VOL. 9. NO.048 NNNNN5050505050TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014

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Front Page Comment

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Who KilledChief Bola Ige,former Attorney-

General andMinister of

Justice? IGE

•Ecstatic pupils milling round State of Osun Governor Rauf Aregbesola (in elementary school uniform) during the commissioning of one of the elementary public schools in thestate recently.

Don’t Import War To TheWest - APC Warns VP Sambo

Omisore Has Questions To Answer Over Ige – Commissioner

If the much talked aboutplan of the far from beingPeople's Democratic Party inthe state of Osun to perpe-trate violence as the electiondraws closer was real, thenthey better have a re-think.If the much talked about planof the far from being People'sDemocratic Party in the stateof Osun to perpetrate vio-lence as the election drawscloser was real,

Osun PDP's plan orgy of violence then they better have a

re-think. To have a re-thinkis a necessity for Osun PDPbefore they embark on Rus-sian-roulette. Of course anyplan to, yet again, embarkon what they are bestknown for; perpetration ofviolence, will be tantamountto

embarking on a dangerousgame with dire consequences forthem.Like former PresidentOlusegun Obasanjo - employinga yoruba axiom in his letter lastmonth to President Jonathan -rightly said; "the person onwhose head coconut was brokenmay not live to savour the tasteof its sweetness". Be

fore it's too late forthem it's better theymake a U-turn from thejourney they are plan-ning to embark on be-cause this time aroundit won't be business asusual for them. Shouldthey go ahead to hatchtheir diabolical plan asthey did in 2007 thenthey must also beready to

continue on page5

2OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, April 22, 2014

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News

•Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Department State Service (DSS) and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC)beating one of the photojournalist, Mr Sunday Omonijo, from Ministry of Information attached to the Office of theWife of the Governor of the State of Osun at the official commissioning of Ilare Central Elementary School, Ile-Ife,recently. Photo: OSUN DEFENDER.

By KAZEEM MOHAMMED

By ISMAEEL UTHMAN

Don’t Import War To The West - APC Warns VP Sambo

THE All Progressives Congress (APC) in theState of Osun has expressed its rejection ofthe war intention of the nation’s Vice-

President, Namadi Sambo, who declared in Abujalast Wednesday, that the July 21 and August 9elections in Ekiti and Osun will be ‘a war’ that thePeoples Democratic Party (PDP) will ‘fight’ to regainthe two states at all cost.

According to the APC,this is a sadistic declaration

of war by a government,on its own people, while it

is also patent evidence thatthe PDP is the actual causeof the war Nigeria hasbeen having in recent time,including that of BokoHaram.

In a statement releasedin Osogbo last weekendby the party’s Director ofPublicity, Research andStrategy, Barrister Kunle

Oyatomi, the APC warnedthat the PDP should thinktwice before it importswar to the Western part ofthe country that has beenthe most peaceful areasince the return ofdemocracy.

‘We reject this warproposal of the VP becauseit will spell disaster for the

country,” the APC said.The party further

cautioned that already, theFederal Government hasseries of war on its hands,which it has failedwoefully to win.

“To therefore start anew war on a peacefulpeople in the West will bebiting more than thegovernment can chew, asit will be inviting anarchy,”the party said.

The APC reminded VPSambo that he has enoughtroubles in his home statein Kaduna, which hedesperately struggled towin in a rigged victoryagainst the defunct CPC in2011.

“His chances ofwinning that state in 2015are slim, if notimpossible,” the partyreiterated.

“Namadi Sambo shouldbother more aboutKaduna, than schemingfor a war in the West. Itwill be a very unpleasantexperience for him and his

party,” the party warned.On the arrow-head the

PDP wants to use for itswar in Osun, Mr. IyiolaOmisore, the APCdescribed the ex-senator asa politician who lackselectoral value in the state.

“For instance, Omisorewas comprehensivelydefeated in 2011 by theyoungest senator inNigerian Senate today,Babajide Omoworare.

“In that election,Omisore got 25 votes in hispolling booth and he losthis ward and the electionto the young senator.

Besides, the APC said:“Omisore is not the kind ofpolitical personality thatcan lead any seriouspolitical party to electoralvictory in the State ofOsun.”

According to the party,“this is the reason why thePDP has chosenundemocratic option ofgoing to war to win. Theywill fail,” the partyconcluded.

Pan Yoruba Groups Honour Aregbesola TodayBy KEHINDE AYANTUNJI

THE governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni RaufAregbesola, will today, receive Centenary Awardfrom Pan-Yoruba groups, drawn from eight Yoruba-

speaking states of the federation.The groups are under the

auspices of the O’duaNationalist Coalition,(ONAC), an alliance ofseveral Yoruba groups.

The award, according toONAC, is in recognition ofthe role the governor hasplayed in the promotion ofYoruba heritage.

Dr Mathew Olorunyomi,the spokesman of thecoalition, said the award isaimed at demonstrating theblood-bound relationshipthat exists between the Pan-Yoruba groups andAregbesola.

The groups expected atthe event are drawn fromEdo, Ogun, Ekiti, Ondo,Lagos, Osun, Kwara, Kogiand the Itsekiri area of DeltaState.

Olorunyomi said: “Since2010, we have seen thegovernment of the people.This and many others areresponsible for the peaceand stability that the SouthWest and other Yoruba-speaking ethnic nationalityenjoy today. To be sure, theNigerian institutions havelargely been designed by themilitary to make goodgovernance and utilitarianservice delivery impossibleor hard to fulfil.

“This is embedded in thestructure of the state itself

and largely by her garrisonlaws. Within these stiflinglimitations, we express ourgratitude to the Yorubaleaders that have made thebest out of the grimsituation.

“We salute theirresoluteness to define theframework for thetransformation of our peoplefrom a life of degradation, to

a life of hope.”ONAC stated that

Aregbesola has given theentire people in the SouthWest the hope they treasureand the prize they wish tokeep.

It however noted that asthese tremendoustransformation goes on,there is a threat fromreactionary people to bringYoruba people down.

“This is why allprogressive movements inYorubaland must rise to theoccasion of strengtheningthe blood-bound solidaritythat exists between us and

genuine leaders like OgbeniAregbesola.

“It is not about him, butabout us as a people. It isabout our future and that ofour long-suffering children.It is also about the peopleof Nigeria, who aregenuinely desirous of aprosperous life, which theyhave been continuouslydenied.

“Freedom and progress inYorubaland, will no doubt,be a blessing to the entirepeople that live in Nigeria,since there will be crucialand useful lessons to learn,”Olorunyomi said.

Osun O’Meal Director Tasks SchoolHeads On Monitoring By FRANCIS EZEDIUNO

MRS Olubunmi Ayoola, Director, Osun ElementarySchool Feeding and Health Programme, hasstressed the need for active involvement

of primary school head teachers in the programme, tagged:‘O’Meal’.

Ayoola, who is also theState Operations Officer forthe programme, made thecall during a meeting withhead teachers of publicelementary schools in Ikirunand Ila zones.

She said the meeting wasaimed at strengthening theprogramme and improvingthe services of the O’Mealfood vendors.

The director advised allhead teachers to becommitted and be moreinvolved in the daily

monitoring of O’Mealsactivities in their schools.

She said the O’Mealprogramme hadimpacted positively ongovernment’s action plan,which includes banishmentof poverty, hunger andunemployment, as well aspromotion of healthy livingand functional education.

Ayoola stressed the needfor head teachers to co-operate and ensure effectivemonitoring of theprogramme to provide the

data needed to evaluate it.“Without proper

monitoring, all themoney spent on theprogramme will go down thedrain,’’ she said.

She however lauded thesupport provided by all thehead teachers present at themeeting and enjoined themto be alive to the monitoringresponsibility, for thegovernment to realise itsvision for the programme.

Some of the headteachers said they had beenenlightened andencouraged to workselflessly for the benefit ofthe pupils.

“I used to think it was thegovernment’s business tomonitor the O’Meal

programme.“ I now know that it is my

responsibility as the head ofthe school to monitor theactivities going on in myschool,’’ said Mrs. Khadijat Alade, one of thehead-teachers.

Another head teacher,Mr. Kunle Babalola, saidthe meeting was an eye-opener for the school heads.

“I really appreciate thismeeting; it has enlightenedus, and for safety reasons,head teachers should beconcerned and monitorwhat their pupils eat.

“I appreciate thegovernment for the effortsit is making to make learningenjoyable for both theteachers and the pupils,’’ hesaid.

Forum Cautions PoliticiansAgainst Violence

A socio-political group, Osun Good GovernanceForum (OGGF), has cautioned politicians againstusing the August 9 governorship election to cause

violence in the State of Osun.

In a statement signed byits Coordinator, AdebayoAbagun, in Osogbo onSunday, the group statedthat the current peace,reigning in the state, shouldnot be truncated in thename of election.

According to the group,since the assumption of thepresent administration inoffice, Osun has beenknown for peacefulcoexistence, saying that thegroup would rather want agovernment that wouldsustain the peacefulatmosphere.

He added that rather thanengaging in violence, eachcandidate should come upwith programmes and

policies that can change thelives of the people for thebetter and allow theelectorate to decide freely.

“Osun has been knownfor peace since theassumption of office of thepresent administration andI believe that that is thetempo we need to sustain.

“Everybody has seen thatGovernor Rauf Aregbesola’sadministration has better thelot of the people in terms ofdevelopmental programmesand projects in all sectorsand these are things we arecommending as a group.

