In its efforts to prevent cheats from taking advantage of unsuspecting customers, the Osun State government has introduced scale and weight standard for use in markets across the state. In the circumstances, Governor Rauf Aregbesola formally launched the scales and weight instruments and officially outlawed the old practice of transacting business using plastic bowls such as kongo, denge, kobiowu, dana and tin, among others that often results in several complaints and frictions among the buyers and sellers in most markets across the state.
In their stead, the state government introduced standard gauge and weight measurement through the use of scales for transaction of businesses. The new method was aimed at eliminating problems associated with the old measuring practices.
Deliberate alteration of measures; not measured fully to standard by trimming the head, melting and layering the plastic bowls and other containers with candles to reduce container size; deliberate distortion of bottles to reduce their content capacity and unhygienic conditions of the bottles, tins and others used for measuring liquid items are some of the causes of frequent friction among buyers and sellers in most markets.
While launching the standardised weights and measuring scales known as Osunwon Omoluabi at the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Governor Rauf Aregbesola said fair and honest trade rest on the use of accurate weights and measures.
Aregbesola said: “No business can be conducted satisfactorily unless each person is sure the other person is fair and honest.”
He further stated that the scheme would eliminate cheating and other malpractices that have become the hallmark of doing business in most markets.
The governor maintained that the use of standardised scales in markets across the state will engender a chain of economic benefits, adding that dealers in weighing scales would experience business expansion as the programme will ensure increase in the demand of their products.
Aregbesola said the move was to make the state the preferred destination for commercial activities in the sub-region, reiterating that his administration would not relent in its efforts to increase economic activities.
He said: ”In the quest to be competitive and make more profit, which is greed, traders devise varying means of short-changing buyers. Measures are deliberately reduced through cutting, filling with candles and wax, and sleight of hand. Scales are tilted fraudulently while husks, chaffs, barks and other rubbish are included in goods sold, with the intention of reducing the actual value of what the buyers take home.
“One of the tragedies of this immoral practice is that foreigners began to distrust our export because, for instance, cocoa graders put top grades at the top of the sack, leaving poor quality at the bottom, and in the process, collect money for the top grade. Those who are in the business can tell you what loss they suffered because foreigners distrusted their products and classified all cocoa coming from our land as inferior, irrespective of the grade.”
The Governor maintained that the introduction of standardised weights and measures was a Federal Government’s law being replicated in the state.
He explained that weights and measures constitute item 63 on the Exclusive Legislatives List of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. That is, only the Federal Government can legislate on weights and measures in the country.
The various laws made in this respect include Weights and Measures Act CAP W3LFN, 2004, Pre-Shipment Inspection of Export Act CAP P25 LFN, 2004; Weights and Measures Standardisation of Indigenous Measures Regulations, 1992 and the Weights and Measures Fees Regulations.
“The legislations are geared toward ensuring that products are not under-dispensed at markets, factories, oil and gas stations and crude oil depot in Nigeria,” he said.
The Coordinator of the scheme, Mr. Ismaila Adekunle Jayeoba-Alagbada, who is the former Commissioner for Industries, Commerce, Co-operatives and Empowerment, hinted that the standardised weighing scale across markets in the state became necessary in order to mitigate challenges noticeable in commercial transactions.
Jayeoba-Alagbada said in order to eradicate cheating in the process of exchange of commercial goods and checkmate other challenges of market forces, government decided to formally introduce the standardised weighing scales.
He stated that training workshops had already been conducted in the markets all over the state on the effective use of the scales.
He stated that the Ministry of Industries, Commerce, Co-operatives and Empowerment is saddled with the responsibility of monitoring the day-to-day administration of the programme.
He said: “I need to emphasise that market men and women had been fully mobilised to key into this emerging commercial revolution. Both the leadership and the followership of the associations of market women and men had agreed, not only to comply with the right use of the scales and measures but also to continuously carry out peer reviews with a view to ensuring flawless implementation of the standardised weighing scales and measures programme. I want to place it on record that, but for the grace of God and the dogged determination of Mr. Governor, this launch, and indeed the entire standardised scales and measures programme would have been a mirage.”
He revealed that 178 OYES cadets have been trained under the train-the-trainer programme on the use, maintenance and repairs of the new measuring scales. The OYES cadet would also man some control posts in all the markets to serve both as repair and challenge-mitigating centres.
Speaking on the new scale, the President-General of Osun State Market Women Association, Alhaja Awawu Asindemade, said the standardised scale became necessary due to imbalance in measurement and fraud in commercial activities.
Asindemade said the kongo measurement introduced to the market in the old Oyo State became the standard measurement in Osun State when it was created. According to her, the old measurement was gradually subjected to abuse and fraud to the extent that individual seller used his or her yardstick for measurement, thus the need to re-standardise and unify it.
She, however, warned that the introduction of the standard scale should not translate to increase in prices of commodity in the markets.
“It is in a bid to correct the anomaly in measurement and scale that the Osun State government introduced the standardised weighing scales in markets so as to forestall fraud and cheating in measurements. As we embrace this innovation, I call on market men and women to co-operate with government to make this a success. Besides, introduction of the weight and measurement does not and should not lead to increase in price of commodities in our markets.”
The state government, however, subsidised the new measuring scales for the traders. For instance, from the supplier in Lagos, a 150kg platform is sold for N38, 500, but the state government is selling it at N28, 500. The prices of the scales are: 150kg (table) N8, 500, 20kg N2, 500, 10kg 2,500, while 5kg is N2, 000.
Tag: OSUN
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Osunwon Omoluabi: End to business fraud in Osun
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‘Osun CJ didn’t grant order on debt profile’
Osun State has described as “totally false”, the report in some newspapers that the Chief Judge, Justice Oyebola Adepele Ojo, granted an order compelling Governor Rauf Aregbesola to provide information about the state’s debt profile.
A statement issued by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, urged reporters “to always cross-check facts before rushing to the press”.
He explained that the order granted the applicant on Wednesday was the right to put the other party – the governor – on notice.
The SSG stressed that it was not an order granting the substantive reliefs of the applicant.
He noted that a little due diligence by reporters would have revealed to them that the process leading to the report was made “ex-parte”, which means that the other party needs not be put on notice before such application for leave is heard by the court.
Adeoti added that a simple inquiry on the proceeding from the clerk of the court would have made the fact known to the reporters instead of rushing to the press without adequate understanding.
The statement reads: “It is both sad and disheartening a journalist would go to press with a story without cross-checking the facts. The report referred to above is total falsehood. The applicant in the case is a well-known member of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Ikeji Arakeji, who served in the last PDP administration in the state.
“The order of court granted him is the right to put the other party on notice, in this instance, the governor. It is not an order granting the substantive reliefs of the applicant.
The statement added that the Aregbesola administration “is a respecter of the judiciary and as such, would not do anything to undermine the judicial process in any way or shy away from defending the acts of government at any point it is called upon to do so”.
It called on the management of the relevant newspapers to call the reporters in question to order so that the news organisations would not be subjected to retracting stories at all times.
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Osun’s school dresses
Those who watched media clips of Baptist High School pupils, Iwo Osun State,would have been amazed at the sight of students dressed in sundry religious apparel. There were those in hijab (veil); choir dresses while others appeared in flowing white garment clothes – apparently denoting the religious mix in that particular school. Of course, there were others who appeared in their usual school uniform unmindful of the seeming dressing competition.
The situation looked quite confused. A young man who was taken aback by the scenario could not help but exclaim “religious dresses on parade”! That was the situation in that school and it had its roots in a recent court judgment which permitted female Muslim students to attend classes in hijab.
A suit filed in 2013 by the Muslim community against the Osun State government, had asked the court to grant Muslim students the use of hijab in some public schools where they were being harassed and discriminated against.
Their counsel premised his argument on the decision of the Court of Appeal, Ilorin between the Provost of the College of Education and one BasiratSaliu and noted that female Catholics wear veil, Mary mother of Jesus always appears in picture with veil on her head. He then prayed the court to allow female Muslim students wear veil in those schools since they have been wearing it in accordance with the 2004 directive of the state government.
