Presidency plots to put Sanusi on trial

CBN Gov. Sanusi

The Federal Government is not done yet with Mallam Lamido Sanusi whom it suspended on Thursday as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
There are indications that the suspension may be followed soon with the arraignment of the Kano prince for ‘misconduct.’
The findings of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN) on the administration of Sanusi in the CBN which government used as a basis for his ouster indicted him for financial recklessness including commitment of N168 billion of public funds to the execution of intervention projects across the country.
Some governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are believed to have joined the league of those pushing for Sanusi’s trial.
Already, Sanusi has been placed under surveillance by security agencies.
It was gathered that some forces in the presidency had a secret session in Abuja at the weekend and resolved to have a go at Sanusi.
They said the that findings of the FRCN against Sanusi should be put before the court to determine his guilt or not.
Some of the forces also felt the trial would humiliate Sanusi and force him to keep quiet on the $20billion oil funds.
It was learnt that the moves to subject Sanusi to trial accounted for the desperate bid to set security agencies after him to effect his arrest and hound him into detention.
But Sanusi was, however, able to stumble on intelligence report on the plot to arrest him while making contacts in Niamey, Niger Republic.
It was based on the intelligence report that Sanusi changed his landing flight schedule from Abuja to Lagos.
A reliable source said that the anti-Sanusi forces are out to deal with him for ‘confronting’ the president on the $20billion oil revenue.
Said one source: “They were pissed off that Sanusi ignored the president’s advice that he should resign. They said Sanusi had tried to undermine the presidency.
“In fact, some PDP governors have joined the gang-up against Sanusi because they have assumed that Sanusi is speaking the voice of the opposition.”
Investigation by our correspondent confirmed that the first part of the plot is to arrest and detain Sanusi to “break his spirit.”
“I think there was a leakage of the initial part of the scheme which made Sanusi to divert his flight to Lagos from Niamey instead of Abuja,” a source added.
Sources said that security agencies are monitoring Sanusi’s movement.
“They have placed him under surveillance because of fears that he might relocate abroad. You know some foreign missions are interested in his travails because of the $20billion ‘missing’ oil cash.”

National Confab: 5 key must have

Beyond all the canvassed criteria for attending the national dialogue, whether ethnic, professional or vocational, the process of election/selection must take incorporate 5 key considerations
(1) That since it is not an intra-cultural dialogue, but a dialogue across cultures, only those with sufficient cross-cultural experiences should be brought together and not rustics who know no more than their backyard with the associated unyielding attitude to life as was the case in pre-independence conferences are qualified for the national conference.  So we canvass living, schooling, working, national service and being geographically well-spread across Nigeria as sufficient proofs of sociological experience of Nigeria beyond tribal enclaves.
(2) Possession of bilingual capacity in understanding or ability to speak minimum of two Nigerian languages as proof that representatives can hold a cross-cultural dialogue as part of the necessary qualifications for representation.
(3 ) No group should be allowed to come to the national dialogue with the knowledge of their own needs and demands alone. They must be made to also come with and first present the historical needs and demands of their close and distant Nigerian neighbours and fellow citizens to make them wear the shoes of the others in order to feel their feelings.
(4) The virtue of fellow-feeling with polite conversation should be considered and made to characterise the national dialogue where grounds should be graciously yielded where obvious, not the rigid and stubborn and ill-intentioned conspiratorial ways of the pre-independence ethnic fathers of the nation’s constitutional conferences characterized by an overdose of inconsideration and self-centred triumphalism.
(5) Maturity of temper must also be a balancing scale for representation at the national conference. Required are those who know how to check that first and quick flush of impetuous emotion with controlled refinement; an ability which many Nigerian rascals and radicals of all types are totally empty of. We need those who have this in-built device in them to regulate the speed of response between a hot-head and an explosive tongue.
These five cardinals are our deeply considered recommendations to all panels, committees, voting and selecting ethnic, professional and vocational groups primed for the national dialogue.

Osun College of Education introduces dress code

The management of the Osun State College of Education, Ila-Orangun in Osun State has introduced new dress code for students of the institution.
Delivering a speech at the maiden matriculation ceremony for students undergoing degree programmes of the Ekiti State University at the college, its Acting Provost, Dr. Bashiru Gbadamosi, said the introduction of the dress code had become necessary in order to ensure sanity within the institution.
According to him, both male and female students of the institution must dress decently in a way that would portray them as responsible adults.
He said the authorities of the institution would be strict with the enforcement of the new dress code, adding that erring students would be severely punished.

