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Tag: OSUN

  • Osun NUT faction rejects election

    A faction of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), in Osun State wing has rejected the election of the union conducted on November 25, saying it was illegal and a contempt of court.

    The election was allegedly conducted regardless of a court injunction obtained by the Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) and Justice Now Foundation (JNF), restraining the ousted Saka Adesiyan-led union from conducting it.

    A source said the court bailiff, who went to serve the leadership of the union with the injunction, was beaten by thugs, allegedly sponsored by the “unity faction” of the union.

    Due to the alleged crisis that heralded the election, the police, the source said, arrested Comrade Lere Olawuyi, who was acting as the union’s chairman at the time of the election and Comrade Wakili Amuda, who emerged the new chairman.

    The union was reported to have been polarised along “progressive and unity” camps as far back as 2009.

    A leader of the progressive faction and a chairmanship candidate at the election, Comrade Adeyemi Francis, said the election was against all the procedures of the union’s constitution in conducting polls.

    He said: “The election was illegal. On November 25, we had an opening session in Ife and expected that the election would be held on November 26, only to be informed later in the day through a text message that the election would be held by 7am on November 26 without taking those living afar into consideration.  However, the election held on November 25 after many people had left.”

    According to him, the election was done without accreditation and all the required procedures.

    However, the man at the centre of the controversy, Saka Adesiyan, insisted that there is no crisis or polarisation in the NUT, especially in Ile-Ife where the election was held.

    When contacted, Olawuyi failed to comment on the matter as the case is in court.

  • Osun NUT faction rejects union’s election

    A faction of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Osun State has rejected the recently conducted election of the union, saying it was illegal and amounts to a contempt of court.

    The election was allegedly conducted regardless of a court injunction obtained by the Parent- Teacher Associations (PTA) and Justice Now Foundation (JNF), restraining the ousted Saka Adesiyan-led union from conducting it.

    A source said the bailiff of the court had gone to serve the leadership of the union with the injunction, but some thugs, allegedly sponsored by the “unity faction” of the union attacked him, torn his cloth and smashed his phone.

    Due to the alleged crisis that heralded the election, the police, the source said, arrested Comrade Lere Olawuyi who was acting as the union’s chairman as at the time of the election and Comrade Wakili Amuda who emerged the new chairman. They were later granted bail.

    The union was reported to have been polarised along “progressive and unity” camps as far back as 2009.

    A leader of one of the progressive faction and a Chairmanship candidate at the election, Comrade Adeyemi Francis said the election was against all the procedure of the union’s constitution in conducting polls.

    He said: “The election was illegal. On November 25, we had an opening session in Ife and expected that the election would be held on  November 26, only to be informed later in the day through a text message that the election would be held by 7:00am same day without taking those living afar into consideration.

    According to him, the election was done without accreditation and all the required procedures, adding that the case filed by JNF and PTA, is still pending in court and would come up tomorrow.

    However, the man at the centre of the controversy, Saka Adesiyan insisted that there is no crisis or polarisation in the NUT, especially in Ile-Ife where the election was held.

    When contacted, Olawuyi also said he would like to reserve his comment on the matter because it is an issue before the court.

  • Famodun: We ‘ll make Osun APC better’

    Famodun: We ‘ll make Osun APC better’

    Prince Gboyega Famodun recently emerged as the Chairman of the Osun State All Progressives Congress. In his inaugural speech, he unfolded his vision for the chapter and highlighted the challenges that will confront the stakeholders, ahead of next year’s polls. Excerpts

    I want to commence by thanking you all for the confidence reposed in me and the entire executive to steer the affairs of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), in our dear state.

    To us, it is both an opportunity and a challenge. It is an opportunity to put our hands on the plough in steering our great party to the next level. It is a challenge because, the task ahead is daunting. It is a pleasant challenge though to sweat and labour for our great party until the APC reaches the Promised Land at all levels. Ours will be a commonwealth, to which everyone contributes and from which everyone benefits. With the support of all of you, we will not labour in vain.

    What we are experiencing in our party in Osun this time is unique in the sense that, for the very first time in the history of any party, all the governors that have ever ruled the state have congregated in the APC. From the first executive governor, Alhaji Isiaka Adeleke, to our father and former National Chairman of our great party, Chief Bisi Akande, and the immediate past governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, and our indefatigable governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, we are blessed as a party with a cream of experienced leaders from whose well of knowledge we will draw in running the affairs of our great party.

