Aregbesola’s church project and its controversy

FEMI MAKINDE writes that the Governor Rauf Aregbesola-led administration has ignited another round of controversy, for proposing to build an interdenominational Christian worship centre in Osun State

The Governor of Osun State, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, has again stirred the hornet’s nest with a proposal to build an interdenominational church auditorium in the state. Arebegsola, a devout Muslim, has been in the eye of the storm over allegations that he is trying to Islamise the state as evident in his educational policies.

Perhaps to put a lie to these assertions, his administration decided to acquire a large expanse of land at Odo Iju and Ibodi in Atakumosa West Local Government Area of the state, to build what it considers a befitting place of worship for Christians.

The opposition, armed with the argument that there should be separation of the church and the state, has come down hard on the governor. It has accused the governor of wasting scarce public resources in a vain attempt to score cheap political points.

Aregbesola, had hardly paid the N51m compensation to the land owners to enable the administration to build the interdenominational worship centre (to be known as Open Heaven Worship Centre), when Senator Iyiola Omisore, raised the alarm. Omisore, who is a contender for Arebegsola’s job, was among the first set of people to criticise the compensation.

Omisore, a former deputy governor of the state under the defunct Alliance for Democracy, accused the governor of profligacy. According to him, the payment is also an attempt to divert the state’s resources preparatory to the forthcoming 2014 governorship poll. It is ironic that the strongest criticism of the planned Christian worship centre is coming from Omisore, who is a Christian.

Undeterred, the administration is forging ahead with the project. The state Commissioner for Lands, Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Muyiwa Ige, presented cheques to the farmers, who had crops on the land. He explained that the state government paid a total of N11m as compensation to 243 farmers, who lost their farmland to the ongoing construction of the MKO Abiola International Airport, Ido Osun in Egbedore Local Government Area of the state.

He also explained that the state government would not hesitate to compensate those with genuine documents on any property taken over in the cause of developing the state.

Omisore and his supporters are not convinced. They insist that the compensation being paid out is one of several ways the administration is devising to mop up funds to be used to rig the forthcoming governorship election. Omisore, in a statement by his Director of Media and Strategy, Mr. Diran Odeyemi, accused the governor of attempting to rig the coming poll using the state’s resources.

He described the proposed building of the Interdenominational Worship Centre, which he estimated would cost several billions of naira, as a misplacement of priority and sheer hypocrisy. According to him, the proposed worship centre is an attempt to “siphon taxpayers’ money with no genuine concern for the welfare of the people of the state.”

With reference to the controversial school reclassification policy by the administration, the PDP governorship aspirant said it would have been honourable for the administration to admit its mistake and reverse the “obnoxious” education policy. This, he argued, was the preferred thing to do instead of trying to pacify Christians, who form the bulk of those opposed to the policy with a church building.

According to him, the people of Osun State are now wiser. They can no longer follow the governor’s lead without asking questions.

Omisore said, “As a governor, who claims to believe in equality among all religions, my concern is how much the government will have to spend to erect mosques and shrines for our Muslim brothers and Isese people (traditionalists) when the people of the state are wallowing in abject poverty.

“The so-called Open Heaven Worship Centre, that has already gulped N51m as compensation to farmers, is an attempt to mop up fund for the 2014 campaign which APC and Ogbeni Aregbesola has commenced a year ago with bill boards and posters everywhere.

“What is the correlation between good governance and worship centre, if Aregbesola is a serious governor. I don’t think that is what should be his priority; when people are suffering from his bad policies including delays in the payment of workers’ salaries.

“There are enough churches to cater for the spiritual needs of our people that it does not require a serious government to now embark on another worship centre, where such funds should have been directed to creating jobs for our youths.”

The state PDP chairman, Alhaji Ganiyu Olaoluwa, also condemned the planned church project, describing it as a desperate move to curry the favour of the Christians, who, he said, the governor had made many attempts to oppress. He explained that the proposed church building, which he noted was done in a hurry, was one of the desperate attempts being made by the government to redeem its image.

Olaoluwa said, “The governor is now proposing to build a church to appease the Christians. I am sure that they cannot be deceived. He has shown that he was not prepared for this job and now that the day of reckoning is near, he is looking for ways of deceiving the people again. This won’t work!”

One of Arebegsola’s aides, Mr. Lani Baderinwa, described Omisore and those in the PDP fold as desperate politicians, who were given to making spurious allegations against the governor in order to gain relevance.

Baderinwa explained that the planned church building was part of the electioneering promises made by Aregbesola. He said the project was not aimed at pacifying Christians as claimed by the opposition, but a means of attracting people to hold conferences and church conventions in the state.

He said, “The governor lived in Lagos State and he saw the kind of crowd the Redemption Camp of the Redeemed Christian Church of God attracts to the area and he decided to build an Interdenominational Worship Centre here.

“This will boost the standard of living of the people of the area and the economy of the state. For example, worshipers, who would come to the place, would eat, buy souvenirs and some would even lodge in hotels around the area. This is a forward looking leader with business sense and the state has been benefiting from his sense.

“The state should not depend solely on the monthly allocation from Abuja which is even dwindling every month. Ogbeni Aregebsola is thinking outside the box and the opposition parties are either confused or are being mischievous.

“So, the only thing they can do to be heard is to cook up blatant lies and engage in spurious allegations but the people of the state are wiser. Having been plundered for almost seven and a half years, they now know better.”

The state chapter of the All Progressives Congress, while reacting to Omisore’s criticisms, challenged the former federal lawmaker to substantiate his allegations with sufficient proof or keep quiet.

The Secretary of the APC in the state, Mr. Gboyega Famodun, in a statement, said Omisore had exhibited less than rational approach to evaluating government’s actions. He accused Omisore of condemning virtually everything the APC had done to date. This, he said, was not the stuff of a credible and respectable politician.

According to Famodun, unsubstantiated allegations will turn Omisore to a laughing stock among the people, adding that he had taken his criticisms to a very ridiculous level.

He said, “For the benefit of those who are interested in the fact of the matter, the plan to build an Interdenominational Worship Centre with facilities such as water and light among others in Osun has been on the drawing board since 2011, and that land for that project has been donated by two communities, Ibodi and Odo Iju.

“In consistence with the policy of acting in the best interest of those involved, the government decided to first settle farmers with economic trees within the 100 hectares of land donated, which will be affected by the construction of the centre. That was the reason for paying the farmers N51m as compensation.

“For Omisore to now perceive this action as an attempt to siphon taxpayers’ money is scandalous at the least and unbecoming of a politician of character. Besides, any far-sighted individual will see the potential economic advantage such (a structure) with about 200,000 sitting capacity will be to those who will put that centre to use.

“But not so for the PDP, to those in the PDP, everything and anything done by Aregbesola and the APC government has negative and anti-people implications. This kind of reasoning is the product of a twisted mentality.”

It is certain that the last has not been heard on the issue as there would be another round of exchange of words when the budgetary allocation to the construction of the church finally goes to the House of Assembly.

Copyright PUNCH.

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