Osun: Putting education thrust in proper perspective

•Aregbesola

Against the needless controversies and sabre-rattling over peripheral issues in Osun’s bourgeoning education policy, there is now an urgent need for a summit of all stakeholders to address the spate of misrepresentations and tension being created around the Osun public school policy. Hopefully, all stakeholders would be availed of the opportunity to dissect all the components of the policy and scrupulously prevent a situation in which an otherwise excellent public policy document will be compromised by a miasma of scurilious political intrigues and parochial religious predilections.
It is sad and unfortunate that a unique and rich policy that could have translated into a national strategy for bail-out of the shambolic public school sector, has suddenly assumed religious and political colourations, fuelled largely by mischief and partisanship.
The current trend of discussion relating to the Osun school system in circles expected to churn out informed opinions continues to focus solely on the reclassification of schools and aggressively attempt to rubbish the wider public spirit and mission of the policy. It is strange that the vocal minority raising hell over fringe issues in the policy conveniently forgets the holistic beneficial impact of the various components of the policy such as the OUniform, OMeal and Opon Imo, O School etc which have been adjudged as revolutionary concepts in public school management approach in the country.
The on-going rejuvenation of the public school sector in Osun is at once a strong rebranding project that has begun to impact positively on the state’s overall education management profile as well as the state’s economy in key areas like job creation, empowerment and agricultural development. It is providing a much-needed fillip and boost for children to inculcate, ab initio, a frenetic and unflagging desire to excel in life through a prism that provides easy elbow room for initiatives and exemplary conduct and scholastic aptitude.
It is against this backdrop that all well-meaning Osun indigenes must shun base sentiments and support the effort to create a new public school order in the state for the future of Osun children.
The proposed symposium must seek to dissect the various components of the much maligned Osun policy on public school management with a view to enhancing public understanding and appreciation of its desirability. The symposium will also serve as a platform for constructive engagement of critical stakeholders to ensure the non-derailment of the noble vision behind the policy formulation.
It would be recalled that while counting the modest gains recorded by the state’s new education policy in less than two years of its implementation, the state governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, had posited that the need for the policy as a comprehensive and holistic response to a scandalous educational rot, which had threatened the socio-economic growth of the state, was non-negotiable.
“Our education policy is tailored towards making the Osun public schools system produce the complete child, to become the complete youth and grow up to become the complete citizen, empowered in learning and in character, in the best tradition of the Yoruba Omoluabi.  That way, they would be equipped, culturally and academically, anywhere they find themselves in the world, aside from becoming patriots, to take care of their state and country that had earlier taken care of them,” he explained.
He equally noted then that the reforms have had tremendous multi-level impacts on the Osun educational competitiveness. For instance, in the area of funding, the reforms have led to a radical increase in grants and subventions for the administration of public primary and secondary schools as total grant for the 1378 pubic primary schools in Osun jumped from N7.4 million a year to N424 million a year.
Additionally, Osun, from a 34th placing among Nigeria’s 36 states in 2010, moved to 18th position in 2011 and 8th position in 2012, in performance rankings in the West African School Certificate Examinations (WASCE).  Pupils from the state have also chalked up improved performances in national and international competitions, according to compilations by the Osun Ministry of Education. In addition, the reforms have earned a partnership with UNESCO to build a regional teacher training institute in the state, and a fresh programme in the area of adult education.
And since the critical success factor for any reform is sound management and welfare, at the heart of the new education reforms is a restructured Education Administration Modality which involves creating specialised agencies to address key components in public schools management. According to Aregbesola, one such special agency created by the new education policy is the Teachers Establishment and Pension Office (TEPO).
“As the name clearly implies, aside from teacher recruitment, TEPO takes charge of human capacity development in Osun public schools: teachers’ career advancement, training and retraining, teaching incentives, promotion, prompt payment of salaries and allowances. TEPO not only tackles teachers’ welfare while they are in active service; it also looks after their pension after retirement,” governor Aregbesola further explained.
Let it be also resoundingly noted that the role of the Opon Imo initiative is an integrative approach to providing qualitative learning aids by the instrumentality of ICT. Unquestionably, the initiative has been hailed as a masterstroke by many education pundits within and outside Nigeria. It has also received the commendation of the United Nations as a revolutionary learning innovation to help Africa and the rest of the Third World improve its educational capacity.
A word on the standardised school uniform is most pertinent here. The concept of standard uniforms for Osun public schools, branded O’Uniform, was conceived with an eye to rebrand public schools in the state as well as reflate the Osun economy to employ as many designers, tailors, local textile workers and allied artisans as possible, in the production of school uniforms. This culture-fired indigenous and standardised uniform for 750, 000 public school pupils, which the Omoluabi Garments Factory is currently implementing, has received international commendations from UNESCO, just as the first sets of the uniforms produced under the scheme were distributed free to the pupils. It is difficult to imagine that a peculiar school uniform will prevent indiscipline in each respective school as some interests laughably pontificated. Uniform or no uniform, a child with impaired impulses will always turn out a miscreant; contrariwise, a child well nourished, properly husbanded and deliberately cultured through a full-orbed school policy can always be trusted to excel. The issue at stake is not about a parochial attachment to a uniform or to a school; it is about an egalitarian approach, all-embracing, that must provide the generality of students with the boost to excel in life. This cannot and must not be left to chance.
On the school feeding scheme, branded O’Meal and currently being implemented in the elementary schools with nearly 255, 000 pupils served highly nutritive daily lunch on school days, the idea was founded on the principle of good nutrition as incentive for learning readiness. The scheme has helped to boost public school enrolment figures in the state, in addition to serving as a catalyst of backward integration for a renewed Osun agricultural programme. It is on account of its eminent and laudable underpinnings that Aregbesola was invited to Westminster, London about a month ago, to share the Osun concept with other like-minded interests.
Let us dissect the issues as dispassionately as it is required, especially for the sake of our children. If there are contentious issues that truly need a review, no one can reasonably oppose that. But we must be careful never to allow the chicanery of petty politicians or the folly of religious bigots to derail a policy that is sure to stand out the crop of present students as truly distinguished and accomplished citizens a decade from now.