“Worthy of note is theintervention of theadministration on education,which has been commendedby the United Kingdom,European Union and manyother countries andorganisations all over theworld.

“However, whoeverwants to contest againstAregbesola must be able toconvince the people ofOsun that he can do betterin terms of bringing goodgovernance to thegrassroots, which we standfor,” it stated.

The OGGF then notedthat it is ready to work withsecurity operatives to makesure that the August 9governorship election in thestate is free and fair bygiving them usefulinformation.

It also charged the peopleof the state to exercise theirfranchise and stand by theirvotes, so as to resist anyattempt to rig the poll.

3 News OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Govt Approves Ada/Igbajo Road Tarring – Aregbesola•Charges Communities To Partner Govt On Development

THE State of Osun Governor Rauf Aregbesola hasdisclosed that his administration has approved thetarring of Igbajo/Ada road, in its bid to enhance

movement of farm produce to commercial centres in thestate.

He stated this at the 27th

Igbajo Day celebration heldat Baptist ElementarySchool, Igbajo.

The governor, who wasrepresented by his deputy,Otunba (Mrs) Grace TitilayoLaoye-Tomori, said hisadministration is focused onenhancing inter-communalpeace impacting positivelyon all communities in thestate.

He, however, charged the

indigenes and residents ofthe community thatgovernment alone cannotembark on developmentalprojects in all thecommunities in the state,hence, the need forpartnership with variouscommunity developmentassociations to stimulatedevelopment and progress.

“Development goalsrequire our individual andcollective involvement.

They demand that we cometogether and map out meansof fulfilling them. In sodoing, we become not onlypartners in progress,minding the same thing andhaving common goals forour well-being, we equallystrengthen the bond oftogetherness, peace andharmony,” he said.

This, the governordisclosed, would helpfacilitate the gain ofeconomic, social, andpsychological benefitsderivable from working andcelebrating together.

“Like many othercommunities, Igbajo has

benefitted greatly from thevaluable programmes of ouradministration in the areasof road infrastructure,school development,healthcare delivery,agriculture, employmentopportunities, and security.

“Certainly, the Iresi-Irun-Igbajo road, which we havereconstructed, is oneproject that is sure toadvance economicactivities in this community.

“Farmers in this area andin many parts ofBoluwaduro LocalGovernment Council Areawill find it easier to movetheir produce from the farms

to the commercial centres,where they can sell.

“Four local governmentroads have also beencompleted in Igbajo, tocomplement roadi n f r a s t r u c t u r edevelopment,” Aregbesoladisclosed.

He therefore, enjoinedillustrious sons anddaughters of thecommunity to remaincommitted to projectscapable of endearingdevelopment to the area,while urging them to investin the development of bothmaterial concern and humancapacity of the communityto propel advancement inthe land and among itspeople.

He also called residentsof Igbajo and its environsto continue to liveharmoniously and workindefatigably for the causeof peace, saying they mustnot give room to spoilers

and destroyers of the goodthings to flourish in theirland.

While acknowledging thesupport of eminent sonsand daughters of thecommunity for thegovernment, he charged theyouths to jettison politicalviolence and allow peace toreign in the build up to theforthcoming gubernatorialelection in the state.

Earlier in his speech, theOwa of Igbajoland, ObaOlufemi Fashadecommended the stategovernment for thetremendous achievement inthe community, particularlyroad infrastructure,requesting that the stategovernment should help inthe rehabilitation of Igbajo/Ada road.

He also reiterated the callfor a violence-free poll in thestate, while urging theteeming populace in thecommunity to supportgovernment in its bid to turnthe state around.

27th Igbajo Day: Indigenes ConvergeFor DevelopmentEMINENT sons and daughters of Igbajo on Sunday

displayed sentiment towards the development andprogress of the ancient community, as political

differences were set aside for the welfare of the town.The Baptist Elementary

School, Igbajo, venue of the27th Igbajo Day Celebration,was filled to capacity asIgbajo Indigenes at homeand diaspora converged onthe venue to chart a newcourse for the developmentof the community.

This year’s celebration,according to the Presidentof Igbajo DevelopmentAssociation (IDA), Mr AkinMajaro, was aimed at raisingN100 million to develop theOwa’s Palace and build abefitting police station forthe community.

He however commendedthe contributions of allindigenes towards thedevelopment of thecommunity and enhancingthe socio-economicactivities of its dwellers.

According to him, IgbajoPolytechnic, which is todayknown as the firstc o m m u n i t y - o w n e dpolytechnic in the country,is a vision of indigenes ofthe town, who believed inself-help, challenging theteeming youths in thediaspora to rise to thechallenge of building a virilecommunity.

He also acknowledgedthe contributions of varioussocial groups in thecommunity, while

emphasising the need forthe crusade to reach moreillustrious indigenes, whowere yet to return home andcontribute their quota.

Another eminent son,Barrister AdegboyegaAwomolo (SAN), reiteratedthat the vision to makeIgbajo a haven for indigenesand visitors is a courseevery son and daughtermust pursue passionately.

He therefore, called onthe teeming residents tosupport the presentadministration in the stateand should never allowpolitics to create divisionamong them for the sake ofthe future of the community.

In his view, theCommissioner forInformation and Strategy inthe State of Osun, MrSunday Akere, said theselfless effort of allindigenes towards thecommunity has been thereason for its continuousrelevance among theYoruba nation.

He therefore, soughtmore cooperation amongthe people in their view toattract development to thecommunity, while reiteratingthe need to involve others,who are yet to be part of thevision to make the dream ofthe forefathers a reality.

Also, Prince Gboyega

Famodun assured thecommunity that theindigenes, who haveinfluence in public servicewould always attractdevelopment to thecommunity, adding that thestruggle to make Igbajosocially and economicallyviable is a collective one.

Various groups addedglamour and glitz to theevent, as they displayedAso-Ebi, vests withinscription, with traditionaltroupes competing forhonour and recognition.

Highlight of the occasionwas the performance byAgere Traditional Troupe,consisting of aged women,who entertained the Owa intraditional language, as wellas Omode De Troupe, madeup of women, mostly in themid-30’s.

Another troupe thatthrilled the audience wasthe Agagan drummers,whose duty was to use theirdrums to make variouschiefs and compound payhomage to the monarch ofthe community.

Farmer Wins Camry Car At UniqRadio Raffle Promo

By FRANCIS EZEDIUNO

LOTTERY has been described as a legal way ofshowing appreciation by an organisation to peoplefor their patronage.

The Co-ordinator,National Lottery RegulatoryCommission, Mr. EmmanuelOmotayo, stated this inIlesa during the raffle draw,marking the thirdanniversary of Uniq 103.1FM, Ara Station, Oke-Imo,Ilesa, the only private radiostation in the State of Osun.

Omotayo said there wasa clear distinction betweenlotteries and gambling,stressing that manydeveloped nations adoptedraffle as a means of

empowering their citizens.Earlier in her address, the

deputy governor of theState of Osun, Otunba(Mrs.) Titilayo Laoye-Tomori, described theprogramme asunprecedented, taking intocognizance the star prize,which was a Toyota Camrycar, 2007 Model.

Also speaking at theevent, the StateCommissioner forInformation and Strategy,

Mr. Sunday Akere, notedthat the programme shouldbe seen as a strategy toenhance patronage thanpromoting gambling.

In his welcome address,the General Manager, Uniq103.1 FM, Mr. OpeyemiFajemilehin, lauded listenersof the station for theirloyalty, promising that theradio station wouldcontinue dishing outinformative, educative andentertaining programmes.

Meanwhile, a sixty-oneyear old farmer, Mr.Olakayode Johnson fromModakeke went home withthe star prize, Toyota Camry,Mr. Olanipekun Akindelewon the second prize of amotorcycle and the second

Easter Celebrations: OsunSpeaker Advocates Peace, Love

By KAZEEM MOHAMMED

THE Speaker, State of Osun House of Assembly,Honourable Najeem Salaam, has enjoined Christianleaders and faithful to advocate peace, harmony and

love among all men, irrespective of their faith.In his Easter message, he

stated that peace, harmonyand love are in line with thevirtues of Christ and whatthe Easter periodsymbolises.

In a statement signed byhis spokesman, Mr. GokeButikakuro on Saturday,Salaam noted the absence oflove and peacefulcoexistence in the countryas a result of dirtypoliticking, greed andcorrupted values betweenthe political players andpeople, have succeeded inpushing the country to thebrink.

He also congratulatedGovernor Rauf Aregbesolaand leaders of all Christiandenominations in the stateover the period of Easter,where sacrifice of JesusChrist for the sake ofhumanity was extolled.

According to him, this

was a lesson for leadersacross the corridors ofpowers.

He stressed: “Christianleaders and faithful shoulduse this period of Easter toadvocate for peace,harmony and love among allmen, irrespective of theirfaith, according to thevirtues of Christ.

“These are what theEaster period symbolises.

“The absence of love andpeaceful coexistence in thecountry has succeeded inpushing the country to thebrink.

“We are celebratingChrist and his virtues thisperiod, but it is imperativefor all men and women todraw from the lesson ofsacrifice bequeathed by theChrist, because that is theonly virtue that could savehumanity,” Salaam stressed.

runner up, Mr. OlubonaAdegoke also went homewith a plasma television set.