Justice JideFalola premised his judgment on section 38 of the Nigerian constitution and Article 8 of the 2004 policy published by the state ministry of education and restrained the state government from disallowing female Muslim students the use hijab in its schools.
But the Christian Association of Nigeria, (CAN) Osun State chapter did not take kindly to the matter. It has not only accused the state government of plans to Islamize the state but vowed to resist any move to implement the ruling. It went ahead to order Christian students in all schools founded by Christians to wear Christian garments and vestments as part of their school uniforms. The students who appeared in sundry Christian apparels and vestments were only following the directive of the Christian body which has also indicated its intention to appeal the ruling.
The development generated serious tension with the state government threatening to expel students who disobey the official uniform. But the threats did not change the situation as the students, apparently buoyed by the support of the Christian body defied government threats for three consecutive days.
An attempt to stop them at the school gate nearly resulted in crisis but for the timely intervention of the traditional ruler of the community. For now, grave yard peace pervades the state as both Muslim and Christian leaders have resolved to maintain the peace so that the legal battle will run full circle.
That appears the most sensible thing to do since CAN has indicated intention to appeal the ruling. It has no doubt, drawn copious attention to its position on the ruling and cannot go beyond that without prejudicing the very appeal it seeks to file.
At issue however, is why the use of hijab has become so contentious in Osun school system? This poser is pertinent when it is realized that state takeover of schools in the state dates back to 1975. If Muslim and Christian students in the state co-habited without any shred of suspicion and antagonism for over 30 years, why has the hijab suddenly become an issue? Why did the Christian schools before now operate without problems even as they were being run by the government? Why has the use of veil become such an issue that the Muslim community in that state had to approach the court to enforce the rights of their students to wear it to school?
The ugly development has its roots in a recent policy of the state government to merge and re-classify schools. In some of these schools, the Christian groups that founded them have their churches and other places of religious worship domiciled in those premises. They have their own established tradition fashioned along the line of the founders. And this has worked out fairly for them especially as some of them were single sex schools.
With the merger, they had expected that any student in their system would be brought up in their tradition since both Muslim and Christian students had co-habited without any problem. But soon, the issue of hijab resonated with the Muslim community approaching the court for their rights to be enforced.
This of course, raised genuine suspicions. The Christian groups saw it as an attempt to Islamize the state. Though the court ruled in favor of the use of hijab in the schools, it is obvious from current events that that ruling is fraught with serious problems for peace, harmony and order in that state. For, rather than the takeover and merger of schools acting as a melting pot for sectional, religious and primordial differences, they have curiously become an embarrassing reinforcement of these ugly tendencies.
That is quite unfortunate, to say the least. It may be convenient for the Osun state government to wash its hands off the current controversy on the guise that it was the one that was sued. That the Judge cited article 8 of the 2004 policy published by the state ministry of education on the matter, meant there is a state policy on it.
Given the forgoing, it would be a herculean task to convince the Christian groups that the government is not remotely behind the controversy. This writer was in class three in a seminary when the then East Central State government took over schools immediately after the civil war. We were during that period, given an essay on the takeover of mission schools.
I did argue in support of the takeover, citing my experience while growing up in a village catholic primary school. Then, it was a harvest of antagonism and discrimination between pupils of the Catholic faith and those of the Church Missionary Society (CMS) (now called Anglican)
The way CMS was presented to us made us loathe anything having to do with their pupils. Not unexpectedly, this resulted to abuses, quarrels and occasional fights between pupils of both schools especially while going home after classes. Iargued in that essay that takeover of schools will eliminate all that negative indoctrination and the attendant rivalry and antagonism.I remember very vividly that my teacher, a Reverend, noted in my script: Are you sure? But to my big surprise, he still scored me very well.
Given this background, one can then understand the huge contradiction in the agitation for the use of a particular religious veil in government schools in Osun State so many years after. And if one may ask, what then happens to the veils of other religions as counsel to the Muslim community rightly pointed out. Will Catholics then approach the court to enforce their rights to veils? And what type of future shall we be erecting in the minds of impressionable youths who are being introduced to religious bigotry so early in their lives?
These are some of the inherent contradictions. And if one may ask, how much value does the use of hijab hold in the educational advancement of Muslim students especially in a state that is largely reputed for its high level of religious tolerance and understanding? It would appear that the matter is an unnecessary distraction with loaded prospects of rupturing the peace of the state. There are a myriad of challenges of the ordinary citizens that require the attention of the government than the dissipation of energy over such mundane issues.
Beyond this, the controversy highlights the contradictions in government policy on the takeover of schools. It also brings to the fore the incongruity in the merger and re-classification. If these policies are incapable of improving on a subsisting order, it is better to maintain the status quo.
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Osun’s macabre dance
IN moments of social dilemma when power is thought to be tainted by partisanship, it is often to the temple of the bar that a society looks for clarity and direction. In the hand of the conscientious judge, the spirit of the law in fact comes alive over the iceberg of technicalities. Then, the wise judge will creatively sidestep the usual bogey of precedents with an interpretation that best captures the essence of justice in both letter and spirit, thereby ensuring continued harmony and balance of the society at large. Sadly, the exact opposite of the foregoing is what is presently playing out in Osun State. A strange ruling by a ,judge is stoking sectarian tension and could potentially ignite a conflagration with dire implication for national security and stability. Specifically, the past few days witnessed a theatre of the absurd at the Baptist High School, Iwo, as students of the Christian faith came to school wearing all manner of regalia associated with the church. To the Tesbir their Muslim classmates had brandished, the Christians flaunted rosaries.
It was all supposed to be their own affirmative action against a judgement entered on June 3 by Justice JideFalola giving students of Muslim faith freedom to wear hijab to schools as “part of their fundamental rights.” In their own reaction, the state branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) reckoned it would amount to dignifying the judgementby going to a superior court to challenge 1.
To them, what makes it even more unbearable is that the very school where hijab is now welcomed was originally built and owned by Baptist missionary.Not to be outdone, they simply resorted to encouraging their wards to, wear any church costume imaginable to the classrooms. Not to take chances, some Christian parents volunteered to accompany their wards to the school to ensure no one molested them over their sartorial preference. One of the CAN leaders, Paul Olagoke, a catechist and head of the Catholic bloc in the Iwo district, put very bluntly: “We’re here to defend our religious right, to ensure that nobody chases away our children for deciding to wear choir robes and other churchrelatedclothes to school.
“We told the government before the school merger that we did not want Christian schools to be merged with other schools to avoid this kind of situation. We’re determined to make sure that Christianity is not eradicated in the schools established with the sweat of our forefathers in the faith.” As if acting a comedy script, the pupils in the conflicting attires were however said have remained cordial as they exchanged pleasantries. A fact confirmed by the school’s principal, OmotayoArowolo, with a cynical emphasis. To those who might be losing sleep, he quipped: “You can observe by yourself that there is peaceful atmosphere in the school compound and learning is progressing well withoutdisturbance.”
But the atmosphere of normalcy and tranquility painted by Arowolo is nothing but false. Otherwise, the Osun State Government would not have ordered the school’s closure yesterday. Before the recourse to the self-help by Christian parents, the state director of the Department of State Security (DSS) was said to have hosted CAN leaders with an appeal that they back down for the sake of peace. A plea that apparently fell on deaf ears. For now, no one can tell what happens next. But the truth must be said: the June 3 ruling was most unreasonable. It is most unfortunate that a judge, without regards for the religious sensibilities of other citizens in a supposedly secular state, could take liberty to interpret the constitution in such a reckless manner.