    To be sure, political actors from both the progressive and the conservative folds have put resources together to upstage political forces that by their actions only make spurious references to democracy but are indeed undemocratic in their words and deeds. The formation of the APC has once again showed that democrats from different ideological backgrounds are determined to work together to ensure that the electorates are no longer taken for granted by the forces of evil that have held this nation hostage at the federal level since the onset of this Fourth Republic.

    The APC, under our leadership, with the support of all and sundry, is well positioned to continue to mobilize men and women in the onerous task of ensuring that the forces of evil are completely rooted out. Our executive will be proactive, and will not wait until things get out of hand before thinking of what action to take. We understand that the party executives constitute the engine room through which party policies are espoused and promoted. We shall provide the gateway for ensuring people’s continuous confidence in our great party. You have enthroned a leadership that will continue to sell the party to the people until the whole state is taken over. We will pre-occupy ourselves with how to manage our recent success at the polls and translate the recent show of support displayed by the populace to full party membership.

    My distinguished party leaders and members, we are well aware that party leadership is a serious affair. We want to assure you all that we are well tutored in the art of organization and mobilization of men and resources. We are resolved as true democrats to ensure openness, democracy, and a level-playing field within our party. We will defend our party’s position in rain and sunshine, in the open and in the secret. We do not lay claim to monopoly of knowledge. Rather, we are prepared to listen to others and consult other party leaders and members from time to time. We will not be sectional but we will be sensitive to the different backgrounds and orientations of party members. We will build the structures of our party into a functional party machine to meet the challenges of political battles of the present age. I make bold to say without any equivocation that there is room enough for everyman to contribute his views but not enough room for anyone to dominate. However, opinions of our leaders will be sought and respected.

    Great and distinguished party leaders and members, we have a dream-a dream of a party of millions of men ready to lay down their lives to ensure that we are no longer robbed by destroyers but rather ensure that the welfarism and good governance of Governor Aregbesola continue unabated until development becomes irreversible. It goes without saying that our people in the state of Osun are now reaping the dividends of democracy.

    To conclude, this executive will among others be all inclusive and carry everybody along without discrimination to ensure a level-playing field for all aspirants to political offices in our party; enthrone sound organisational structure and accountability within the party; and cooperate with the governor and his team to continue to deliver the dividends of democracy. It would also ensure an open-door policy that will enable all party members access to the secretariat to raise questions, make complaints, offer advices and volunteer; mobilize and raise fund for the running of the party; ensure internal democracy within the party; engage in issue-based discussion and opposition while avoiding politics of bitterness; research and defend the positions of the party wherever the need arises; organize regular training for party workers and candidates; conduct regular opinion polls on party strengths to inform planning and actions and consult with party leaders from time to time as the need arises.

  • Osun deputy governor, others for Mr Chef First Lady grand finale

    Osun deputy governor, others for Mr Chef First Lady grand finale

    The Deputy Governor Osun State, Chief Titi Laoye-Tomori, is expected to lead  dignitaries to the grand finale of the Mr Chef First Lady Reality Show, which holds today at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos.

    Other personalities expected at the event, sponsored by Bayswater Industries Limited, makers of Mr. Chef Beef and chicken seasoning cubes, are former Managing Director of the Bank of Industry, Ms. Evelyn Oputu; Mrs Boma Ozobia and Prof. Pat Utomi.

    The panel of judges of the show are award-winning musician and international flutist, Mr. Tee Mac Omatsola-Itsueli; President, Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Ms. Ibinabo Fiberesima and Mr Tunde Obalana.

    The winner of the show would cart take a sports utility vehicle and N1.5 million while the first and second runners up will be N1 million and N500,000 richer.  Other prizes are LED television sets, refrigerators and household items.

    Mr. Chef First Lady Reality Show is a three-in-one project that aims at producing well-rounded home-makers with the right combination of beauty and brains matched with great entrepreneurial spirit.

    The show, which was open to young, unmarried women within the 18 to 35, drew 37 contestants picked from nation-wide auditions hosted by its technical producers, X-Media Communications Ltd.

    Managing Director of Bayswater Industries Ltd, Mr. Piyush Nair, described the show as a corporate initiative to nurture women of substance as well as promote strong family values in order to build a strong Nigeria.

    “Mr. Chef took up sponsorship of the innovative women development programme, the First Lady Reality Show, because of our firm belief in women empowerment,” Nair said, stressing, “Our goal is to discover ready-to-face-the-world women who are not only beautiful but are brilliant, homely and economically productive.”

    Mr. Chef First Lady Reality Show is an extension of Mr. Chef’s array of consumer initiatives aimed at rewarding customers for their steadfast loyalty to the brand over the years. These initiatives, which are based on insights gained from consumer feedbacks, include the introduction of the novel 10-in-1 pack of seasoning cubes as well as the ongoing Awuf Now, Now! Consumer promo in which every customer wins a prize. They aim at answering customer demand for affordable, convenient, hygienic and qualitative food seasoning.