Mr. Aanu Adegboye fromIlesa went home with thefourth prize, which was amini-refrigerator.,

Other consolation prizeswere won, ranging frombags of rice, mattresses,pressing irons, GSMhandsets, among others.

Also present on theoccasion were the StateCommissioner forCommerce, Co-operativesand Empowerment; Mr.Ismaila Jayeoba Alagbada,Honourable Biodun Awololaof the State of Osun Houseof Assembly, ManagingEditor of OSUN DEFENDERNewspaper. Mr. KolaOlabisi.

•The star prize, a Toyota Camry Car, 2007 model, won by a farmer, Mr Olakayode Johnson and other consolationprizes at Uniq Radio Raffle Draw held at Ilesa Grammar School, Ilesa, last Friday.

4 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Osun PDP's plan orgy of violence

ace the direconsequences of theiractions. This is mosttrue and the Osun PDPcannot pretend not tounderstand themeaning of this wittysaying.

And for them theconsequences will bedire indeed. Thus letthem not live with theerroneous impressionthat they will get awaywith murder this timeas the case was in2007. Never!

It continues to bugthe minds of right think-ing people why theOsun PDP revels in

perpetrating violencewhenever election isapproaching. This phi-losophy of spilling theblood of innocentpeople in the name ofelection is anachronis-tic, uncivilised, ungodlyand basically undemo-cratic. And it basicallycontradicts the namethe party answers. Forany party that lays claimto being democratic asPDP's name impliesshould steer clear ofviolence. It should havenothing to do with vio-lence. But for OsunPDP the reverse is thecase.Whereas it's aknown fact that thePDP isn't in the leastpopular in the state(contrary to her claimof popularity), that itthinks of nothing but

violence whenever elec-tions approach in thestate sort of lends cre-dence to two facts; one,that it's not a popularparty and two, it's farfrom being a democraticparty. Of course it's ba-sically foolhardy for anypopular party and a selfproclaimed democraticparty for that matter, torevel in unleashing vio-lence on the very peopleamongst whom it claimspopularity. We find this tobe purely absurd.

The popularity of theincumbent administrationand its party isn't disput-able due to its sterlingperformance. Everydaythe people of Osun con-tinue to queue behind thegovernor of the state,

With Osun Guber Polls KnockingI can affirmatively register my

profound gratitude andappreciation to the OSUN

DEFENDER team for yourprofessional quality andaccurate reportage of events andprogrammes cum unbiasedposture.

I know full well that thismissive shall be treated as usualwith the urgency it demands forits publication in your widely-readwidely-read medium.Permit me to make the followingobservations which border onthe situation of things in ourpolity and which portend graveimplications for our society,especially now that we lookforward toward the next roundsof elections in the State of Osun.

I have observed keenly thetrend of events unfolding duringthe just-concluded voters’verification exercise and theongoing update of voters’register in the state.

Both the concluded andongoing exercises are organizedby the Independent NationalElectoral Commission (INEC);so are expected to be thoroughand present a masterpiece oforderliness and sanity.

Unfortunately, as usual, allother things are not alwaysequal in Nigeria! Once again, theimbalance and inequality in theNigerian political landscapehave come to play once again!

The Independent NationalElectoral Commission has allover again fallen short of provingits mien and mettle as anorganizer of peaceful, free, fair,credible and unbiased polls.

That has compelled aquestion to be poised to mymind: that what is the purposeof holding polls at exorbitantcosts if such could scarcelyafford the electorate the ampleopportunity to make free anddeliberate choice of who they

intend to lead them? Why can’twe give the majority theunanimous say to speakthrough their power of thethumb, that is, their votes?

During the just-concludedvoters’ verification exercise inthe state, there were witnessedin places hiccups andirregularities which nearlymarred the exercise. Theallegations were rife in placesthat the voters’ registersdisplayed had been doctored tofavour a political party to the

prejudice of another. All overthe state, there were pockets ofviolence which couldn’t havearisen if INEC had done athorough job.

Sadly, an opposition partyin the state, priding itself as theparty in vogue at the centre, hadgone all out to unleash violenceon the people from who theyare expected to draw theirprospective electorate. It isboth unthinkable anddisheartening that a politicalparty could hold the entire

people hostage in plaininordinate attempt to bend thepeople’s collective will intotheir segmental innuendos.

The sad events which formeda build-up to the GeneralElections of year 2007 in thestate are fresh in memory. Theevents trailing the polls,gubernatorial polls in particular,keep reverberating in our minds.These events are not what wepray to go through all over.Why? They are sufficient todeplete, depopulate and bring a

people down the path of ruinsand retrogression.

While I make a clarion call onthe people to go about theirlegitimate civic duties withoutfear of molestation orintimidation, I call on the agentsof do or die politics in the stateto desist. Parents and wards areenjoined to call their wards toorder so as not to fall prey tothe dirty, ignoble and dastardlydesigns of desperate politicians.

I also call on law enforcementagencies in the state to be onred alert. As co-umpires withINEC, they are both expectedto be unbiased. Attempts topitch tents with a particularpolitical party against the otherwould not, at this stage, augurwell with our polity. The peoplehave seen well that it is coolerin some places than elsewhere.They should be given theopportunity to choose in theirhonest majority, where theywant their votes to speak infavour.

Lastly, I call on voters not toexercise apathy of any kind.Nigeria is our collective heritage,and we owe her the civic dutyto shape her destiny. It shall bewell with our Nation. We willprosper within it. Osun a darao!

•SEYI OLADUNJOYE,Oke-Odo, Oyan, Odo-OtinLGA, State of Osun,

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continued from pg1 Ogbeni Rauf

Aregbesola or havingdemonstrated exemplaryleadership. And thesefacts are known to OsunPDP. They know that theOsun electorate is forOgbeni but not for them.

The eople are notready to waste their votesas they have tasted twogovernments and theyknow Twhichone hasgenuinely worked forthem.hus having per-formed woefully for eightyears, and as the time foranother gubernatorialelection draws nearer thePDP knows it has nohope in the coming elec-tion.

And as a desperateparty this is why it's plan-ning to start unleashingviolence as a way of ha-rassing and intimidatingthe electorate.

But it's important to letthe PDP know that its vi-cious plan is dead on ar-rival as the security agentsin the state will not foldtheir arms and watch any-body to disturb the peacethat has found abode inthe state of Osun sincethe inception of Ogbeni'sadministration.

We will not advise thegood and peace lovingpeople of Osun to en-gage in violence withPDP hooligans becausetwo people cannot bemad at the same time.Thus whenever the PDPrascals and their spon-sors start or want tostarttheir madness, ourpeople should immedi-ately report to the

security agents in thestate whom we trust willperform their duty ac-cordingly.

The law is there todeal with anyone whois out to perpetrateviolence. And we ap-peal to our securityoperatives not to com-promise the peace inthe state. They mustdeal decisively withagents of violence,and without mercytoo. For the politicalthugs whom sponsorsof violence want touse to perpetrate theirplanned heinous act,the advice by theHonourable Speakerof the House of Rep-resentatives, AminuTambuwal will suffice;"tell politicians whowant to use you forpolitical thuggery tobring their children tolead it". Half fa word,they say, is enough forthe wise.

55555555

InfrastructureOSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Counting The Costs; Celebrating The BenefitsRecently, the Rauf Aregbesola administration rolled out the drums to officially commission its

first batch in the long list of multiple road infrastructure projects so far executed during its stayin office, now spanning almost three-and-a-half years. The epoch-making occasion, held in theancient city of Ilesa, opened the line-up of delivery of new road projects encapsulated in the Six-Point Integral Action Plan rolled out by Ogbeni Aregbesola and his irrepressible team at theinception of their election campaign almost eight years ago. Tagging the delivery of these roadprojects as a promise kept would therefore not sound exaggerative or inappropriate. There ishardly any other time as appropriate as now to make a longer list of roll-call of the seeminglyendless list of road projects initiated by the administration in the State of Osun. NIYI OLASINDEtakes the plunge into that adventure.

Ona Baba Ona In The State Of Osun

•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (2nd right); his deputy, Otunba (Mrs) Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori (3rd right); Special Adviser to the Governor on Works,Engineer Sabitu Amudah (3rd left); Director, RATCON , Engineer Dany Mikhael (right) and other dignitaries during the official commissioning of fifteen roads in Ilesa townshipby the governor, recently.

6 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, April 22, 2014MAGAZINE

Counting The Costs; Celebrating The Benefits

Contiuned from page 5

Contiuned on page 11

ROADS and infrastructure now deserve our repeatedfocus and emphasis. It would be recalled that by theend of the time of the immediate past administration

in office, the voice of OSUN DEFENDER Magazine wasvehement over the state of disrepair in which virtually allroads in the Osun State of the time were. We remembervividly that most access within the metropolis of Osogbo,the state capital had become erosion paths and courses fordrainage. The administration of the time, both at state leveland local government tiers were simply there doing nothing.Their functionaries were busy siphoning funds from publicaccounts; while the situation of our roads worsened. Manyof the roads were plunged into such state of disrepair thatthey ceased to be motorable. Even as state capital, all accessroads linking Osogbo with other states were not dualized.The administration of the time excused itself on the premisethat those inter-state roads are federal roads; even as itwas the ruling party at the federal level, the People’sDemocratic Party (PDP) that held sway in Osun, theconcessioning deal could not be sealed by governments atthe two levels. The only one so concessioned was theAkoda/Old Garage/Ikirun/Ila-Odo/Erin-Ile, Kwara StateBoundary road; which was billed for reconstruction in twophases. Unfortunately, the administration spent its entireyears in office on only the first phase of that road; thestretch from Akoda to Old Garage. It is the Aregbesolaadministration which is of another party that is now carryingout the reconstruction of the other phase of the road. Eventhe first phase constructed by the Oyinlola administrationcannot be certified as fully constructed. It was haphazardlydone! The road had begun to have trouble spots long beforeits purported completed completion. It is placed on recordthat the road project commenced by the immediate pastadministration in the state was brought up to standard andeventually completed by the Aregbesola administration.