It is the most insensate thing to do at delicate times like this when the fissures in the nation’s fault-lines appear to be widening by the day. Coming to think of it, it is even incorrect to assume only Christianity and Islam define our religious identity as a nation. Among the citizenry will be foundpractising traditionalists as well, =for instance. Pray, if Muslims and Christian kids were allowed to don the hijab and the white collar respectively in the classrooms, on what moral basis shall we be stopping children of juju worshippers from tying amulet around their wrists if they so wished? Even more dangerous is the exposition of innocent pupils at this tender age to the sectarian politics that has more or less corrupted the larger society.
Rather than teaching love and the virtue of peaceful co-existence, we are inadvertently infecting the little ones with the virus of hate. What a shame. Already, Governor Rauf Aregbesola has responded in a manner anyone so caught in the middle would have by clarifying that the hijab approval was only a judicial pronouncement and not the policy of his administration. Unfortunately forOgbeni, the negative publicity this sartorial dust has generated at the Iwo school appears to have suddenly overshadowed his inauguration lately of a number of reconstructed public schools elsewhere in the state which ordinarily is praise-worthy. His burden is not lightened by the fact that he is Muslim himself, though generally seen as very accommodating of those who share different faiths. But rather than merely directing school authorities to deal with pupils who come to schools in uniform not approved, Ogbeni can show greater sagacity in the circumstance by directing his Attorney General to take legal steps to set this divisive ruling aside expeditiously, in case no NGO had alreadydone so.
Beyond that, it would also not be out of place if the National Judicial Council, as the custodian of the juridical tradition, weighs in to spare our society the anarchy likely to germinate from this kind of toxic ruling.
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Paradise regained in Osun
IT is not by accident. Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola is returning the lost glory of the education sector in his state.
The re-classification of schools to Elementary, Middle and High schools was a direct product of a summit held to reposition the sector. According to the Deputy Governor, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori, who doubled as the Commissioner of Education, “the re-classification policy is a conscious effort toward repositioning schools in our state from what we met in 2010 to its rightful position of honour and excellence.
“It is not in any way a system of merger as some people mischievously say. It tends towards restructuring the schools in all ramifications for better performance and a means of giving socio-economic power to these future leaders”, she said.
Tomori insisted that the act of restructuring the educational system in Osun and make it meaningful must start from the beginning.
It is in the light of this that the Chairman, Osun State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Prince Felix Awofisayo at a workshop organised for quality assurance officers recently, reiterated the determination of the board to resuscitate qualitative education from its root.
He explained that comprehensive analysis of the psychology of the pupils and students has revealed that, conducive environment with modern facilities and moderate incentives drastically reduce truancy and absenteeism, and aid the level of learning and assimilation in no small way.
“You will agree with me that this present administration is strongly determined to reform education sector in the state with passion and utmost commitment, particularly in Elementary and Middle Schools, which form the foundation phase of educational growth and development across the globe.
“We have embarked on aggressive and massive infrastructural developments such as construction of new 22 standard Middle schools 20 Elementary Schools of 1000 capacity in bungalows and storey buildings and 34(6-10) classrooms at Ife Odan and Sekona fully equipped with modern students and pupils’ furniture, ICT equipment, science laboratories, water and electricity,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary of the board, Alhaji Fatai Kolawole said there was a profound priority on basic education by the Aregbesola led administration, “for the purpose of building sustainable and strong academic foundation for pupils in the state and make them responsible citizens”.
According to him,” there is indeed a passionate focus and emphasis on basic education, that was what informed the re-classification of schools for greater efficiency and optimal maximisation of human resources, the policy intrinsically reformed the 6-3-3-4 , where a pupil will spend his four years in the Elementary school, another five years in the Middle school, and the rest three in the high school.
“It is in the face of this dangerous anomaly that governor Rauf Aregbesola accessed a loan to the tune of N11bn(Eleven billion naira) for the provision of infrastructure not only in the elementary schools but including some of the dilapidated high schools in the state.
“He also initiated the school feeding system, where pupils at the elementary schools were given lunch daily, to make school more attractive to them, and give them the sense of home away from home; the policy that the government still sustain up till this moment despite the economic distress, “he said.
Speaking at the multi-million naira Gbongan Olufi Middle School recently Governor Rauf Aregbesola expressed his resolve to build 100 elementary schools where he re-emphasised the need for prioritising basic education as the bedrock for reliable and strong educational system.
Also, at the inauguration of Anthony Uduofia Government Elementary School in Osogbo on Tuesday, January 12, the governor disclosed that N140,000,000 was expended on the 1000-capacity school, which was named after the first military administrator of the state, Navy Captain Anthony Uduofia(Rtd)
According to the governor, the school presently has about 600 pupils and hopes to get more pupils to fill up the vacant seats.“We spent about N140,000 000 (One hundred and forty millions Naira) to complete the school, including furniture, land scaping and esthetics ,” he said.
Aregbesola maintained that it was criminal to use monies that were meant for building infrastructure to pay salaries, and implored youths to brace up and engage in productive activities that will create job and wealth to their people and also serve as reliable source of taxation for the government.
However, a Headmaster in one of the newly built schools, Methodist Elementary school, Oke-Omi, Osu, in the Osun East senatorial district, Mr Fagbemiro Idowu lauded the initiative of the government to change the face of schools in the state, saying the modern structure, coupled with school feeding system has increased attendance with about 45 per cent.
Also, the Facility Manager at the 1, 200-capacity Middle School, Modakeke, Mrs Grace Akindipe told the Nation that the infrastructural developments in schools across the state has impacted tremendously on the pupils and students alike, and raised the bar of academic excellence.
Speaking in the same vein, a community leader and social crusader at Ipetumodu in Ife North Council Area of the state, where another 900 -capacity Elementary School was sited, Chief Banire Timehin said the unique policy in the educational sector of Osun in the year 2016 was the Community Based School Management Committee (CBSMC).
In his words” many Nigerians, especially, the younger generation may have forgotten that schools used to select upstanding members of the community where such schools were located as management committee being in charge of the schools from the standpoint of collective community ownership of these schools.
This arrangement tends to bond the people in the community and the schools together. When each community sees the neighbourhood school projects as their own, a sense of collective ownership and a bond with the school becomes feasible. -
Osun inaugurates use of weighing scales in markets
THE Osun State government yesterday formally inaugurated the use of standardised weighing scales, tagged: “Osun Omoluwabi”, in its markets.
Governor Rauf Aregbesola, at the event which was well-attended by market women and men in Osogbo, the state capital, said the move was to make the state the preferred destination for commercial activities in the Southwest.
According to him, his administration would not relent in its goal of developing economic activities in the state.
The governor noted that Osogbo in the 60’s and early 70s was a great centre of commerce because of the railway that passed through the city .
Emphasising that “Osunwon Omoluabi” policy is backed by law, he said the Weights and Measures constitute item 63 on the Exclusive Legislatives list of the 1999 Constitution.
The governor listed the laws supporting the measures as Weights and Measures Act CAP W3LFN, 2004, Pre-Shipment Inspection of Export Act CAP P25 LFN, 2004; Weights and Measures Standardisation of Indigenous Measures Regulations, 1992 and the Weights and Measures Fees Regulations.
Aregbesola urged the people to support the revival of the state’s economic status, adding that the state had in the past attracted sellers and buyers from neighbouring states, as far as Akure in Ondo State and that only Ibadan was greater in trade and commerce than Osogbo in the region.
He stressed that “Osunwon Omoluabi” would eliminates cheating and other underhand practices that have become the hallmark of trading in most markets.
The former Commissioner for Industries, Commerce, Cooperatives and Empowerment, Mr. Ismaila Jayeoba-Alagbada, said the standardised weighing scale across markets in the state became necessary to mitigate challenges noticeable in commercial transactions.