Oke is a public policy analyst based in Osogbo.

State of osun: Bishops for hire

For purposes of whatever may be coming to some of our churches, if any, from the U.S, must we continue to denigrate that which is ours?

In his article, ’Osun and Traditional Religion: A Bishop’s Howler’, the erudite scholar, Professor Moses Akinola Makinde, did such a marvellous job of dissembling Bishop Mike Bamidele’s misdirected shibboleths as they concern Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s wide ranging educational reconstruction in the state of Osun that it becomes almost superfluous to weigh in again at all –See P. 73, The Nation on Sunday, February, 2014. However, while Professor Makinde was content with taking only an intellectual view of the Bishop’s convoluted views, I am by far more inclined to see the man’s dirty politics of name-calling. He won’t be the first Bishop in this game since it looks like hiring Bishops –call them Rasputins – by some Southwest politicians has become a fad. The other day, it was Hon Opeyemi Bamidele carrying a nonagenarian retired Bishop on a farewell visit to his erstwhile political leaders, and the reader wins nothing for correctly guessing which Osun politician might have our Bishop on his payroll in the instant case.

Since I had no previous knowledge of Bishop Bamidele, and in order not to be unduly judgmental, I decided to google-search him. The little I found on him was quite instructive. Left to him, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is the devil itself, and, ipso facto, ill-suited to be the number one citizen in the state of Osun. What pointed, unmistakably, to this was his UTube presentation titled: Light Make Different.

In that short presentation, paganism, which he accuses Aregbesola of encouraging in the state, is presented in the most lurid of terms; it is not only the opposite of light but it is out to kill and destroy. You need not be told that in the Bishop’s thinking, devotees of traditional religion are destined for the hottest part of hell. This, he, therefore, hangs on Aregbesola who, many sensationally allege, is too much of a Muslim, as leading the good people of Osun into. Many readers of this article will be whispering under their breath: ‘touch not my anointed, do my prophet no harm’, but what exactly do you do when an otherwise very articulate Bishop forgets all about comparative religion, a study of which should have enabled him do a helpful comparison of the doctrines and practices of the world’s religions in order to have a deeper understanding of human beliefs and practices regarding the sacred and the divine.

In completely writing off Yoruba traditional religion, a man who many expect to educate and enlighten is busy obfuscating, for what purpose only he knows.