If it is possible or rather expedient to accord an area ofspecialization to an administration; then it would not beexaggerative to pin-point road project as the major area ofspecialization of the incumbent administration in the state.In virtually all parts of the state, road projects measuringvarious lengths of kilometres have been initiated since thecommencement of the administration’s tenure of office inNovember 2010. These toads have today reached variouslevels of completion, while many that have been completedare either awaiting delivery or commissioning. In additionto these, various local government road projects have beenconstructed by the thirty (30) local governments in thestate and the Ife East Area Office. Few months ago, uponthe fresh re inauguration of the executive secretaries of thelocal government councils for the last lap of their time inoffice, the governor charged them how important it is forthem to take the construction of the 10-kilometre roadproject in their respective council areas serious; amidstother indices of good governance.

The State of Osun Urban Renewal Project of theincumbent administration, which entails the reconstructionof roads in and modernization of ten kilometer radius of

city centres in nine major cities in the nine zones of thestate, is already in progress. The cities are Osogbo, Ikirun,Ila Orangun, Iwo, Ede, Ejigbo,Ilesa, Ikire and Ile Ife .Osogbo,as he state capital shall have two city centres: Oja Oba/Palace area and Old Garage. The city centres shall beprovided with good modern amenities like post offices,police stations, recreational centres, parks and gardens,eateries and the likes to give the places the desired face-liftthat shall make them conform to modern-day standard ofcities.

Apart from these efforts, episode of the several FederalGovernment road projects are currently ongoing in thepresent-day State of Osun. This has been made possiblethrough the process of concessioning. The rumour makingthe rounds amidst a segment of the people in the society isthat the roads are federal roads and so, none else couldwield the magic wand of reconstructing such roads exceptthe “Almighty” Federal Government; more so, when suchroads are being dualized. The source of this rumour is nothard to discern. The governor of the State of Osun duringone in the list of episodes of live audience participationprogramme, a brainchild of the incumbent administrationbranded “Ogbeni Till Daybreak” did not mince words whileresponding to a pool of questions fielded, which wererelated to this kind of insinuation. His response was that ifan administration which was led ad powered by the rulingparty at the centre (referring to the People’s DemocraticParty - PDP); and which stayed in office and held on topower for an upward of eight years could not reconstructFederal Government roads within its area of jurisdiction;then it could not be true that an ousted administration or aFederal Government that had been hitherto co-plagued byinertia could now come back to do the reconstruction.

The fact of the matter is contained in this analogy, that ifyou refuse to take care of your own house, premises orvicinity; it will be vain wish to expect someone from theneighbourhood to come and take care of it for you. Thisanalogy depicts the mindset which governed the resolveof the incumbent administration to seek the concessioningof all Federal Government roads in its vicinity and get themrapidly transformed into well-dualized and macadamizedroads. In Aregbesola’s opinion and feeling, it is shamefulto observe that all access roads leading to the State ofOsun from adjoining states are narrow, single-track roads.Osogbo in particular as the state capital has been bereft ofgood roads; which cause frequent traffic congestion in themetropolis. It is on record how OSUN DEFENDERMagazine had frequently bemoaned the sorry sight of pooraccess roads in the state.

Today, work is earnestly in upper swing in gettingreconstructed the Osogbo/Ila-Odo/Erin-Ile, Kwara StateBoundary road. It is expected that the completed road shallbe delivered before the middle of next year, 2014. Thisassurance was further affirmed recently by the State ofOsun Commissioner for Information and Strategy,Honourable Sunday Akere, while responding to questionsbordering on completion and delivery of multiple projectsembarked upon by the administration of Ogbeni Rauf

Aregbesola. The contract for the reconstruction of Osogbo/Iwo/Ibadan Road; also a dualization project has beenawarded and work has started on the road project. Notonly these, work on the Gbongan/Orile-Owu/Odeyinka/Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State Boundary road has reached anadvanced stage – also a contract awarded by the incumbentadministration. Gbongan/Akoda end of the Gbongan/Osogbo Expressway is also not left out of the massivereconstruction in roads, currently ongoing in the State ofOsun. Work is also going on, on the construction of Igbajo/Imesi/Ekiti State Boundary road. The Gbongan/Orile-Owu/Odeyinka/Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State Boundary road isimportant as it provides a shortcut to cosmopolitan LagosState without having to go through the unnecessaryheadache of traffic congestion which is the normal featureof Ibadan/Lagos axis. Already, the Ikirun/Iree/Ila-Orangunroad project has been completed.

There are other road projects currently going on in theState of Osun. Within the metropolis of Osogbo the statecapital alone, practically all the inner access roads havebeen reconstructed. These roads are damn too numerousto mention. Of recent, the East Bypass, stretching fromIdo-Osun end, through Isale Osun/Ita Olookan burstingout at Ikirun road had its contract work awarded and workhas commenced in earnest. This is not to talk of the workthat is ongoing at the Old Garage Area of Osogbo, which,apart from being a work of beautification, is intended tomake that heart of the city more spacious, healthy and morebefitting. The West Bypass, popularly referred to as RingRoad, constructed by the Alliance for Democracy (AD)-ledadministration in the state is currently witnessing a facelift.

We have so far done justice to events and happeningsin the Roads and Infrastructure sub-sector of our state.We were able to bring out the revolutionary transformationalready recorded in that sub-sector up till the point of thiseve of the termination of the administration’s first tenure inoffice. We now deem it most convenient to forge ahead atthe exact point where we paused. Apart from the entiremassive road projects mentioned as monumentalachievements of the “Government Unusual” of OgbeniAregbesola, there are still left more road projects whichconstitute the full list of difference as at date, between hisadministration and that of his predecessors. Our exactstopping point was where we were considering the ongoinglocal government road projects in the State of Osun,measuring ten kilometers at a go. During the time of theousted administration in office, little of nothing was foundon ground with regards to the Rural Access MobilityProject (RAMP). This was even as the project is acollaborative effort between the Federal Government ofNigeria and the World Bank. In spite of the fact that thatousted administration was controlled and run by the sameparty that held sway at the centre, the People’s DemocraticParty (PDP); the State of Osun did not fully access thisfacility which was provided with the auspicious intent ofopening up of our rural areas to urban centres for thepurpose of accelerated industrial growth and all-round

•An asphalted road at Amuta, Ilesa under the administration of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.

7 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, April 22, 2014 PHOTOTALKFaces At The Opening Ceremony Of All-Comers Colloquium Tagged:- FundamentalImperatives of Cohabitation: Faith and Secularism, At The Centre For Black CultureAnd International Understanding (CBCIU) Auditorium, Abere, State Of Osun,Recently.

•(L-R) The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; Chairman, Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding (CBCIU), Professor Wole Soyinka; Director,Development Policy Centre, Ibadan, Professor Bimpe Aboyade and Deputy Governor, Otunba (Mrs) Titi Laoye-Tomori, during the Opening Ceremony of All-Comers Collo-quium tagged: Fundamental Imperatives of Cohabitation: Faith and Secularism, at the CBCIU Auditorium, Abere, Osogbo, State of Osun.

•

•Aregbesola (4th left); Titi Laoye-Tomori (3rd left); Professor Soyinka (4th right); Deputy Speaker, State Assembly of Osun, Honourable Akintunde Adegboye (2nd left); ProfessorAboyade (3rd tight); Chief of Staff to the Governor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola (left); Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr Gbenga Adebusuyi (right) and Major Debo Basorun(2nd right), during the Opening Ceremony of the colloquium in Osogbo, recently.

8 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, April 22, 2014 PHOTOTALK

Free Train From Lagos To Osogbo For Easter Celebration Organised By GovernorState Of Osun, Governor Rauf Aregbesola, Last Friday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

•A cross section of passengers waiting for free train at Ido Terminus, Lagos.

•Another cross section of passengers in Abeokuta terminus boarding the free train.

•Some of the passengers struggling to board the free train. •Another cross section of passengers at Mushin terminus boarding the free train.

•Another cross section of passengers in Ibadan terminus boarding the free train.

9 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, April 22, 2014PHOTOTALK

•(R-L); The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; his deputy, Otunba (Mrs) Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori and Secretary to the State Government of Osun, Alhaji MoshoodAdeoti during the turning of sod ceremony for the construction of an ultra-modern central Abatoir at the project site in Osogbo recently.

Turning Of Sod Ceremony For The Construction Of An Ultra-modern Central AbattoirAt The Project Site In Osogbo, Recently. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

•(L-R) The Olufon of Ifon-Osun, Oba Abdurauf Magbagbeola and the Ataoja of Osogbo,Oba Jimoh Olanipekun on the occasion.

•A cross section of dignitaries at the event.

•A cross section of traditional chiefs at the programme.

