of his state. Government is closer, more than ever before, to the people. Youth employment is aggressively pursued and public infrastructure is springing up – all in a state that could barely breathe owing to the suffocating debt it was burdened with by past selfish administration. With the zeal of an empathic leader, he is effectively rescuing majority of the citizens who had been hitherto suspended on the scaffold of penury, hunger, joblessness and insecurity.

    Indeed, the “elephant” of Aregbesola merits more description than “I catch a glimpse of something”. When we see a performing and responsible political leader, we must be honest enough to admit that we have seen Governor Abdulrauf Adesoji Aregbesola! Much more, with that revealing lecture, Aregbesola has demonstrated the fact that, warts and all, the story of Nigeria is not all about a jinxed country, nay, a land held in the throes of avoidable misfortunes. It is a relief to know that Nigeria has some thinking and responsible political leaders. I encourage the governor and those in his circle to hold the fort; they must not give up until a Nigeria of our desire is founded.

    • Morgan lives in Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.

     

  • Aregbesola has transformed Osun, says senator

    Aregbesola has transformed Osun, says senator

    •‘Jonathan’s govt weak’

    The Vice-Chairman of the Senate Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Babajide Omoworare, yesterday said Governor Rauf Aregbesola has transformed Osun State.

    Omoworare, who represents Osun East Senatorial District, spoke with reporters in Abuja.

    The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) lawmaker said when Aregbesola assumed office, he promised to run an unusual government.

    He said the governor has transformed Osun through “unparalleled infrastructural development”.

    Omoworare said: “Do not forget that Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola was there for about seven-and-a-half years and nothing was happening. There were no projects. The only thing we met on ground was the facility obtained from the United Bank for Africa (UBA) by the Oyinlola administration to build six stadia.

    “We wondered whether we are hosting the Olympics. What do we want to do with six stadia? If you go to Osogbo Stadium and to the one being built in Ikirun, you will drive through it between 12 and 13 minutes, if there is no traffic.

    “We felt a need to renegotiate and finish the Osogbo Stadium. We renegotiated the facility, reduced the interest rate and, behold, we had more money to spend on infrastructure.

    “All local governments in Osun are building an average of 10-kilometre roads at the moment and the Aregbesola administration is working on almost all state roads.

    “If you are going to Lagos, you do not have to go to Ibadan to go to Lagos. In my district, Ijebu Ugbo is less than 30 minutes drive from Osun. The road is being fixed as I speak.

    “The little Oyinlola had to show was the dualisation of the road from Osogbo to Akonda Junction in Ede. The dualisation is being extended to Gbongan Junction and the Ibadan Express Road.

    “Former Governor Bisi Akande started what he called a Ring Road to ease congestion in Osogbo. The project was abandoned by the Oyinlola administration but Aregbesola has continued it.

    “In the area of agriculture, the government is giving land and seedlings to people interested in farming; fingerlings to those interested in fisheries and day-old chicks to those interested in poultry farming.

    “It is ploughing the land for farmers and buying their produce. Only a lazy man or a perpetual opposition member will complain about the Aregbesola administration.”

    Omoworare said the Senate could do a lot more to quicken the country’s development because President Goodluck Jonathan is not doing enough.

    He said: “I have challenges with the President’s capacity to administer Nigeria. He may be a good-natured man but governing Nigeria is more than being a good-natured man.

    “A lot of decisions have to be taken. I am not a fan of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, but when he was there, he took strong decisions.

    “But Mr. President takes too long to decide. He does not understand the rudiments of governance and administration and I think he needs to do a lot more.”