Let me now tell our Bishop how the Yoruba traditional religion is regarded outside our shores even as our ‘men of God’ choose to be more white than the white man. I document below, two eye witness accounts of events that put a lie to the mindset of the Bishop Makinde’s of this world.

The first is by U.S-based Bunmi Fatoye-matory who recently wrote as follows on ekitipanupo:

‘I and my hubby, a scholar of Yoruba religion, are living in Berlin this year. Berlin, Germany, is the last place I expected to find Yoruba religion and culture, but there it is. We found the Orisa temple, called Candomble by the Brazilians in a very nice neighbourhood in Berlin. It was very elegant and inviting just like it is in Brazil. The founder is a Brazilian priest who has lived in Berlin for a long time. We attended the ceremony for Iyansan, known to us at home as Oya. The crowd was mostly white and some few black Germans and Brazilians. There were songs and dances for each Orisa and that night Osun, Iyansan and Ogun came down to possess the initiates. They danced, they spoke and they offered blessings. The crowd in this place was educated, writers, film makers, anthropologists, etc. many of whom are initiated. They paid obeisance to the gods and we all danced. The officials who address the gods all spoke YORUBA. These were not Yoruba people. I later introduced myself to the Pai de Santo, the priest, and he showered me with that special honour and attention given to me as a Yoruba woman and as a person from the home of Osun, Igede. Since then, I have had several requests from the devotees to be taught Yoruba. Writing further, Mrs Fatoye- Matory said: ‘Folks, in the 21st C., Yoruba religion is becoming a World Religion and the torch bearers are not Yoruba people. Either in Cuba, Brazil, or many cities such as Miami, New York, Berlin, Port of Spain and Lisbon, our gods and goddesses are marching on in spite of the desertion by their children, without the advantages of missionaries or The Book. I met two Danish guys who came from Copenhagen to attend the ceremony. They are initiated even though there is no temple in Denmark yet. Yoruba people – obviously the likes of Bishop Makinde – are spreading Abrahamic Religions around the world; some of them are mutilating their names to get

rid of the evidence of their families’ ancestral Orisas. Many refuse to teach Yoruba to their children. Europeans and Latin Americans of all races are thirsting for our gods, language and traditions. Only Eledumare knows where this is going. One bit of hope is the response of Diaspora children. Across U.S. Colleges, many of them are interested in connecting to their roots. They are learning the languages of their ancestors and researching the traditions.’

‘Yes, indeed, my sister’, interjected Professor Akin Oyebode, a Law Professor of international repute: ‘I recall watching the cultural troupe of Cuba in Moscow in 1967 rendering songs to Obatala, Sango and Yemoja in heavily Spanish-adulterated Yoruba but still somewhat understandable to my humble self. In fact, a former Cuban Ambassador once told me that the Yoruba religion and culture were more authentic in Cuba than Nigeria…So, I’m at one with you on the passion of the African Diaspora for their roots.’Now, has it occurred to our Bishop that the Yoruba culture and language are thriving in as far afield as Brazil, Cuba, Portugal, the West Indies –where there is a town called ‘Beokuta, according to our own WS -, even in the United States of America? Does he know that this ensures the indestructibility of the Yoruba language and culture even where, back at home, our elite no longer like to speak the language to their children because it is considered infradig if their 4-year old does not speak English?

Has it occurred to Bishop Bamidele that in an age when the Southwest is fervently preaching fiscal federalism and taking it gingerly to the national conference, only agriculture can dwarf tourism as our main source of revenue in Yoruba land? For purposes of whatever may be coming to some of our churches, if any, from the U.S, must we continue to denigrate that which is ours? Probably unknown to the Bishop, many of our states in the region have poured billions into tourism development and both Osun Osogbo and Ikogosi in Ekiti are already showing what a milch cow tourism could become for us.

And as a passing shot, our reverend gentlemen, not just the Bishop, should either be content with their tithes or remove their cassocks and join partisan politics.