10 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, April 22, 2014PHOTOTALKChief Ebenezer Obey Supported State Of Osun Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’sRe-election In Ilesa Last Thursday.

•Nigerian Juju Musician, Chief Commander, Ebenezer Obey-Fabiyi (left) the presenting copies of CD album titled: “Aregbesola: Agent of Change” to the governor, State ofOsun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, to support his re-election campaign in Ilesa, State of Osun, last Thursday.

•

•Aregbesola (middle) displaying a copy of the CD album titled: “Aregbesola: agent of Change” presented to him by Ebenezer Obey-Fabiyi (left) on the occasion while his deputy(right) watches with admiration.

11 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, April 22, 2014 MAGAZINE

Counting The Costs; Celebrating The BenefitsContiuned from page 6

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•AREGBESOLA: Governor, State of Osun •LAOYE-TOMORI: Deputy Governor and Commissioner for Education

development. Readers would agree that little or nothingcould be achieved in the area of activating the industrialdrive of any administration or even developing itsagricultural policies without developing road infrastructureto the fullest. It is with pride that we place on record thatthe Rauf Aregbesola administration has since inceptionbeen pursuing all Rural Access Mobility Projects (RAMP)approved for the state faithfully and assiduously. This isto the extent that barely a year into the lifetime of theadministration, over 500-kilmetre roads in the category ofRural Access Mobility Project (RAMP) had beenconstructed in the state, under the execution andsupervision of the incumbent administration. This trendcame, regardless of the fact that the administration of thestate today is in the hand of a different party, the AllProgressive Congress (APC). About mid-2013, it was in thenews that another batch of these RAMP roads wasapproved for selected states of the federation. The gladpart of that news was the inclusion of the State of Osun aspart of four or five benefitting states. With this trend ofevents, our state is certainly on its fast-tracked surge tothe top among comity of states, especially, in terms ofaccess to farmlands as a way of boosting agriculturalproductivity, industrial development and overall good livingof our people.

Since that first frantic step was taken at the inception ofthe administration, the Government Unusual of Ogbeni RaufAregbesola has been impacting positively on the lives ofthe citizenry of the state in many diverse ways; mostespecially, in the area of provision of road infrastructure.Till date, the Rauf Aregbesola administration has notrelented in its efforts at bequeathing the legacy of goodmotorable roads to all nooks and crannies of the state.Apart from the many roads which have been completedand instantly put to use, many other road projects subsistat various stages of completion, and which await officialcommissioning at any date from hence. OSUN DEFENDERMagazine shall at this stage shift focus to the in-depthconsideration of these numerous projects so as to serve asdocumentation and reminder for all, to attest to the factthat that the administration is working. We now turn to theapt consideration of these numerous road projects.

•Igbonna / Ago Wande / Oke Onitea / Winners’ Chapel/ Ring Road Project

THIS road project, inherited by the administration ofOgbeni Rauf Aregbesola from the immediate pastadministration in the state, was at inception time of

the administration at the state of abandonment, neglectand disuse. As a matter of fact, tongues were wagging thatthe road project and the possibilities of its completion hadbecome a farce. That was even as it became glaring that thefund for its construction had been released, either in partor in full to the contractor in charge of the work. It wasstartling and stunning to find the contractors of the projectfully mobilized back to site.

The road was constructed up to the stage that it wasmacadamized, with the culverts, bridges and drainagesproperly fixed, at least to make the road reasonablymotorable. This same road it was that was jocularly handledby the erstwhile Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola during oneof the latter editions of his monthly audience-participationpropaganda programme, branded Gbagede Oro. Oneparticular complainant had approached the governor witha plea for the completion of that particular road project.

Specifically, the complainant dwelt on the bridge over thestream at the precincts of C.A.C. WOSEM; which hecomplained that apart from its impassable nature, was sonarrow that it could not take two pedestrians at a go. Tothis complaint, Oyinlola only replied with his usual jestivecandor when he said “akuko Mecca ga to bayii; alhaji ere e le…” meaning that it was an exaggerated. That was all!The road was never fixed till his unceremonious ousterfrom office.

Upon the assumption of office of the Aregbesolaadministration in November 2010, work resumed on theproject, and it was brought to completion before Christmastime that year. The first test of the usefulness of the roadcame during the Christmas festivities of 2010; precisely onthe Christmas Eve on December 24, when due to trafficcongestion on all access roads (all of which were then in aterrible state of disrepair), the road under considerationcame to the rescue of motorists as the only escape route tothe West Bypass (popularly called Ring Road). Since thattime, it became clear that if all other linking roads in thestate capital could be fixed, the problems and challenges oftraffic congestion would have been flung overboard.

The case of this road is just only one instance amongsimilar ones which were reopened by the new administrationof Ogbeni Aregbesola all over the State of Osun. Today, allthe roads have been made perfectly motorable.

•Olu Alabi / Anaye Market Link Way

THIS road was totally in a state of disrepair at the timeof the inception of the incumbent administration. Thesituation of the road was worsened by the presence

of a bridge which had cut off; thus making smooth crossoverdifficult for pedestrians, not to talk of motorists. Residentsof the area, especially those who were mobile with onemode of transportation or the other did not find the situationamenable at all.

The drainage situation of the area was an eyesore. Therewere no clear-cut drainages at the road ends. To worsenmatters, the supposed gutters and beds and banks of thestream which criss-cross the area became refuse dumpinggrounds for residents who could not find any betteralternative for their refuse disposal needs. Because of thisprevailing situation, the area became perennially flood anderosion-prone; as fortunes of property and several liveswere lost to the annual recurrence of erosion torrents.

One sorry sight in the area, which deserves mentioning,was indiscriminate defecation along the adjoining railwayand its sides. The identified cause of this practice was theabsence of toilet facilities in most residential houses, marketstalls and complexes which dotted the area. This unhygienicpractice has become a thing of the past today, via theproactive intervention effort of the Aregbesolaadministration.

Time and again during the time of the fiery siege, thesearchlights of OSUN DEFENDER Magazine beamed onthe ugly spectacle presented by this very area and theuntold hardship which its residents were made to undergo.The disastrous floods of 2009 and 2010 in particular stillremain fresh in our memories; as we reckon that the horribleexperience is not what the residents of the area could forgetin few years to come.

Today, the wave of Rauf Revolution has beamed to thatarea of the Osogbo Metropolis; not only in the area of roadconstruction, but also in the area of environmentalsanitation. The area under focus is exemplary of goodsanitation practice today. The road and drainages are now

perfectly well fixed. Aside this, the road is a shortcut fromthe earlier-mentioned one; and it also serves to avertunnecessary traffic congestion. Again, this good workcame, courtesy of Ogbeni Aregbesola’s administration inthe State of Osun.

•West Bypass a.k.a. Ring Road

THIS road had been in existence since the time of somemilitary administration in the state. It was howeverbrought to the present level of conceptualization by

the administration of Chief Bisi Akande. The road, stretchingfrom the Mobile Police Headquarters Junction /rare ofOsogbo City Stadium to link the Osogbo-Iwo Road at DeleYessir area spans between 15 and 20 kilometres. It alsopresents a stretch of good motorable road to motoristswho intend to avoid the hustle-bustle of the townshiptraffic. This, to a large extent, serves to reduce trafficcongestion of the state capital.

Before the coming on board of the incumbentadministration, the purpose of constructing this road hadbeen almost defeated, as various forms of illegal structureshad begun to litter both sides of the road. Being a newroad, various forms of workshop had occupied the roadsidesand junctions. As if these activities were not enough, manyresidents of the metropolis found the patches of bushes atthe edges of the road as ample refuse dumping ground.Activities of some motorists, especially the trailer driverswere also contributing to the deteriorating condition of theroad. Burning of tyres on the road, especially at nights,with a view to draw attention of other road users todamaged vehicle spots, contribute to damaging the road.

Also, other human activities like human defecation,gathering of earth and sands for building projects andselling to tipper operators and indiscriminate mounting ofkiosks, stalls and other forms of movable structures forcommercial activities contributed to unnecessary rapidcongestion and overcrowdedness along the road.Incursions and trespasses were made into the roadboundaries/limits in an indiscriminate fashion. To cap it all,the street lights installed by the immediate pastadministration were just like mere decoration poles adorningthat stretch of road. They never really provided light atnight. Thus, the stretch of road provides ample hideoutsfor hoodlums, gangsters and criminals to carry out theirnefarious activities under the guise of nocturnal darkness.

Today, all these anomalies are being radically addressed.Potholes and other accidentals which constituted persistentcauses of road carnages are being fixed and incidences ofcarnages are being reduced to the barest minimum. Theroadsides are being prepared for ornaments, while the streetdivides too are being prepared for the same purpose. Thestreet lights are also made functional as the road is nowwell-illuminated at nights. Also, designated bus stops andpedestrian walkways are being planned for constructionalong that road.

•Bisi Bamikole Road / Owoeye / Apostolic Faith / PepsiCola / Obelawo Axis

THIS stretch of intercity roads links Oke Onitea withOmo West Area of the city. It provides anotherveritable shortcut to count down on unnecessary

traffic congestion and aid easy, smooth human andvehicular movement within the state capital. Before theintervention of the Aregbesola administration, the stretchof linkways was in a horrible state. The roads were apersistent source of chronic headache for pedestrians and

OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, April 22, 2014 MAGAZINE 12

Counting The Costs; Celebrating The Benefits

Continued on page 13

Continued from page 11motorists alike.