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Many battles of Osun varsity
FOR the Management and Staff of Osun State University (UNIOSUN), these are not the best of times. Almost a year after the Professor Adebiyi Daramola’s led Visitation Panel submitted its report on the institution, things have, indeed, fallen apart. Aside from the contention that various versions of the panel report are in existence, its implementation has led to a situation whereby the university is now saddled with a plethora of court cases by those affected by its implementation. While the fireworks at the court rages on, another scandal that borders on extortion of money from contractors, reared its ugly head in November 2015. The management of the institution was directed by the Prof. Obafemi Ajibola led Governing Council to set up a fact-finding panel to unravel the brains behind the malfeasance. Findings revealed that after the panel headed by Prof. Olayiwola Owoade Oladele, Provost, Post Graduate College, with Prof. Dennis Ameh Akoh of the College of Humanities as member and a nominee of the Registrar as secretary submitted its report, the matter was referred to the Senior Staff Disciplinary Committee headed by Professor Patience Akinwusi, Dean, Clinical Sciences of College of Health Sciences. Other members are Professor Esther Asekun-Olarinmoye, Prof. Clement Adebooye, Mr. Marcus Awobifa and representatives of staff UNIOSUNS; Dr. M.O. Abanikanda (ASUU), Mr. Isaiah Fayemi (NASU), Mr. Lekan Adiat (SSANU), Mr. O.O. Ijitoma (NAAT) and Mrs. Adenike Oyewale (Legal Unit), while Mr. R.A. Adebayo of the Registry Department served as the secretary. The submission of the report of the Prof. Olayinka Patience Akinwusi’s led panel titled “Report of the Staff Disciplinary Committee on Rampant Extortion, Kickback and Indiscipline Among Staff” further aggravated tension and created rancour and bitterness within the university. Consequently, situation of things degenerated to the point that secret audio recording became standard practice. Also, the weird culture of secret recording of officials and staff instituted by top management of the university has turned trust and confidence into scarce commodities within the system, as this practice that thrives on derivable pecuniary benefits and upward mobility has destroyed mutual trust totally. Aside the allegation of extortion from contractors against one of the senior staff of the institution, which runs afoul of the code of conduct of the University, Part IV no 35 which states inter alia: “A university staff shall never solicit nor accept, or attempt to obtain from any person for himself or for any other person, any gift or consideration as an inducement or reward for doing any act in relation to university affairs or business of showing or forbearing to show favour or disfavour in matters relating to the university. Breach of 103 code shall warrant appropriate sanction ranging from warning to termination of appointment depending on the gravity of the offence” ;there was also the allegation that one of the directors claimed three different local councils in his curriculum vitae in past employment and that of Uniosun. According to investigations, the minority report authored by Professor O.C. Adebooye (Member SSDC) and Mr. Olalekan Adiat (Chairman SSANU) recommended among others, that the director should be issued a warning in line with the UNIOSUN Code of Conduct, Section 39 page 11, and that another senior staff of the institution should be verbally cautioned to desist from collecting gifts/gratifications from contractors. It also recommended that another senior staff should also be verbally cautioned to desist from sending notes to schedule officers especially on matters relating to contracts as it amounts to exerting undue pressure and influence on the affected officer. It is instructive to note that the milking of Osun State University financially by officials of Osun State Government started on 23rd February, 2015 . Osun State University is gradually losing its steam with first class scholars now leaving in droves in protest against an aggressive policy of indigenization that is currently turning things upside down in the University. For instance, Prof. Temi Ologunorisa, a Professor of Geography and expert in climate change and the first Professor to be appointed by the university has since left the university. Prof. Olukoya Ogen, the immediate past Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Ikire Campus, has also found a greener pasture elsewhere. A Cadbury Fellow and the Nigerian Team Leader of the European Research Council sponsored “Knowing Each Other Project” is currently serving his first term as the Provost of Adeyemi College of Educaion, Ondo. It is now time for founding fathers and critical stakeholders in the education sector to come to the rescue of the university. This is a clarion call to such distinguished university scholars and administrators such as Prof. Oye Ibidapo Obe, Prof. John Ayoade, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Prof. Moses Fawole, Prof. Olu Aina, Prof. Peter Okebukola, Prof. Wale Omole, Prof. Sola Akinrinade, Prof. Mrs. Tomilayo Adekanye, Prof. Biola Odejide, Prof. Idowu Olayinka, Prof. Richard Olaniyan, Chief John Odeyemi, Asiwaju Tunde Badmus, Olu Falabi, Prof. Duro Oni, University of Lagos; Prof. Babajide Alo and so on to save UNIOSUN form this drift and returned it to the path of pursuit of academic excellence. •Adeyinka, Concerned UNIOSUN stakeholder, writes from Lagos.
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Osun Sixth Assembly in focus
Dear President Buhari, in the light of the on-going Fulani herdsmen’s killings and destructio ince its inception last year June, Osun State House of Assembly has not only made itself a credible legislative arm of government, but has indeed blazed the trail in the area of passage of quality bills in line with its pledge to make life better for the teeming populace of the state. Last year, it passed six bills.
Upon its inauguration on the June 2, 2015, the lawmakers in consonance with its leadership, hit the ground running in the business of lawmaking. This is despite the numerous challenges facing the state, particularly cash crunch. Setting aside personal comfort, the members adopted the vow of personal sacrifice as they commenced sitting without the necessary entitlements attached to their offices.
Some of the bills passed include; Osun Public Procurement Agency Bill; Osun Land Use Charge Bill, Osun Primary Healthcare Development Board (Establishment) Bill, Osun Street Trading and Illegal Market (Prohibition) Bill, Omoluabi Conservation Fund (repeal) Bill,Osun Micro-credit Agency (Establishment) Bill and Osun 2016 Appropriation Bill.
The Osun Public Procurement Agency Bill passed on Monday, October 19, 2015, was targeted at enhancing due process in the bidding and public procurement. The law seeks to check undue influence and interference in the procurement process; and to adequately involve the public in the procurement process. Also, it was aimed at attracting intervention and assistance of development partners and foreign investors. In short, the law seeks to enhance public confidence and trust in government and help to regulate, guide and protect the interest of the masses.
Similarly, Osun Land Use Charge Bill, passed into law on Monday, February 8, is aimed at ensuring the consolidation of all property land based rates law, the neighborhood improvement charge law and tenement rate law into one, called Land Use Charge Law. The law, among other things, seeks to improve the Internally Generated Revenue of the state through enhanced payment of rate and levies on property to the coffers of the government. In considering this bill, the assembly involved experts to ensure that it arrived at a reasonable rate for payment in line with their suggestions to ensure that unnecessary burdens are not placed on them.
An executive bill passed into law is the Osun Primary Healthcare Development Board (Establishment) Bill, passed on Tuesday, February 16. The law which was one of the six integral action plan of the state government seeks restoration of healthy living, hence, the law will help in taking care of the health needs of the less-privileged. It seeks to enhance efficient monitoring of healthcare system at the state and local government levels as well as, make assistance of international donors on healthcare delivery accessible to the government.
Next is the Osun Street Trading and Illegal Market (Prohibition) Bill, passed on Tuesday, April 5 currently awaiting the governor’s assent. When assented to, the law seeks to enhance free-flow of traffic and pedestrians; ensure clean and tidy environment; and prohibit unauthorised pasting of banners and erection of containers.
Meanwhile, the House of Assembly also passed the Omoluabi Conservation Fund (repeal) bill, on Monday, April 11, aimed at allowing the government have access to the fund to carry out infrastructural development. Presently, part of the fund is being used to construct the Odi-Olowo-Isale-Osun/Ita-Olokan road newly named Workers’ Drive by the state government.
In line with state administration’s quest to reduce poverty among the population, the lawmakers passed the Osun Micro-credit Agency (Establishment) bill on April 26. The bill when eventually signed into law would serve as effective tool to liberate people from the bondage of poverty; help people to become self-employed.
Osun 2016 Appropriation Bill, passed on Wednesday , May 11, focuses on the completion of on-going projects across the state and will be revenue-driven in the sense that the largest percentage of it will be financed by IGR, hence, there would not be heavy reliance on the federal allocations, which is dwindling by the day.
The assembly also has been serving as a stabilizing factor in the state polity, intervening in issues that would have raised tension on many occasions such as the case of sacking of workers of the state-owned higher institutions by their governing boards.