They will be more than welcome

Aregbesola’s handling of Osun hijab saga laudable – Aremu

Worried by the crisis rocking the education sector of Osun State, an education expert and national pesident of Baptist High School, Iwo, Old Students Association, Prof. Oyesoji Aremu of the Faculty of Education, University of Ibadan, in this chat with Correspondent, OLADELE OGUNSOLA, counsels Governor Rauf Aregbesola to take another look at the issue. Excerpts…

As an educationist, could you give an overview of the unfolding events in the education sector in Osun?
Looking at it from the education point of view, what is going on currently in the industry is pathetic. For any progress and meaningful development of the child’s education to take place, the individual child must be taken holistically, in terms of cognitive, which is ability to perform in the school; psycho-motor, which talks about movement; and lastly the affective, which is the feeling of the individual child. Let us assume that learning is taking place because the children are still going to school and there is movement at least to their respective schools, but the affective domain has been badly affected since last year with the various policies of the government. From last year, with the introduction of same uniform for all the school, followed by the merger of schools, the affective domain as said has been problematic.

Could you explain how did all these become problem for school children?
Fine, unless all these factors mentioned above are addressed, there is no way effective and productive learning can take place. When you talk about the same uniform for all the schools, what you are saying is that individual schools should lose their identity, and this in a way has its attendant psychological function because a lot of pride, affection and passion are attached to each school’s identity which is why you see old students of some of the schools kicking against the policy.
Come to the issue of schools merger, you are eroding the culture and values of each of the schools so merged. All the schools at the level of establishment by the founding fathers had peculiar culture and orientation as well as school’s colour as reflected in the choice of uniform; all that is gone with the merger. Then, you talk about the environment; it is just natural that with change of environment, there is a psychological problem occasioned by process of adjustment. This in a way has a role to play in the process of learning. What’s more, the situation becomes worse when the environment becomes non-receptive to those coming in; this can lead to serious set-back in learning. The children that are asked to move, the question to ask is, are the host receptive of them? New environment takes a long time before it becomes adaptable due to what is called stimulus control. The children must be used to the environment before adjustment can take place. The attendant effect of all these is that if a child is not emotionally and psychologically balanced, learning in the true sense of the word will not take place. It doesn’t mean that children will not be going to the school or they are not going to the school; they are going, but, is the purpose for which they go to school being achieved, if learning is not taking place in its true sense? You would recall that the resumption to the schools in Osun at the beginning of the current session had to be postponed. But would WAEC/NECO postpone their examinations starting in April this year? What becomes of the syllabus which would have suffered as a result of the postponement? It is certain that the syllabus would not be covered, and if covered, it means the teachers would rush through, which would affect the performance of the children during the examinations. This is what we are saying.

Your alma mater, Baptist High School, Iwo, has attracted special mention in the ongoing crisis. How do you feel as an old student?
As an old student, I remember the legacy and the training, discipline, standard in us and I feel bad as an old student that we are in the news for bad reasons. I feel bad that my school is not being talked about as one with the best result; a hitherto notable school for sporting activities is not being talked about as having excelled in sporting activities again, but being portrayed as a school where indiscipline is rife, where students put on hijab, choir robe, minister’s cassock, where masquerade now comes to learn. It is absurd, very agonising that all the legacies I enjoyed are now being eroded. School is for learning, students now see one another as enemies. During our days, we had Muslim Students Society (MSS); all the students saw themselves as one. During the Ramadan fast, the early morning food is usually provided for the Muslim students and we all sang from the Songs of Praise (SOP). It is very sad as things have now turned out to be; they have jettisoned the legacy of the founding fathers.

Owing to the charged atmosphere in the school, security agents were alleged to have taken over the school’s premises, even with the school in session. What’s the implication of this on teaching and learning?
It was not an allegation, but the exact situation, because as the current president of the Old Students’ Association, I was at the school personally and I saw the security agents with my own eyes. They might have left by now, I can’t say, but they were there as at the time I went there. Talking about the implication on teaching and learning, I can say with all emphasis that it is abnormal because none of this can effectively take place under tension. To me, it is as if we are having a version of Boko Haram insurgency at hand. Just as the school children in the Boko Haram-ravaged area are not sure of when their attackers will arrive, so also the children schooling at BHS under the tension of security agents. From the professional point of view, there are five ways of teaching, and the moment one of them is impaired, there is dislocation in learning. They are the environment, which must be conducive; the teachers, who must concentrate; the learners, who also need concentration; the resources, which must be available; and lastly, there must be emotional stability on the part of both the teachers and the learners. So, in your own view and if you agree with the importance of all these agenda as crucial to teaching and learning, would you say both the teachers and learners are in conducive environment where and when the security agents are breathing down on them? Would you say there is emotional stability on their parts as well? In a nutshell, the simple truth is that learning could not be said to be effectively taking place under such environment. In the 80s, when we were there, we enjoyed ourselves to the fullest because all we just mentioned were in place and, to the glory of God, we were prepared for what we are today. It thus calls for concern among educationists as well as among serious old students, who genuinely have the love of the school at heart.