As has been mentioned for other roadsearlier in this report, the roads included inthis segment were also plagued withsanitation challenges before theadministration of Ogbeni Aregbesola cameup with its various intervention efforts. Theabsence of defined drainage facilities madethe areas prone to water erosion andflooding to the detriment of residents. Also,residents were in the habit of indiscriminaterefuse dumping. Indiscriminate defecationand emptying of sewage waste on the roadwere habits which had eaten deep into thefabric of the people.

Upon the approach of the interventionefforts of the Government Unusual, peoplewere most prevalently pessimistic that theintervention would be pervading enough,especially, as the guise in vogue, which wasthe poser used by the previousadministration was that the state was cash-squeezed; being a civil service state. Butthe pessimists were dumbfoundedeventually, as the incumbent administrationhas, by its performances beaten the wildestimagination of all the people.

Not only did the intervention efforts seeto the fixing of roads, but also the guttersand drains were fixed. The sanitation needsof the entire area have also been attendedto promptly. The area today is a masterpieceof decency and good habitation.

·Oke Fia / Alekuwodo / Olaiya JunctionTHIS road was initially constructed by

the first military administration of ColonelLeo Segun Ajiborisa in the state.Subsequently, it received facelift from thefirst and second civilian administrations ofAlhaji Isiaka Adeleke and Chief Bisi Akanderespectively. Still, the road appeared likethat of a glorified rural settlement. Itsoverriding importance, apart from the factthat it is situated in the heart of the statecapital, is corroborated by the fact thatalmost all workers making it to the statecapital from Iwo, Ilobu, Ejigbo, Ede and otheraxes of the state; even Ikirun/ Ila Orangunaxes, en route Ring Road must pass throughthis road for one reason or the other. Thisroad is therefore a crowd-puller, sort of.

It is in apparent recognition of theforegoing fact that the administration ofOgbeni Rauf Aregbesola picked interest inthe refurbishment and rehabilitation of theroad to make it more effective and moreuseful to the teeming populace.

Long before now, efforts had been madeby previous administrations in the state todecongest the road, especially byattempting to relocate the AlekuwodoMarket, but these were all to no avail. Alongthe line, another market sprang up there.This was a market in building materials cumsawmill and plank market. All thesecompounded the problems associated with

the congestion of the area.There were two additional challenges

closely knit to these afore-mentioned oneson this road. The first was the problem ofpoor channelization of drainage and watercanals; while the second is theencroachment on the land acquired for useby the Nigeria Railway Corporation. Closelywoven to the former was indiscriminateerection of building structures onwaterways and its attendant disasters ofperennial flooding; causing wantondestruction of lives and property.

All these calamitous situations havebeen reversed by the Government Unusualof Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola within the spaceof three years of its dominance on thelandscape of politics and governance of theState of Osun.

First, the markets have been relocatedwith consummate ease; and without harm,injury or prejudice to affected traders.Secondly, the affected buildings onwaterways have been demolished, with duecompensation paid to affected propertyowners. Thirdly, proper channelization ofcanals and waterways has been carried out.These measures have helped to forestall thecalamities associated with water flooding,erosion and the attendant annual disasterof destruction of lives and property. Also,the problems associated with congestion,which adversely affected human andvehicular movement have been averted.

Above all, the Oke Fia / Alekuwodo / OlaIya Junction Road has today beenrehabilitated. This has been so well one thatwhat remains of the popular AlekuwodoMarket has been fenced out from the road.The plank cum building materials market hasbeen relocated elsewhere. The road todayis so widened that there are enoughtolerances for pedestrian walkways, busstop stalls/ sheds, roadside drainages andample fencing of residential and shoppingbuildings from the main road. This has somuch eased tension of traffic in the axis thatAlekuwodo is now an envy of all in the city.The sanitation needs of the area havingbeen promptly attended to, the residentsare today heaving sighs of relief, as theyhave been salvaged from the disastrousfangs of flooding and water erosion. Inaddition to this, the rod is now well lit tomake nocturnal traffic and security easy andsmooth.

•Orita Sabo / Orita Elelede / Igbonna /Owode / Oluode

THESE networks of roads were not sogood at the time of the ascension ofpower of the incumbent

administration. As their major features, theywere too narrow and devoid of drainagesfor easy flow and passage of erosion water.Few kilometres down the Orita Elelede axisdown Ahmadiyyah Junction down toObalende could be found the ever-

troublesome River Gbonmi, which was aperennial cause of water flooding.

The roads today have been fixed, withdeep and wide drainages. Also, the roadsare wide enough to allow for convenientroadside parking spaces for motorists. Weneed to emphasize it at this stage that theroads constructed so far are solidly madeof asphalt and limestone dust to ensuredurability. The emphasis and philosophyof the incumbent administration hinge onconstruction of durable roads that wouldbe able to stand the test of time. In additionto ensuring this, the administration has, forthe first time in the annals of the state,established the State of Osun Roads

•Another completed road at Oke-Opo, Ilesa under the administration of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.

Maintenance Agency (OSROMA) which isintended to see to ensuring that the roadsare kept in good conditions at all times aswell as ensuring that they are not willfullydamaged through actions and inactions ofusers and residents on various guises.

•Orita Gbaemu / Isale Aro / Our Lady ofSaint Francis Axis Road

THIS road was in a deplorable statebefore the emergence of the administrationof Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola in thesaddle of governance in the State of Osun.That stretch of road was not wide enoughfor two vehicles to share at the same time.As the case was

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13 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, April 22, 2014MAGAZINE

Counting The Costs; Celebrating The Benefits

To be continued

Continued from page 12

with almost all the so-called roads in the state, the road was alsodevoid of drainage cum sewage system. Since two oncoming vehiclescould not make too convenient a use of the road, it is needless torecount the predicament which pedestrians would be facing duringtheir daily hustle-bustle and toil on the road.

It is this road that the administration of Ogbeni Aregbesolarehabilitated as one of its earliest projects upon assumption of duty.One major importance of the road is its location that is close to theheart of the town and the ample kink it provides with importantlocations in the city. For instance, the link it provides with theking’s palace, the shrine of Osun river goddess, major first-generationchurches and some crowd-pulling state-of-the-art schools placesthe stretch of road in a place of high prominence. We also reckonthat the presence of the headquarters of Osogbo Local Governmentat Oke Baale; the Main Campus of the multi-campus State Universityat the same Oke Baale; and the exit to Ijesaland through Oke Ijeturequires proper alternative route which the link this road provideswith Odi Olowo affords.

There is no gainsaying the fact that the Aregbesola administrationtook adequate and abundant care of this road upon its assumption ofduty and service as the proprietor of the state. Today, the goodquality of the road is still on ground to attest to our claims. To alarge and reasonable extent, these roads provide wide range of accessopportunities for all – pedestrians and motorists alike, within thestate capital of Osogbo. We fully appreciate the construction andrehabilitation of these access roads, more so as they were done inadvance of the commencement of the reconstruction andrehabilitation of Major Township and federal roads; so as tosmoothen passage of traffic within the city.

We place on record how the state capital had played host toevents, religious and otherwise, of national and global significance.In April 2013, the Nigerian Baptist Convention’s Centenary AnnualSession was hosted in Osogbo. It was this good network of motorableroads that came to the rescue; otherwise, the mammoth crowd thatgraced the occasion would have been unmanageable. Other similarevents which were held in quick succession include the annualconference of Ansar Ud Deen Society, the Lion’s Club and the Stategovernment’s hosting of the first-ever Oodua World Children’sDay celebrations in May 2013. It was demonstrated through theseprogrammes that a good network of motorable roads is crucial todevelopment in all facets.

•Odi Olowo / Baptist High School / Gbodofon / AregbeAxis

THIS access road, an obvious exit from and link to the ever-busy Gbongan Road from the interior of the city was in acomplete state of disrepair as at the time the Aregbesola

administration came on board in the state in November 2010. Theadministration swung promptly into action in carrying out thereconstruction of that important road. Pessimists were dazzled as ittransited from one stage to another until completion. Today, thatroad provides good ample link between the interior of the town andthe exit Gbongan Road; obviously, the one and only aside the Olaiya/Odi Olowo Road..

A practical demonstration of the importance of this road camein April 2013 during the afore-mentioned 100th Annual Session ofthe Nigerian Baptist Convention hosted by the Osun Conference ofthe denomination. The Main Venue of the Convention Sessionbeing the premises of the former Baptist Girls’ High School (nowBaptist High School), Gbodofon, Osogbo, the delegates were helpedto easy movement and punctual attendance at events due to the

good state of our roads. Also, the non-delegate public coped amenablywell with the crowd of the period through the assistance of thesenewly-constructed roads. Today, the roads remain useful andinvaluable for our convenience and easy movement in and out ofthe state capital.

· Ola Iya / Odi Olowo Junction Opening

SHORTLY before the unceremonious exit of Prince OlagunsoyeOyinlola from office as governor of the state, traffic lights wereintroduced to some major junctions in the state capital. One of suchjunctions was the Orita Ola Iya/ Odi Olowo Junction. Other pointswithin the state capital were the Old Garage Roundabout and theOke Fia Roundabout. It was initially conceived (erroneously though)that the congestion of the time was due mainly to huge vehicularmovement in and out of the city. The emergence of Aregbesola, atrained and seasoned Mechanical Engineer, tested and trusted, inthe saddle of governance discovered other concrete causes of thisunnecessary congestion.