In the area of oversight functions, the sixth assembly has strengthened its machinery to ensure the blockage of loopholes in the revenue of the state and increase its Internally Generated Revenue without putting unnecessary burden on the people. It is also on course to ensuring that the ongoing projects across the state are completed and complies with contractual agreement.
Among such oversight functions were the audit carried out on the management of IGR by the state-owned tertiary institution, OSPOLY Iree; OSCOTECH Esa-Oke; the colleges of education in Ila-Orangun and Ilesa. Investigation into the matter revealed that after all the expenditure of the institutions might have been removed from their total revenue, there were surplus running into billions of naira which were not accounted for since 2011.
Consequently, the assembly passed a resolution, compelling the institutions to automate the payment of its fees to block leakages and make the institution self-dependent.
Also, the assembly addressed cases of tax defaulters by some mobile network providers. They were summoned, drastic decisions were taken on them, including order to seal off the offices of some of them. The measure changed the trend and the state is now getting improved revenue from the sector.
The assembly has also taken steps on the indiscriminate siting of filling stations across the state by summoning all the agencies and officials whose jobs are related to siting of filling stations and such other structures. The house took a drastic step by ordering the stoppage of work on all on-going construction of filling stations that have not complied with the law guiding such construction.
In all of its deliberations, the assembly was guided by the need to be thorough and painstaking drawing upon the professional backgrounds and experiences of members. All of these feats made possible by the maturity of members and the impressive leadership style of the speaker, Rt. Hon. Najeem Salaam.
- Hon. Oyintiloye is Chairman House Committee on information and Strategy, Osun State House Assembly, Abeere, Osogbo.ns in many places in our country, many of us Nigerians are living in fear. In most of our rural countryside, our farmers and their families are afraid to do their accustomed work on the farms. Across our country, farms, the handwork and means of livelihood of our farmers and their families, are being destroyed by roving cattle. When farmers’ families go to sleep in the night these days, they are no longer sure whether their farms will be there in the morning, or whether the cattle herds would have wiped out everything during the night. They are no longer sure whether their villages will be allowed to sleep peacefully through the night, or whether the killer herdsmen will come in the dark, kill villagers, destroy and burn the houses, and rape the women and girls. Nobody is sure where and when the sudden attacks will come, or what the magnitude of the killings and devastations will be. State governments, local governments, and traditional rulers, all are unsure what to do to protect their people. One governor burst into tears when he saw the scene of rampage in a village in his state.
The situation is desperate, Mr. President. As you very well know, we seriously need to improve agricultural productivity in this country. To that end, most authorities and leaders of our country have been trying to encourage our people to return to the land. Since you became president, you have repeatedly contributed your very influential voice to the call for agricultural growth. And you have made it a priority in your policies, plans and programmes. In many parts of our country, especially in most of our southern states, the return to farming is still very slow and very hesitant. But now, the Fulani herdsmen are scaring farmers away from the farms. A very major disaster is being enacted.
In response to the disaster, a whirlwind of agitated comments and cries is sweeping through most of our country. To allow these fears and this whirlwind to continue is inimical to the well-being of this country. It could even wreck this country – and lead to its collapse. Mr. President, you must take steps without delay to bring this dangerous situation to a satisfactory end. We need to have a definitive and lasting solution. Merely ordering the Nigerian military and police to stop these herdsmen from attacking farmers and villagers, as you have done, is not enough. As long as these killer herdsmen remain, and as long as important questions about them remain unexplained, the wild and inflammatory speculations will continue to shake Nigeria.
We Nigerians need, want, and demand, to have answers to many questions concerning this situation. Who really are these so-called Fulani herdsmen? From official and non-official sources, we are getting loads of information about their identity, about why they are behaving as they are now behaving, and about the sources of their strength.
We are told that these people are ordinary nomadic cattle herdsmen. We are also told that the recent civil commotions in the Maghreb (especially in Libya) makes it easy to get sophisticated weapons in the Sahel parts of West Africa, as a result of which these herdsmen have been able to acquire even such highly sophisticated guns as AK47. But, how do ordinary nomadic herdsmen afford to buy expensive things like AK47 rifles? How are they able to train to use such sophisticated weapons?
The suspicion is being voiced in the media that some rich and influential Nigerian citizens have been supplying the herdsmen with these weapons, and training the herdsmen to use them. If yes, who are these rich and influential Nigerian citizens? What are these rich and influential Nigerian citizens trying to achieve?
You, Mr. President, were recently reported to have revealed in an interview with CNN in London that some of these herdsmen are really Libyan militiamen, trained under Ghadafi, well-armed and well-trained fighters who fled southwards to West Africa after the fall of Ghadafi. If so, how did these militiamen become cattle herdsmen in Nigeria? Who gave them thousands of cattle to herd?
You said in the interview, Sir, that these militiamen have become an Africa-wide problem. Why has the government of Nigeria never informed Nigeria about this problem? What steps has the Nigerian government taken to prevent the problem from coming into Nigeria or to expel it from Nigeria? If no step, why?
Why have some prominent Fulani leaders been representing these militiamen to us as merely Fulani herdsmen and claiming Nigerian citizens’ rights for them – even though they must know that they are, in fact, extremely dangerous Libyan killers? Why have some Fulani spokesmen been threatening that they would break up Nigeria if these Libyan militiamen are thrown out of Nigeria?
Do we now have the president’s word that Nigeria is under invasion by Libyan militiamen? And, what does the Nigerian government intend to do about that?
A highly placed citizen from the Middle Belt, Governor Balarabe Musa, warned in 2014 that a new insurgency was in the offing – a new insurgency different from Boko Haram, better organized, better armed and much more dangerous than Boko Haram, and planned by some highly influential Nigerians for the purpose of achieving some major political objective in Nigeria. Are we now seeing part of that insurgency?
Some Arewa North citizens have threatened again and again in recent years that the North would go to war rather than accept certain kinds of change in Nigeria. And they have also repeatedly assured us that the North is more ready for war than the South. In the background of these threats, there have been repeated reports in the media since 2012 that large quantities of arms are being illegally imported into Nigeria.
Are today’s depredations by the Fulani herdsmen part of what these various members of the Northern elite have been threatening? Are the Libyan militiamen part of a mercenary army that some influential Nigerians have hired to wage war against some parts and peoples of Nigeria?
Some Northerners are frenetically demanding “grazing reserves” for the herdsmen. Some are threatening that we Southerners will find ourselves in greater danger if we refuse to grant land for such grazing reserves. Some say that they will break up Nigeria if the herdsmen are refused entry into Southern Nigeria. We Southerners suspect a hidden agenda for these grazing reserves. What are the true purposes of the grazing reserves? Are they designed by some people to house illegal armies of occupation in the states of the Middle Belt and the South, for the purpose of intimidating the peoples of those places? Are they meant to be jihadist instruments for forcible Islamization? Are they designed as weapons of one ethnic group’s conquest of Nigeria?
Mr. President, you owe Nigeria clear, truthful, and statesmanlike answers and explanations on this situation. More importantly, you owe Nigeria policies and actions that will remove this horrible threat from our country – in the interest of the peace and existence of our country. We Nigerians pledge our strongest support to such policies and actions when you design and implement them. But delay is dangerous.
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REVELRY as Osun roars back to life
After a lull in activities as a result of paucity of funds crisis that engulfed the state, Osun is gradually regaining the tempo. Assistant Editor ADEKUNLE YUSUF, who spent a week in the state, reports that the pace of construction works in Osun is still surprisingly frenetic
It was a brashly sunny afternoon Friday April 9, and the parking lot of a busy rendezvous in Osogbo, Osun State capital, was beginning to fill. Inside, in a splendidly decorated ambience, a middle-aged woman was racing against time, hurrying to place the menu list and other items on all the available tables. Gradually, people filtered in in twos and threes throwing loud banter. And with hilarious exchange of pleasantries over, it was time for binge eating a feast of great-tasting meals for a small coterie of friends.