  • World Bank pledges loan for basic education in Osun

    World Bank pledges loan for basic education in Osun

    The World Bank is to support the Osun State government with an interest-free loan to enhance basic education delivery.

    Dr Tunde Adekola, a representative of the bank, who visited the Deputy Governor and Commissioner for Education, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori, said the bank would support basic education by providing financial intervention to the government to train and re-orientate teachers, and provide Information Comunication Technology (ICT) and instructional materials  for schools – like it did in Ekiti and Lagos states.

    Though Adekola did not disclose the amount involved, he said the Osun State government would get a moratorium of between 10 and 50 years to repay the loan.

    Adekola said the problem confronting basic education in the country was that of accessibility and how to keep children in schools. He added that basic education must be free and compulsory for every child in order for them to learn to read and write.

    Responding, Mrs. Laoye-Tomori said the collaboration with the World Bank would facilitate the noble objective of the government at both basic and post basic sectors. She described basic education as a critical stage in the educational development of Nigeria.

    She disclosed that the Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme (O’MEALS) were designed to prepare pupils in elementary schools for mental and physical alertness so they can compete favourably anywhere in the world.

    Mrs. Laoye-Tomori also informed Adekola of plans to teach basic school pupils in Yoruba Language to enhance understanding and assimilation.

    In his welcome address, the Chairman, Osun State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Prince Felix Awofisayo, praised the the global bank’s management for their contributions to basic education in the country, and also their interests to complement the efforts of the state government in the provision of functional and qualitative education.

     

  • Media and Osun election tribunal

    A section of the media has not served the cause of truth and has rather shown unconscionable partisanship on the Osun State governorship election and its aftermath.

    While it is generally agreed that media houses have their biases, their ultimate responsibility is to serve the cause of truth and promote democratic development in the land, irrespective of their bias.

    It is disheartening however that some media organisations either out of laziness or mischief or both are fond of taking news report written by Osun PDP media minders and slamming it on their front pages without crosschecking its veracity. This unprofessional conduct has caused confusion and portrayed the media concerned as liars and unreliable entities.

    Not long ago, an appellate court in Ilorin, Kwara State made a ruling on jurisdiction in a long standing suit on the 2011 elections in Osun. This means the trial of the suit proper is set to begin. However, in a bizarre twist, PDP rewrote the judgement and claimed that all elected legislators, state and federal, have been sacked and should vacate their seats. Almost all newspapers reported it as such. A few tried to ‘balance’ it with the reaction of Osun APC.

    One would have thought that the newspapers have their reporters in court and would rather rely on their own report. When their reporters are not in court, they should have obtained the certified true copy of the judgement and refer it to their legal departments for interpretation and meaning, in case the editors cannot understand court judgements.

    Now, the truth eventually came out that it was a preliminary ruling and to further put the media in shame, PDP has now withdrawn the original suit. How low can the media sink in the partisan quagmire?

    Again, Osun PDP spun an infernal lie that 100,000 invalid votes had been discovered among Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s lot in the ballot and this would mean that Senator Iyiola Omisore would be sworn in on November 27. The report also claimed that Aregbesola for this reason has asked for a rerun election. This evil report found its way into the website of AIT and the pages of Nigerian Tribune. Several internet rodents latched it and feasted on it with frenzy. The election petition tribunal was so incensed that it warned of dire consequences if such false reports were to appear in the media again.

    AIT pulled down the report and apologised on the same website. Nigerian Tribune, in its usual characteristics, is yet to make any amends. It is really instructive what has now become of the legacy of Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

    The questions we should be asking ourselves are: one, how much could PDP have paid that is worth the integrity of a newspaper? Secondly, why would media organisations deliberately inflict such pain on its audience that look up to it for the promotion of truth and justice?

    It is my sincere hope that media organisations will protect their name and integrity from being sullied as a result of Osun PDP’s fruitless desperation.

     

    • Mike Ogundele, 

    Osogbo, Osun State

  • Osun tribunal warns against lies

    Osun tribunal warns against lies

    The Osun State Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Osogbo, the state capital, has warned against spreading falsehood about its activities.

    The Chairperson, Justice Elizabeth Ikpejime, gave the warning at the pre-trial hearing of the petition by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore, challenging the re-election of Governor Rauf Aregbesola of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    She condemned last week’s rumour that the tribunal had given an order for the recounting of the votes.