Aside your visit as the head of the old students, what other areas are you intervening in the affairs of the school?
We are not just starting. During re-union last year, our association donated computer, renovated the school library and other sundry things to ensure that the old glory of the school is returned. We are not stopping at the tangibles alone; we also made our voice heard after the meeting last year, especially on the issue of same uniform policy of the state government. As far as we are concerned, uniform is an identity and it goes with school colour. All these create an identity and a kind of bond among the students of the same school. They give it self-esteem; it is a leveller, and the moment you take all these psychological attributes associated with them away, then, you can talk about the attendant problems associated with the same uniform policy, as it makes identification of schools impossible. The implication is that all forms of indiscipline school children are associated with can take place without getting to know which particular school an offender belongs to. What if students go for sporting activities, debate and other extra-curricular activities, how do you identify the participating schools? What if there is post-competition crisis, how do you identify the schools involved? One can go on and on.

You said you had MSS in your school during your days, how come now that the same school is kicking against the use of hijab by the female students?
The problem is not about the school, but the government that refuses to be consistent. I will tell you why and how. In February 2004, the Osun State Government released a booklet with the title ‘Guidelines for School Administration and Discipline’, and Section 8.2.V states that hijab-wearing will be allowed in Muslim schools; and that where a student chooses not to wear, she shall not be compelled. Unfortunately, up till now, there has not been any other booklet to counter the one under reference. So, it is the government that is violating the letters of the document. Let the government answer these questions: Is hijab part of the official school uniform? Does the government distribute hijab alongside uniform to students?

So, what is the position of your association on the wearing of hijab among the students?
Our position is simple: whatever you put on the school uniform, remove and keep in your bag when you get to the school gate. Any student that goes contrary to that should be disciplined.

How do you assess the government’s response to the crisis?
I will say it is commendable. The visit of the governor to my old school in Iwo showed him as a listening governor. His response on the hijab was non-committal when he said his administration did not approve or disapprove wearing of hijab in schools. My understanding of such response is that it is a non-issue. All said and done, the government, as noted earlier, should be concerned about the quality of education. The parents also should be concerned about the number of teachers we have in schools, the state of school libraries and laboratories as well as the quality of teaching being given by the teachers. It is sad that we now only have parents’ conference and the usual PTA (Parent Teacher Association) no more in place. It is wrong. Parents are not the only stakeholders in the schools’ administration. The system should be decentralised. The governing board system should be brought back. At the association level too, we know that we have serious work at hand. We are disturbed and disillusioned with what we saw during our re-union last year. We are now more concerned that we should go back and re-orientate the students.

I donated land to Aregbesola for economic reasons – Adelekun

I donated land to Aregbesola for economic reasons – AdelekunWhen the late Apostle Oluwole Obadare died, Osun State Government tried to immortalise him by turning his burial ground into a tourist attraction centre. Now, Odo-Iju, Ijesa, a community has attempted to attract Christian religious tourism through the donation of wide expanse of land to the Osun State Government for building a worship centre that will have capacity to accommodate at least 200,000 worshipers at a time.  This is coming at a time the State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola is being criticised and accused of implementing a religious agenda. MICHAEL OLANREWAJU was among journalists that engaged the Loja Odo-Iju, Ijesha, Adedoyin Adelekun on the proposed worship centre to be built in Odo-Iju ijesha.