Within the three years of the administration’s giant strides inthe saddle, the Ola Iya Junction has been transformed; having beenopened up with many link mouths with the main road. This hasfacilitated smooth and easy movement of vehicles a great deal. Ithas also effectively counted down on the huge volume of carnagesat that junction. As at the time of compiling this report, work isearnestly in progress on the side of the defunct Ola Iya PetrolStation. It is certain that the remaining work on this side and thoseon the other side of the road (the Apostolic and Odi Olowo Junction)must have been completed by the end of year 2013.

•Oke Fia / Rasco Cinema / Old Garage Opening

THIS axis constituted one of the gravest trouble spot inOsogbo metropolis, especially in years preceding theemergence of the Aregbesola administration in office. In

terms of environmental sanitation challenges; in terms of watererosion and flooding; in terms of indiscriminate waste disposal; thechallenges were too rife to cope with. Residential and commercialstructures were indiscriminately erected with gross violation to allknown rules.

Beyond the Railway Crossing toward the Old Garage centre wasespecially perilous in all ramifications; even to the averagepedestrians. The goriest event in living memory at that railwaycrossing is the carnage involving one intra-city commercial minibus (korope) and a locomotive train. That accident recorded onecasualty, and it is just one of the many which occurred in the city.

At the Old Garage end from Oke Fia; just after the level crossing,there also was the presence of traffic lights. But these traffic lightswere not just the panacea to the myriads of problems militatingagainst residents and passers-by of our roads. The Aregbesolaadministration wielded the magic wands, as it saw the timely needfor broadening of the roads. Today, the road has been broadened toease off traffic for those exiting toward the old MDS area withoutunnecessary delays and hiccups. Work is rapidly progressing onother sides of the road.

It is hoped that before the year shall reach its very end, the roadat that point must have been completely freed of all hiccups,bottlenecks and lockjams.

•Freedom Park ( a.k.a. Nelson Mandela Freedom Park)

AS far as the stretch of area hitherto referred to as OldGarage in Osogbo, the state capital is concerned; theFreedom Park is clearly the greatest accomplishment of

the Rauf Revolution. Before the wave of success which brought the

revolution came about, there was a slum patch of rickety shopsand stalls where itinerant traders sold odds and ends. Right andleft, at the roadsides, haphazardly-located shops and stalls, whichwere clearly efforts taken in the uglification process of a statecapital, littered all available spaces. Before now, the Osun CapitalTerritory Development authority and other town planningauthorities merely existed for the fun of it.

The genesis of the evolution process which brought theFreedom Park into being derived from the master plan containedin the policy document of Ogbeni Aregbesola. In that policydocument, where he highlighted the Six-Point Integral ActionPlan with which he vowed to govern his people; and which formedhis pact with them; the seasoned administrator vowed to revampthe rail transport system as a veritable mode of transportation.For that plan to materialize properly, the railway terminus in thecentre of the state capital must be standardized, cleared andprovided with well-befitting warehouses.

Hence, work started on the clearing of the massive expanse.Already, the occupants knew themselves as violators andtrespassers of Land Use Act; since the stretch of land belongedever to the Nigeria Railway Corporation. Really, it was upon theactual clearing of the expanse left and right that the unsuspectingpublic realized that the area was so spacious!

Today, the ensuing Freedom Park is not only beautiful tobehold; but also presents an ample space for decent assemblies,congresses and other forms of rendezvous. All these events beingheld at the venue are staunch sources of revenue for the proprietorof the space, the Government of the State of Osun. As part ofthe purposes of the park, motorists who have businesses totransact at the New Orisunmbare Market or elsewhere aroundthe centre have ample spaces to park their vehicles withoutdisturbing the flow of traffic.

•Rasco / Railway Station / Old Sawmill / Ola Iya Link

BEFORE now, making passage from Rasco Cinema end viaa shortcut to Ola Iya Junction would present a spectacleof ghettos and residential buildings ready to collapse at

any time or be subsumed by the spate of apparently unavoidableperennial flooding. This stretch of land as well is the property ofthe Nigerian Railway Corporation. Funnily, yet pitiably, manymore structures were springing up daily in the area as if theycould be built with impunity!

Most of these structures looked dilapidating and they wereannual hosts to water flooding. During rainy seasons, many ofthe occupants fled to other places, pending the time when thefloods would subside! Beyond the river, both at the Railway Stationside and at the side overlooked by the Dugbe Police Station,there were patches of bushes which appear dangerous as theycould be ready hide-outs to hoodlums and drug addicts who couldbe the same bunch of criminals unleashing various shades ofterror on residents.

Still beyond the stream at the side of the Railway Station, waslocated the old Salvation Army Primary School, one of the schoolschosen as demonstration sites for the State Government’sintervention initiative efforts branded the State of Osun Schools’Infrastructure Development Project (O’SCHOOLS). Today, thenew, ultra-modern Salvation Army Elementary School is standingtall and imposing, to the pride and admiration of all progress-loving indigenes and residents of the State of Osun. Even passers-by from other places cannot hold back rendering spontaneousprayers for the administration that has deemed it fit to rehabilitatethe hitherto dilapidating structures of public schools in the state.

•Governor Rauf Aregbesola leading the State Executive members to inspect the 15 Ilesa Township Roads before the commissioning in the State of Osun, recently.

OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, April 22, 2014 14INTERVIEW

Omisore Has Questions To Answer Over Ige – CommissionerThe Osun State Commissioner for Informa-

tion, Mr. Sunday Akere, in this interviewwith FEMI MAKINDE, says Senator IyiolaOmisore will be beaten by Governor RaufAregbesola in the coming governorshipelection in the stat.

THE emergence of Senator IyiolaOmisore as the governorshipcandidate of the Peoples

Democratic Party seems to be athreat to Governor Rauf Aregbesola’ssecond-term bid, don’t you think so?

To us, the emergence of Senator IyiolaOmisore as the PDP governorshipcandidate is the best thing that canhappen. Omisore has the worstcredentials to display among all the PDPgovernorship aspirants. So, if Omisoreis now the one who emerged as the PDPcandidate, you can be sure that thepeople of the state will reject him withoutthinking twice.

Omisore contested an election into theSenate in April.2011. Aregbesola wasbarely six months in office then and he(Omisore) was defeated heavily. He losteven in his ward. How can such aperson convince the people of the stateduring the governorship election?Omisore would suffer heavier ‘defeatin the hands of Aregbesola in the comingelection.

Omisore was defeated when thisadministration was just settling down inoffice. Now, Aregbesola has spent overthree years and has done so much todevelop the state; so, you can imaginehow Omisore will be thrashed at the poll.

There are allegations of non-performance and capital flightagainst Aregbesola’s government.

Let us look at every sector of theeconomy and you will see for yourselfthat Ogbeni has performed very well.Nobody can say Ogbeni has notperformed in the area of education,health, agriculture or infrastructuraldevelopment. Even a blind man knowsthis government has performed -, If ablind man who has been passing throughsome bumpy roads now observes thatthe ride is smooth, he doesn’t need tobe told that something has happenedbecause he can feel it even if he can’tsee. Some PDP leaders acknowledgethat this administration has performedvery well and we do not need to be labourourselves on that issue again.

On capital flight, take the dualisationof the Old Garage-Ikirun Road to theKwara State boundary and GboganJunction to Akoda, these projects aremajor ones given to major contractors,who are financing the projectsthemselves. They engage Osunindigenes as workers, except for aboutfive per cent of the workforce, who arefrom outside the state. Go to these sitesand you will see that the welders,bricklayers, carpenters, security guardsand other artisans are indigenes of Osun.So, where does this issue of capital flightcome in? This is an open government;we believe in accountability and we havenothing to hide.

Omisore and the PDP in the’ statehave said this administration haveplunged the state into indebtednessof over N4oobn. How true is this?

We should ask them where theN400bn.debt is coming from. Theproblem is that the majority of the peoplein the opposition are illiterate. If they arenot illiterate, they should know that nobank will lend you beyond what you areworth. Osun was collecting an averageof N4.6bn from the statutory allocation,plus the internally-generated revenuewhich made it an average ofN6bnmonthly. That was before the shortfallin allocation.

We spend N3.6bn monthly on wagesand salaries; assuming we save N2 billionevery month, it will give us N24bn in ayear. In four years, which is a term, wewill save Ng6 billion; so, tell me whichbank will lend you the amount of moneyyou don’t have the capacity to pay back?Which bank in Nigeria has the capacityto borrow any state N100bn, let alonethe N400bn the PDP is bandying ‘about?They don’t know where the governor isgetting the money being used for thevarious developmental projects. Despitethe dwindling resources, so manyprojects are going on. The magnitude ofwork being done is making them to saywe have borrowed over N400bn.

How much has this governmentborrowed?

The money borrowed was the N30bn.raised from the capital market last year.We also raised a N11bn Sukuk bond lastyear. That makes it N41bn. What issurprising them is the- wonders thisgovernment is performing.

Omisore said on Tuesday the APCwas planningto assassinateagovernorshipc a n d i d a t eahead of theAugust 9 poll....

The securityo p e r a t i v e sshould watchhim. Omisoreand his thugswere the oneswho attackedthe formerg o v e r n o r ,I s i a k aAdeleke, when they met at a hotel abouttwo weeks ago. They almost killed him.If Omisore is now saying APC want tokill an aspirant, I think Adeleke shouldreport him to the police.