However, midway into the sumptuous meals, a melodrama erupted. One of the ecstatic fun seekers, a light-complexioned man in blue agabada, inadvertently stirred the hornet’s nest. Governor Rauf “Aregbesola’s style is not good for Osun State,” he lamented openly, perhaps cavalierly as he was emptying a bowl of hot pounded yam. But he had hardly paused when he was shouted down by his friends, who swooped on him like hungry lions cornering a hapless game in the jungle. Without allowing him the benefit of elaborating on his point, his friends took turns to vent their spleen on their ‘opponent.’ One of them asked rather derisively: “Is it the roads or schools that you hate or what?” Before the ‘offending’ friend could answer the question, another livid man at the rear fired another salvo: “Apart from non-payment of salaries, which is not limited to Osun, tell us what the issue is?”
In the ensuing shouting match, reason prevailed eventually, as a melee was quickly averted before it degenerated into fisticuffs. But if the verbal brawl had left a puzzle unresolved, series of events in the following day, albeit unrelated ones, provided an adequate answer. Shortly after a heavy rain that brought relief to the populace on April 10, Governor Aregbesola, in deference to the request of a team of visitors who was in the state to assess the level of developments, embarked on a tour of his signature projects in Osogbo and its environs. By 5:30pm., the governor and his guests, including this reporter who was in the state at the time, drove out in a white coaster bus with minimum security backing no blaring of siren or other usual appurtenances of Nigeria’s men of power.
Beginning from the Government House in Okefia, the convoy was mobbed with shouts of joy and appreciation from residents. By the time the convoy first pulled to a stop at a fresh accident scene on Osogbo link road, the purpose was to show compassion and, if necessary, render requisite assistance to the victims. But hardly had the team alighted from the bus when the sympathisers became lighted up like a fuse, oscillating between volunteer caregivers and cheer leaders. Although the victims were said to have been taken to the nearest hospital, volunteer rescue workers who were busy separating the two cars that rammed into each other suddenly abandoned their work, chanting “Aregbe, Aregbe, Aregbe,” as the locals fondly call their governor. “Have you called the emergency? Any casualties?” the briskly governor inquired from the sympathetic crowd, who kept on hailing him instead of answering his questions.
Satisfied that the situation was under control, the convoy left the scene to see a new township road that had just been completed a few days back in the capital. And as the team made a detour at the rear end after inspecting the newly constructed road, some eagle-eyed residents had sighted the governor, with many of them quickly abandoning their chores to show love by waving their hands.
Suddenly, the chorus of “symbol, symbol, symbol,” rent the air. Perhaps to outdo others, a woman, sandwiched by her two children, strutted out of her shop, shouting on top of her voice in a manner that drew the amazement of everyone in the bus. “Governor, I want to entertain you. Governor, I want to entertain you,” she screamed and screamed as she displayed two plastic bottles of water and Coca Cola in the air. Apparently moved by the effusion of love towards the governor, one of the guests sitting next to him in the bus requested to know why the residents call him symbol.“Here in Osun, the people see me as the symbol of good governance and all that proper leadership entails,” Aregbesola explained.
After the convoy navigated its way out of the surging crowd, the team also passed through the Osogbo east bypass dual carriageway, named after the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Adesoji Aderemi. Designed to complement the Gbongan-Akoda dual carriageway (also under construction by the time of this visit) to reduce traffic congestion in the state capital, Oba Adesoji Aderemi road, which starts from Iwo-Osogbo roundabout and passes through Ofatedo, Ataoja Grammar School and Ilesa before terminating at the roundabout along Osogbo-Ikirun road, links the state capital to all neighbouring towns. An elated Aregbesola told his visitors that by the time the road is completed, commuters who have no business in Osogbo can access the capital without having a taste of traffic snarl in the belly of the fast growing city.
At the next port of call, an airport project under construction in Ido Osun, the governor took his guests on a nerve-wrecking exercise for about an hour. Specifically, Aregbesola took his visitors round the runway, a distance of about 3.5 kilometers with a view to debunking insinuations that the airport has become a white elephant project. While explaining the extent of work done on the project, he acknowledged that the pace of work had slowed down because of paucity of fund but assured that he would leave no stone unturned in actualising its completion. According to him, the MKO Abiola International Airport will serve human and cargo transportation. To benefit the state economy, the airport is primed to be an aircraft maintenance hub, not only for Nigeria but the entire continent. With only three aircraft maintenance hangers in Africa, the governor said making the airport attract business and boost the state economy is one of his priorities, adding that a situation where global package delivery and logistics firms, which make the bulk of their revenues in Nigeria but operate cargo terminals in less populous countries is unacceptable.
For the runway to reach its present state, 12.3 metres excavation and re-filling with laterite had been done, only requiring 500 mm asphalt overlay and construction of terminals and other equipment to make the airport ready for use. The governor added that both sides of the runway are equipped ab initio with water pipes, which will be the first of its kind in Nigeria a feature that will make the airport equipped with fire-fighting facilities readily available near the runway in case of any emergency landing or fire outbreaks. Beaming fulfillment, Aregbesola, an engineer himself, admitted that though the runway is yet to be completed, aircraft can land on it in its present state in case of an emergency. He acknowledged that he inherited the project from his predecessor, but has decided to make it see the light of the day because of the enormous economic benefits it will add to the state.
Education without tears
A chat with Mrs. Bamidele Kareem easily revealed her infectious joy. In her ramshackle house in Ada, Boripe local government area, she said her heart is full of gratitude, for she did not regret her decision to withdraw her wards from a private school where she was paying through her nose to keep her three children in school since the demise of the family’s breadwinner nine years ago. According to her, what gave her the courage to withdraw her wards from private schools is the revolution being witnessed in the public schools in the state. Although she acknowledged that her finances had almost dried off since her husband’s death, making it difficult to foot the exorbitant school fees bills charged by private school proprietors, she said she would have trudged on, as was her wont. “It’s like a personal favour for me. Payment of school fees is a burden I no longer worry my head about. Now with Aregebesola’s intervention, many public schools are far better than private schools. That’s why I will continue to pray for this man (Governor Aregbesola) to succeed in the education sector because what he is doing is unprecedented in this state,” Mrs. Kareem said.
Truth be told, education sector in the state was appalling until Aregbesola was sworn in as governor on November 27, 2010, said Alhaji Fatai Kolawole, Permanent Secretary (PS), State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Osun State. The all-important sector was signposted by decadent infrastructure, spewing low morale on the part of the workforce and poor performance of students in both internal and external examinations, the PS added. To demonstrate its seriousness, three months after inauguration, the state government convened an education summit in February 2011 under the chairmanship of Professor Wole Soyinka, Africa’s first Nobel Laureate, which produced a blueprint that is bringing about a revolution that is gladdening the heart of people like Mrs. Kareem.
To reposition the sector, as Kolawole explained to The Nation, Aregbesola embarked on a radical and comprehensive reworking of the structure and rebuilding of the entire education infrastructure in the state, starting from the reclassification policy. Boasting with aplomb, the PS said the reclassification of primary and secondary schools in Osun, touted as the first of its kind in the country, is done following global best practices and trends to benefit products of the system. Although the opposition initially mounted brick walls to thwart the coming on stream of the initiative, the reclassification intervention, which thrives on grade system, has been implemented without deviating from the 6-3-3-4 national policy on education or necessarily causing changes in the school curriculum. This is followed with an ambitious school infrastructural renewal in all the nooks and crannies of the state, with the government constructing state-of-the-art school buildings replete with modern facilities that now make not a few proprietors of private schools in the state green with envy. Kolawole, who took The Nation round many of the newly constructed structures, is confident that the conducive environment for teaching and learning is a boon that will make the state the envy of other states in the country.