    The chairperson, who called for the cooperation of all parties, appealed to them to allow the tribunal do its job without any distraction.

    Yesterday’s sitting was held amid tight security in the Osun State High Court, Osogbo.

    As early as 7am, a combined team of regular and mobile police men were stationed at strategic places leading to the entrance of the court.

    Politicians were frisked by security agents before they were allowed into the venue.

    Vehicles en route Okefia, the road to the high court, were also searched by security operatives.

    The tribunal will rule on Monday in the request by the PDP and Omisore that it should not determine the competence of their petition at the pre-hearing stage.

    Their counsel, Alex Izinyon (SAN), withdrew an application seeking an extension of time for the inspection of the election materials.

    The application was struck out on the basis that the issue would be sorted out administratively.

    The counsel asked the tribunal to defer the preliminary objection, arguing that the application of the respondents should be heard  with the petition.

    Aregbesola’s counsel Akin Olujinmi (SAN) said the application filed on behalf of his client was based on the competence of the petition.

    “It is a mandatory provision of the Electoral Act that issues bordering on competence should be heard after pleadings. It is a procedure we need to follow.

    “Because the objection we raised borders on the competence of the matter, it is not a thing that can be heard  with the petition. It must be heard first.”

    APC’s counsel Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) argued that the procedure was to hear the preliminary objections before going into the merit of the matter.

    He insisted that preliminary objection must be heard to determine the competence of the suit and the jurisdiction of the court to hear it.

    The counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Ayotunde Ogunleye, aligned with the submission of the first and second respondents, arguing that jurisdiction was a foundational issue that must be determined before going into the merit of the case.

    The tribunal will, also on Monday, hear the applications of the first and second respondents in another petition filed by Accord Party governorship candidate, Niyi Owolade.

  • Osun to build more facilities

    The Osun State government has promised to    collaborate with the Federal Government to facilitate the building of more facilities in the state.

    Its Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Wale Adedoyin, said in Osogbo, the state capital, that more facilities were needed  to boost food production and achieve national food security.

    “Although we have felt the presence of the Federal Government in the state in the areas of cassava production, provision of storage facilities and provision of modern equipment for food processing from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture,  we want more of them,’’ Adedoyin said.

    He said that Governor Rauf Aregbesola had approved the establishment of more farm settlements in parts of the state to be prepared and be allocated to prospective young farmers to produce food crops and livestock.

    He said the state government had provided facilities in some farm settlements located in Ede, Ife and Ilesha, among others, for use by young farmers.

    The commissioner explained that the farm settlements were designed to provide job opportunities for youths, provide more food for the people and reserve for external consumption.

    He said the government would open up the land, prepare the land and allocate the land to applicants who would also be provided with other inputs, credit facilities and security to farm.

  • How Osun Senators, Reps are giving life to constituency projects

    How Osun Senators, Reps are giving life to constituency projects

    Federal lawmakers from Osun State at the National Assembly are collaborating with the State government to fund some developmental projects in the state. ADESOJI ADENIYI reports that they are pooling funds from their constituency projects together to build schools, dams and other projects as part of the dividends of democracy to their constituents.

    The lawmakers from Osun State in the National Assembly are giving a new meaning to constituency projects often embarked upon by legislators to help develop their area and give the much needed dividend of democracy to their people.

    Instead of each of them spending the funds meant for constituency projects in his/her area on any project of his/her choice, the three senators and nine members of the House of Representatives from the state are pooling resources from such funds together to jointly fund common projects in close collaboration with the state government. And the result has been multi billion naira projects which one legislator couldn’t have been able to afford.

    The lawmakers are leveraging on their membership of the same political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) together with the state government, to support the vision of rapid development of all parts of Osun state by Governor Rauf Aregbesola.

    It is a creative approach that has made it possible for the Aregbesola administration to achieve unprecedented success in education, agriculture and food security, water and sanitation among others since the inauguration of the administration in November 2010.

    The ‘cooperative’ and collaborative approach of the lawmakers towards the development of the area has been made possible through their resolve to work with the governor as a formidable team, with the aim of taking Osun state out of the woods within a short time.

    According to Senator Babajide Omoworare, representing Osun East senatorial district, otherwise known as Ife/Ijesa: “We the lawmakers met with the governor and asked him in what areas of development projects can we come in, to the rescue the state. We believe both the lawmakers and the governor have responsibilities to the people in our various constituencies and we must be ready to ensure we don’t fail in doing what are expected of us by the people.”