He reportedly said in Ife in 2001 thatit was God that saved Chief Bola Ige;the following week, Chief Bola Ige waskilled. Security operatives should callhim and ask him questions about theauthenticity of the information he isgiving out.

Adeleke should do a petition about thisbecause Omisore is not somebody onecan joke with and the people of Osunknow this.

Omisore also accused Aregbesolaof using the killing of Bola Ige to scorea cheap political point. Is this nottrue?

Omisore should search hisconscience. Bola Ige was at the palaceof the Ooni of Ife for a programme ona Saturday, when Omisore and his thugsattacked him, removing his cap andglasses. A newspaper published hisinterview the following day where he

reportedly saidit was only Godwho saved BolaIge. Thefollowing week,the man waskilled. He wasin prison forsometime onthe matter butthey used theirfederal might toscuttle thiscase. Theyused theadvantage ofbeing in power

at Abuja and in Oyo State at that time todischarge him.

The Yoruba are no fools. We are arace of culture and history.

For ever, until justice is done,Nigerians will continue to ask who killedBola Ige, and Omisore and his colleagueshave questions to answer.

The APC in Osun State seems to bedefending the Resident ElectoralCommissioner, Ambassador RufusAkeju, while the PDP wants himredeployed. Why?

Our party is not in defence of theResident Electoral Commissioner or theIndependent National Electoral

Commission; we are in defence of therule of law and justice. The PDP wentto court and they are still in court. Theysaid the INEC REC should not conductthe 2011 elections. The court ruled thatthe man should step aside. The INEC,from Abuja, instructed the administrativesecretary to oversee the elections. ThePDP is still in court against the man; so,what is our business with that? INECChairman, Prof Attahiru Jega,challenged the PDP to bring evidenceagainst Akeju because issues like theseshould not be treated based on spuriousallegations. Some parties accused Jegaof colluding with the PDP, but evidencemust be presented. We are not defendingany INEC personnel because that is notour business. Osun people are happy withour government and they are supportingus. But we will not be silent when othersare maligned unnecessarily.

Omisore also accused Gov.Aregbesola of fanning the ember ofreligious disharmony.

But when did Omisore himselfbecome a religious man? When last didhe wake up oil a Sunday morning to goto church to worship God? Thegovernment of Aregbesola is the first inthis country to abide by the constitutionalinjunction that no religion should be madereligion of the state. The Constitution ofNigeria recognises the secular nature ofthe state and that is why we invite thethree major religious organisations topray at any of our state functions. Thereis no religion that is the religion of thestate in Osun. They are-the ones usingreligion to cause tension. It is their anticand their handiwork.

•Culled from THE PUNCH

‘Omisore has theworst credentialsto display amongall the PDP gov-ernorship aspir-

ants’

•AKERE

15OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Comparison Between The Old School Building And New Schools’ ReclassificationStructure In Ikirun, State Of Osun, As Captured By Our Cameraman, JESUDOYINABRAHAM, Last Saturday.

•The newly-constructed Holy Trinity Middle School, Oke-Afo, Ikirun.

•The old Methodist School-1, Isale-Afo, Ikirun.

PHOTOTALK

TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014

www.osundefender.org THE 6TH MOST-VISITED NEWSPAPER WEBSITE IN NIGERIA

By PROF. A. S ASAJURECENTLY, GovernorRauf Aregbesola hadon two occasions

pontificated on the universitysystem. At the secondUNIOSUN DistinguishedGuest Lecture series at OsunState University, Osogbo, thegovernor stressed that auniversity is not a placeestablished merely for thepursuit of knowledge, but a place togenerate knowledge that will bringpositive impacts to bear on the society.Also, at the third Convocation Ceremonyof the university in Osogbo, GovernorAregbesola averred that Nigerianuniversities have not performed toexpectations in their responsibilities ofresearch and innovations to addresspoverty and national development. Heurged the universities to redirect theirfocus, saying that if the universitiesscientifically and philosophically pursuetheir objectives, the challenges ofunemployment and object poverty willreduce drastically in Nigeria. Accordingto the governor, university is crucial tothe society to make discoveries andprovide knowledge for those who areblind to social development

The governor lamented that is was sadthat employers are rejecting Nigeriangraduates and employing foreigngraduates. He insisted that universitiesmust produce best students, who will beproductive and be of benefit to thesociety which, according to him, is thephilosophy of his administration.

This writer shares the sentiments ofGovernor Aregbesola. The Nigerianuniversity is passing through a verydifficult phase. From its proud and robuststatus in the 1960’s and 1970’s, theuniversities are now struggling tomaintain their ageing and inadequatefacilities in the face of the seeminginsurmountable challenges of the 21st

Century. Since the inception of the fourthRepublic in May 1999, there has been afair improvement in the funding of theFederal Government-owneduniversities. It is pertinent to note thatdespite this, what is made available isstill inadequate to meet the numerousneeds of the universities. For theuniversities to break even and forgeahead to accomplish their mission ofproducing highly qualified manpower tomanage both the national andinternational economies, a critical reviewof the situation is most desirable.

In this regard, there is the need torediscover the factors that havesustained the great universities in theworld. Over the years, great universitieshave been built and sustained, based oneffective combination of the followings:grants from the proprietor(s), forexample government/ private concerns;contributions from major stakeholders(students, parents, alumni etc) andfoundation/ endowments.

Given the high level of developmentworldwide, particularly in the moreadvanced countries of Europe andAmerica, universities and research

OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing House Limited, Promise Point Building, Opposite Guaranty Trust Bank GTB, Gbongan Road, Osogbo, State of Osun. All correspondenceto the Managing Editor, KOLA OLABISI, Telephone: 08033927286 (kolaolabisi@yahoo.com); Editor, KAYODE AGBAJE, Telephone: 0803-388-0205, E-mail: osundefender@yahoo.com,kayodeagbaje@yahoo.com. ISSN: 0794-8050.Website: www.osundefender.org.

The Osun GovernorChallenges To Universities

•AREGBESOLA

institutes and other higher educationalinstitutions in developing countries shouldchampion the cause of enhanceddevelopment of their nations. Theuniversity, which has a largepreponderance of high calibreintelligentsia, must give good exampleto the society.

Universities worldwide areestablished to teach, research and renderservice to the society. Any universityworth its salt is, among others, theconscience of the society. Educationprovided in the university system shouldbe such that it redefines the individualand make him or her a model in thefamily and the society at large. Auniversity should determine not only toappropriately align with the universalpractice in universities worldwide, butalso, pursue the vision of carving out anenviable niche for herself as a centre ofexcellence. Universities should trace theissues leading to the decline in theeducational and national lives of thenation with a view to bringing about the

desired positive change.There is an urgent need for

assessment in all the Nigerianuniversities, the result of which shoulddetermine what each university requiresin order to raise their level to acceptablestandard. Staff and students shouldregard the university as theirs. Theycannot write their history without theuniversity. All disagreements should endon a round-table. University gates mustnever, for any reason, be locked. Peopleshould be free to express their viewswithout locking the gates.

Students constitute the criticalpopulation of any institution. Theyremain the ultimate beneficiaries ofuniversity policies, achievements anderrors. For these reasons, studentsshould be held in high priority inwhatever steps the university takes inthe system. Students are enjoined toprotect the good name and reputationof the university, imbibe the universityculture of good character and academicexcellence, project the peace, progress

and ideals of the university always.Above all, they should obey allregulations, show self- discipline atall times and respect the rights ofothers throughout their stay in thecitadel of learning. Students’officials should embrace theprinciple of institutional harmonyas this is an important ingredientfor realizing the university goals.

Both the management and thestudents must be united in the quest ofseeking knowledge and searching forthe truth always. Students’ leadersshould, therefore, handle unionism as ameans of contributing positively andconstructively to the development of theuniversity and also an avenue fordeveloping leadership potentials andqualities in the individuals involved.Students as leaders of tomorrow oughtto put their feet on a good pedestal atthis stage so as to infuse in the societyan assured future. Members of theStudents’ Union, especially the silentmajority, must, therefore, organize andmobilize themselves in such a manneras to openly prevail in the leadership toalways choose paths of dialogue whereissues could be amicably resolved.

There is the need to shift attention tosome key issues that are not just currenton the campuses but having thecapability of destroying the wholestructure. There is the issue ofdichotomy among the unions in theuniversities, and the unhealthy rivalry forthe control of the institutions by both themanagement and the unions. Theuniversity, as a system, is a singleintegrated unit working for the commongoal of rendering teaching, research andpublic service. Everyone’s contributionin the system is important and none isinferior or superior in any form.

Ideally, the system should function asa single body consisting of several organssupporting the same being. Although thehead is on top, it should not deride thetoe simply because the toe is locatedbelow the other organs of the body.Unions should see themselves aspartners in progress with themanagements of the universities. Bothparties have to work for the overalldevelopment of the system. Were thesystem to collapse, both parties wouldsuffer immensely, and in several cases,the staff as a body, and, as individuals,are the greatest losers. There is the needto explore all available means ofpromoting healthy coexistence amongthe unions in the universities andbetween the unions and variousmanagements of the institutions. Allstakeholders should play their assignedroles conscientiously with a view toachieving the dream of 21st CenturyUniversity system.

•Professor Asaju wrote in fromFederal University of Technology,Akure (FUTA).