With the commissioning of the Wole Soyinka High in Ejigbo, Ejigbo local government area, on Monday November 23, 2015, a new phase has since been opened in the annals of public education in Osun State. The school, a magnificent three-in-one edifice that serves as a model for all high schools in the state, has capacity for 3,000 students. In other words, each of all the high schools in the state is designed to sit 3,000 pupils, amidst facilities and environment that compare with the best anywhere. Each high school built by the administration of Aregbesola has modern facilities, including a borehole, a transformer, 72 classrooms of 49 square meters (each capable of sitting 49 students), six offices for study groups, six laboratories, 18 toilets for ladies, 18 toilets for men, one science library, one arts library, one facility manager’s office, one sick bay, four principal’s office, one bursar’s office, three general offices, one senior principal’s office, one record store, and one security shed/reception. Built with a total of 1000square-meters of floor space hall that is capable of sitting 1000 students for external exams or any other purposes, each high school is furnished with an Olympic-sized football field, seven-lane sprinting tracks for 100meters and 400meters, a pavilion, an outdoor basketball court that doubles as a lawn tennis court, plus an ample parking space for more than 75 cars.
That is not all. In the lower categories, that is elementary and middle schools, Aregbesola has commissioned hundreds of mega schools across the state. By the time The Nation went round the three senatorial districts of the state, hundreds of these magnificent structures are still under construction across the length and breadth of the state, including rehabilitation and refurbishing of existing facilities in some schools. Unlike the high schools, each elementary and middle school has a capacity for 1000 students, comprising 25 classrooms, two head teachers/principal’s offices, two staff rooms, one facility manager, one multipurpose hall, one food court, one library, one sick bay, 12 toilets for pupils, 12 toilets for teachers, one security house, among other amenities. Above all, this is matched with a novel school feeding programme in all its 1,388 elementary schools in the state, kitting high school students with opon imo (tablet of knowledge) and training and retraining of teaching personnel, numbering over 22,000. With all this, Kolawole predicted that “Osun will be a reference point in this country in terms of producing world-class, educated minds who are not only properly groomed to impact society but can hold their own anywhere in the world.”
‘Unprecedented strides in roads construction’
In Osun and beyond, Amitolu Shittu is a long-standing activist of repute that is acknowledged as an unrepentant critic of all previous administrations in the 25-year old state military and civilian. Now, in a twist that is widely considered as unusual, Shittu, 52, has morphed into a big fan of the sitting government in Osun. On a regular basis, his social media walls are always awash with information on latest achievements of the state government, including pictures of completed and ongoing road construction works, drawing both applause and condemnations almost in equal measure in the process.
But Shittu said he owes anyone no apology for “doing what is right.” He added that it is passionate belief that “supporting a good government in order to do more” is activism by other means. Like every member of over 50,000-strong the DeRaufs, a volunteer organisation he floated for promoting the ideals of Aregbesola, the veteran activist said he is “irrevocably committed to promoting good governance” by highlighting the achievements of the state government. “The late Gani Fawehinmi (his mentor in activism) taught me not to keep quiet when a bad government is in place. He also taught me not to keep quiet when a good government is in place. Aregbesola has built more roads and schools than any state government in the South-West. Because I live here, I have seen all the previous governments since the creation of this state. His strides in road construction are unprecedented, with over 1,000 kilometers of roads built to completion already. I stand to be corrected. I repeat, in every sector that touches human existence and development, no government has done one quarter of what this man (Aregbesola) has done. I challenge anyone to come to Osun so that I can take them around the state,” Shittu told The Nation.
Even if not everyone agrees with his method, it is hard to fault Shittu, for he is merely celebrating and drawing attention to the obvious. According to Ola Ibrahim, a banker in Osogbo, even the blind can attest to “Aregbesola’s phenomenal achievements in urban and rural roads construction and reconstruction.”Although there was a lull in activities when financial crisis engulfed the state recently, construction has resumed in all previously abandoned sites. Some of the projects that were badly affected are gigantic works involving inter-city roads, but contractors are busy working to deliver the projects. That explains why residents are often pleaded with to bear with the state government due to incessant traffic diversion inconveniences, as caterpillar and other heavy machines are now constantly at work on several road sites that are being repaired or reconstructed. According to Nurudeen Adeagbo, PS, Ministry of Works, Osun State, the contractors returned to sites throughout the state because of their faith in the leadership of the state, adding that they have an abiding commitment to complete the projects before Aregbesola leaves office.
Not only has the old Olaiya junction in Osogbo worn a brand new, the church and several residential buildings around the roundabout have been recently demolished to give way to a more betting urban landscaping. Also worthy of mention is the ongoing rehabilitation of the road from Olaiya to Jaleyemi to Ita Olokan junction in Osogbo. In fact, as at last month, record shows that the Aregbesola administration has completed the construction of the following roads in Osogbo alone: Station road Fagbesa Odi Olowo junction road (0.61km), Boorepo-Abaku-Eleede junction road (0.47km), Elelede junction Oluode Market Gbemu road (1km), Gbodofon-Jaleyemi-Gbemu junction IsaleAro road (1.79km), Ilobu road Adesina Crescent GRA road (1.35km), Oja Oba Osun Groove Gate with extension at Plantain area (1.02km), BalogunBiiro/OkeBaale road (0.85km), Alaafia Street Church Street by Awolowo Way (0.79km). others are Coca Cola Alekuwodo Capital Hotel road (2.33km), Oke Onitea road Anaye Market junction ( 0.42km), Anaye Market BisiBankole Alaafia Street (0.87km), Kola Balogun road junction FiawasayeOlohunosebi road junction (0.83km), Opposite Capital Hotel/Wonderful road Tinumola Orokiroad (1.21km), Tanisi Olorunosebi Keji Adigun road (1.8km), Odetoyinbo Dupe Aina Heritage Hotel road (3.28km), Adams Street Mercy Land road (0.67km), Osunbukola/Mercy Land Ajani Street Prime Petrol Station (0.98km), John Mackay Gbeja road (0.96km), Okefia Alekuwodo Olaiya (1km), Olaiya Jaleyemi ItaOlokan road (2.83km), Oroki Estate Ilobu road (0.85km), Steel Rolling Camp Kabelo Filling Station (1.015km). In all, except Olaiya Jaleyemi ItaOlokan road, which is currently undergoing reconstruction, it means nothing less than 26 kilometers of roads had been completed and commissioned for public use in Osogbo alone, costing the taxpayers N4.095 billion.
Another place that ranks high in the priority radar of Aregbesola’s administration is Ilesa, where a total of about 30 kilometers of roads have been completed. And with the exception of Ita Balogun Wesley Hospital School of Health Technology Ilesa/Akure Express road (4.4 km) that is currently undergoing reconstruction, all the following roads in Ilesa had been completed. They are Old Omeiran road (1.150km), Ibala Community Primary School OkeOmiru Oke Kunrin Osogbo road junction (1.060km), Tosho Obembe General Hospital (1.850km), Kayanfanda Street (1.600km), OkeOpo Community/GRA Iyemogun/Ilesa East (1.750km), Isokun/Osogbo road George Burton (1.050km), Lekoja Fadahunsi Avenue/Old Ife Ilesa road GRA ((1.540km), Isokun/Osogbo road – DIG Fagbola ((1.050km).
Other completed roads in Ilesa are: Lekoja Abiola Imo Junction Omo Olupe Street (2.680km), Idooko Junction Sawmill Alfa Olowogbowo (2.500km), Irojo Sabo Junction Agboworin Crescent Bolorunduro Amuta Junction (2.220km), Adebisi Aromolaran Street OkeAnu (2.319km), Ilerin Leventis Farms Prince Adeyinka Street Stadium Obokun (3.440km), including repairs of Inner Ring road, Old Ife road, Bolorunduro segment, Moroko segment, and Yemogun segment. All these gulped N3.885 billion, a development which perhaps excited Sunkanmi Ogungbamila, a trader in Ilesa, to say “the man (Aregbesola) will forever be appreciated even by generations not yet born for changing the face of our town.”