    No doubt, the lawmakers’ intervention by pooling resources from their constituency project allowances is already helping the 23-year old state. For example, in Osun East senatorial district comprising 10 of the 30 local government areas in the state and one area office, Senator Omoworare and the three members of the House of Representatives from the area are using their constituency project allowances to fund a number of projects in the district.

    Some of the projects  include the water dam located at Umar Olanrewaju Street, Ipetu-Ijesa (under construction), building of Hope Elementary School, Ilesa, building of Community Middle School, Ita-Osa, Ile-Ife, renovation of Atakumosa Middle School, Osu, renovation of Ansar-udeen Elementary School, Ogbo Agbara Ile-Ife.

    Senator Omoworare, who led other lawmakers on inspection tour of the projects,  put the cost of the Ipetu-Ijesa water dam at N750 million, with a capacity to supply water to Oriade, Atakumosa East, Atakumosa West and Ilesa-West local governments.

    He disclosed that the water project was funded with the N550 million 2012 constituency project funds of the lawmakers, adding that they had to source for additional N200m to make the total cost of N750m for the completion of the project.

    The project included running of pipes and provision of reservoirs to some of the communities in the benefiting local governments.

    Omoworare disclosed that the lawmakers would spend about N4 billion on water provision for the Osun East Senatorial District, including the counterpart funding from the federal government.

    The Senator urged the federal government to put its N2.4billion counterpart fund for the water project in the 2015 fiscal year budget.

    Speaking during the inspection of the Hope Elementary School, Ilesa, Hon. Ajibola Famurewa, representing Ijesa-South Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, stated that the school was constructed in line with the quality of the state government’s model schools. Famurewa stated that the Ife/Ijesa lawmakers had consulted Governor Aregbesola before embarking on the construction of the school, saying that the National Assembly members were trying to share the Aregbesola administration’s burden of building ultra modern schools for the development of public education in the state.

    According to Famurewa, the cost of the building of the Hope Middle School which is still under construction would be up to N168 million, including the furnishing of the classrooms and offices in the school, when completed.

    The Hope Middle school has 31 classrooms, laboratories, offices and toilets, among other facilities. Famurewa stated that the lawmakers, in their 2013 constituency project are building two new schools and renovating two other schools in the senatorial district to meet up with the modern standard. He stressed that the Ife/Ijesa lawmakers at the National Assembly would also build new schools and renovate some others in their 2014 project.

    The lawmaker representing Oriade/Obokun federal Constituency in the Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Nathaniel Agunbiade, stated that the funds for the constituency projects were not released to the lawmakers, saying that they only chose the type of project they wanted. ý Agunbiade maintained that the projects were executed after discussion with Governor Aregbesola and consultation with the people of their constituencies on the type of project they wanted in their areas.  He explained that there would not be enough funds should they embark on different and individual project in their constituencies, hence their resolve to pull their constituency fund together and execute tangible projects that will benefit their people.

    Speaking during the inspection of the Community Middle School, Ita-Osa, Ile-Ife, Hon. Rotimi Makinde representing Ife Central, East and North federal constituency, said: “We could have diverted these funds to personal use, but we could not do that because we want the development of our state.

    “The Omoluabi caucus at the National Assembly has leaders; we have vision and we are committed to the development of our state. We cannot leave the burden of developing this state to our governor alone. We know he so much put priority on education and that is why we are building and renovating schools to assist him in our various constituencies and senatorial district at large.  Things we have done so far are those of 2012 and 2013 constituency projects. Our 2014 constituency project fund would also be expended on education. We will move to health sector very soon.”

  • New exco for Osun APC

    New exco for Osun APC

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has a new executive council.

    Gboyega Famodun, a former secretary, was elected chairman through consensus by party members in Osogbo, the state capital.

    Speaking at the inauguration, Governor Rauf Aregbesola urged the party leadership to ensure that the continuous lies and deception being spread by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) do not hold water.

    He said the party should start working to see that the opposition do not have up to 10 per cent of the votes in the state.

    Aregbesola advised the new leadership to be united, focused and committed to building a virile and strong party.

    Famoodun said his administration resolved to ensure openess, fairness within the party.

    “We are prepared to listen and consult party leaders and members from time to time.

    “We will not be sectional, but we will be sensitive to the various backgrounds and orientations of party members.

    “We will ensure that the welfarism and good governance of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola continue unabated, until development becomes irreversible in our dear state.”

    Other members of the exco include Azeez Adesiji (Vice Chairman); Rasak Salinshile (Secretary); Segun Olanibi  (Treasurer); Mufutau Adesoji Abubakar (Financial Secretary); Morakinyo Akintola (Publicity Secretary) and Alhaja Bolanle Kudirat Fakokunde (Women Leader).