The long list above does not include a litany of ongoing intercity roads (federal constituency) in the state, 294 kilometers in all, and intra-city (federal constituency) roads, 80 kilometers in all. In the last five years, Aregbesola has also completed 21 kilometers of roads in Ede, including hundreds of kilometers in Ile Ife, Ikirun, Iwo, Ejigbo, Iragbiji, among other major towns.
Opening up rural access, electrification projects
Although Aregbesola has recorded giant strides in urban renewal interventions, these are not limited to the state capital and major towns alone. Ask Oba Muhammad Quasim Adekunle, Olowu of Owu-Ile, Ejigbo LGA, many rural communities and villages that never expected the presence of government in the localities will forever be grateful for the sitting government has done. “Hundreds of villages without roads or electricity now have good roads and electricity. These are places that never thought they would have these things in hundred years to come, but Aregbesola has done it,” the Oba said.
One of such roads dear to the heart of the royal father is the one linking his own domain, a border town, to neighbouring communities within Osun and Oyo states. According to Oba Muhammad, this is a road that has never been tarred in the history of the settlement, making it unmotorable. Yet that is the only route through which people can access the town that also leads to Oyo and Kwara states. To this end, Lere Oriolowo, PS, Ministry of Water Resources, Rural Development and Community Affairs, Osun State, said deepening rural access through opening up of villages and rural communities is a deliberate policy of Aregbesola’s administration. This, the PS added, is the governor’s way of touching the lives of rural dwellers positively, for the state government believes that grassroots empowerment can engender economic vibrancy and social revolution.
This initiative, which has brought tremendous joy to the once-neglected settlements, is manifested beyond rural roads. Communities such as Ijabe, Ekosin, Isale Awesin, Ifesowapo, Ijimo, Araromi, Adejumo, Ayelaka, Garage Olode, Agunbelewo, Owode, Temidire, Agbajowo, among several others, can now live meaningful lives, having benefited from the massive electrification projects of the state government.
As Osun becomes hub of cocoa production
To any unobservant passerby or first-time visitor, the newly-painted edifice in Ede may easily pass for just any other gigantic structure. But after a more than cursory look, especially after being welcomed by the humming of electrical and mechanical machines, it is easily discernible that the sparkling edifice has just resumed its former status as home to the production of quality cocoa powder and cakes. Thanks to the efforts of Governor Aregbesola, the once moribund Osun Cocoa Production Industry has been revived, now back fully into production after years of abandonment.
Expectedly, the news of the resuscitation of the cocoa products company has elicited euphoric feelings among farmers and non-farmers alike. Not a few expect to benefit from jobs and other opportunities the revamping of the factory can bring about, including revenue generate for the state. During a facility tour of the newly resuscitated industry, an elated Aregbesola boasted that, with the resuscitation of the dilapidated factory, Osun will soon become the hub of cocoa production in the country. This, by no means, will be a sweet music to the ears of cocoa farmers, merchants and consumers in the country. Done in partnership between the state and two Chinese firms, Golden Monkey of China and Skyron Cocoa Production Industry, the deal is 70-30 equity, coming after 15 years of inactivity in the factory. The governor, who also spoke on cassava production and processing activities in Osun, said his state is now the largest producer of cassava in the country, adding that his administration is always ready to provide an enabling environment for all investors.
While noting that the cocoa production plant will go a long way to support the state’s agricultural plan and efforts at developing cocoa farming in the state, Aregbesola said the new production strength of the industry is a thing of joy because the company currently produces 20,000 metric tons compared to 5,000 tons capacity in 2001 when it closed down. For this, the governor commended the partners for their commitment to the terms of the agreement by hitting the ground running with a factory with a capacity that is four times higher than what the maximum capacity of the industry before it became moribund. “From my projection, I want them to increase the strength of their production by consistently taking their production from liquid to powder and cake. With this production, the name of our state will be on the map of the world as a centre of excellence in the processing of cocoa and other products. Though the maximum capacity of this plant when it was operated last in 2001 was 5,000 tons but now, it is producing 20,000 tons. We praise those who have made it possible, especially for putting in their best to make it a reality. We are highly optimistic that this centre will support our agricultural efforts and economic drive to empower our cocoa farmers and merchants,” Aregbesola enthused.
Speaking in the same vein, Song Lin, Assistant General Manager of Skyron Cocoa Production Industry, said the management had increased and multiplied the production capacity four times than what they met before the agreement. She revealed that the company is presently producing cocoa liquid, adding that the company would soon be producing both cocoa powder and cake. Song also affirmed that as soon as the company installs more facilities, the company would definitely jerk up its production capacity. “Our cocoa liquid production at present is now 20, 000 metric tons as against 5,000 capacity the industry generated before. Our future plan after finishing our installation is to ensure that we increase the production capacity. Though we are only producing cocoa liquid now, but we are aiming to enhance our production to cocoa powder and cocoa cake so as to make up the complete production of this industry as this is the major production around the world,” she said.
Speaking on the modality of government and the Chinese investors, the Chairman Board of Directors, Skyrun Cocoa Production Industry, Chief Adewale Adeeyo, said the state has invested a lot of energy to make the project a reality. With the resuscitation of the company, Adeeyo said, the business of cocoa produce buyers and farmers has been positively rejuvenated, enthusing that cocoa suppliers have been coming regularly to the industry to do business. Like Aregbesola, Adeeyo predicted that the coming on board of the long-abandoned factory will engender robust economic activities that can turn the economy of the state around for the good of all. “We have done environmental impact on these facilities, which has attracted investors for better productivity. We are working round the clock to ensure that this state, through our company, will soon be the hub of cocoa exportation in the world just as the company has been exporting cocoa to China and Europe presently. We are also setting in motion means that will ensure that Skyrun Cocoa Production Industry will channel energy to ensure that it extends its capacity beyond the present state in not too long a period,” Adeeyo said.
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How to end fake petitions, by Osun
The Osun State government yesterday said invitations to “fake petitioners and paid agents of destabilisation” will end frivolous petitions in Nigeria.
This followed an invitation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to the Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun over its petition.
The petition alleged diversion of funds belonging to the local governments by Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
In a statement by the Director of the Bureau of Communication and Strategy in the Office of the Governor, Semiu Okanlawon, the government said the self-appointed civil society group is a group that had been making bogus claims against Aregbesola and his government without evidence to substantiate any of the allegations.
The statement reads:”This was the group that accused the governor of embezzling the N34.988billion bailout loan obtained last year from the Federal Government.
“The same group had accused Aregbesola of borrowing over N750 billion, which, according to it, has not impacted on the socio-economic lives of the people.
“The government had also been accused of planning a mass sack of civil servants, especially in the wake of the challenges to meet salary obligations by the state.
“It is instructive that none of these allegations and others from this same group has been proved to be true.”
The Bureau described the CSCEO as dubious two-man contraption masquerading as a pro-people organisation.
“We must remind Nigerians lest they take this group serious at all that Mr. Sulaiman Adeniyi who claims to be the leader of the group and Seun Adeoye, have been no more than two hired hands of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun and its allied opposition elements.
“It is pertinent to state that the so-called civil society group is a contraption hurriedly put together by Adeniyi and Adeoye to push the dubious agenda of their sponsors, the humiliated governorship candidates of the PDP and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Senator Iyiola Omisore and Segun Akinwusi to blackmail Aregbesola and his government.
“When all their antics against the government failed, Nigerians must recall how these characters procured the services of a High Court Judge to write a petition with all forms of spurious allegations which she equally failed to defend.
“It is on record that when the EFCC and the House of Assembly invited Justice Folahanmi Oloyede to defend the claims in her petition, she developed cold feet.”
The statement added that all the allegations levelled against Aregbesola are the same as those made by Omisore, Akinwusi and Justice Oloyede, noting that it is clear that the motive of these is to set the state on fire by misinforming the people.
Describing the step taken by the EFCC as a welcome development, the Bureau stated: “This is a welcome development as perhaps this will put an end to frivolous activities of the likes of hired groups like this and their cohorts in the trade of making allegations that they cannot substantiate.”