Governor Aregbesola is being criticized for planning to build a worship center in Ibodi, Odo-Iju.    Why is this so?
I don’t know the cause of their criticism because I don’t see anything unusual in what our governor is doing.
Is it appropriate for government to dabble into this venture?
What is inappropriate about it? I don’t see anything inappropriate about it.
It was reported that during a particular school endowment programme, the Governor said something about the project. What is your view and how did you come into this project?
Thank you. That is a different thing entirely. I am a member of Ilesha Grammar School old Students’ Association. I graduated from that school in 1964. Some of my seniors, the set that graduated in 1960 celebrated 50 years of graduation in December 2010, just a week after Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola became the Governor of the state and he was invited as a guest. The General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (TRCCG). Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye happened to be a member of that set and he was there. During the celebrations, Aregbesola was invited to give his remarks as the Governor.
He used the opportunity to appreciate members of the association for their innumerable contributions to society and since Pastor Adeboye of The Redeemed Christian Church Of God was there, he took the time to appreciate the man, more for what is happening at the Redemption Camp on Klm 46, Lagos-Ibadan expressway saying that he wished something like that could happen in Ijeshaland. He went into the history of Christianity in Ijesha land and emphasized that such a development would yield a better economic increase for the state and its environs. He noted, that though not a Christian, he observed that each time he passed through the Redemption Camp, millions of people will always gather at least once a month and this has a huge impact on the business of all those selling various merchandise.
So, if a quarter of that population could come into the state particularly in Ijesha land,  it would boost the economy. I was in attendance at that occasion and I held on to that point as a salient one. I have no personal relationship with the governor and I had not met with him at any time before then. I just saw in him an interest to help the people. So, I keyed into the request and on returning home, I discussed the idea with my chiefs, that if we could provide a land for such a project to be domiciled here, it will help us a lot by improving the economic status of our people. The chiefs reasoned along with me and agreed that it was a well-conceived idea. I then wrote a letter to the governor, that we are willing to donate, in view of what he said, free of charge, the required land for the project and that was how the thing started.
What was the governor’s response to the letter?
A few weeks later, I received a letter from the governor thanking me for my letter intimating him about the land donation, and stating that a commissioner would come around to take a look at the said piece of land. I immediately informed my community about the response from the governor, telling them that we must be prepared to partner with the Government as a  commissioner is coming to see what we have to offer them. The commissioner for Lands and Physical Development in the person of Architect Muyiwa Ige came and the whole community were there to welcome him. They told him there that they support the free donation of the land.
Don’t you think that other religious bodies would demand such donations?
Ah! If they demand the kind of Centre, if I have the land, I will give it to them. The main thing we shouldn’t forget is the intention of the governor. The governor is not a Christian and his intention is that he appreciated what Adeboye is doing and the number of crowd he is pulling. He is looking at the effect such would have economically on his people among other things. If there is a Muslim community that holds meeting like that too that attracts a large gathering of people as well that has such economic benefits, if he talks to me, I will give him a land in the same vein because he is thinking of his people and their economic gains as well.
You’ve made mention of the economic importance. Does it really make sense to destroy farmlands and construct a worship centre?
It makes sense. I will tell you why it makes sense. These farmlands you refer to, let’s look at it. Economically, what are these lands yielding compared to the end result of building a worship centre? Some of the people who cultivate these lands do not make annual returns and if they make at all, it is so little. As the monarch, I collect isakole (tribute) from the people ranging from N1,000 to N 2,000 per annum and I can’t  even say I take up to N 100,000 isakole from that
district per annum. So, what I told them when I met with them based on the meagre isakole that I don’t even need in the first place but have to take as a monarch, was that when the worship centre is built, it would increase their earning power compared to the meagre sum they realize from the maintenance of the farmlands. Take for instance, a man whose wife sells soft drinks and in one day of meeting, can sell twenty crates of such unlike what peasant farming offers them.  What are they earning from this peasant farming? So, I don’t see it as destruction of farmland. What are they earning from the farm? That’s the question.
You said the land was given free. Recently, it was reported that the state government gave a compensation of N51million…
The governor is just trying to be passionate and kind to these people. There is a land use decree that says if the government want to use your land for something that would be of benefit to you, that it can be acquired without payment. But the government is just being compassionate and doesn’t want a situation where people will say their lands were destroyed without consideration like the question you asked about destroying farmlands. So, the number of cocoa, palm tree, and all the cash crops in there were counted and paid for nothing more which is allowed anyway because when the Federal Government is taking your land, they pay for cash crops. For which the people were grateful.
How does the traditional worshipper and Muslim faithful feel about this?
Well, my people and I are together. We understand ourselves. No one is complaining because any decision I take, I carry them along. We meet once a month and at that meeting, we discuss a lot of things- the progress of the town, what we need and so on. The Muslims, the Babalawos, Christians and everyone, we meet for the betterment of our community and we take decisions for the advancement of the community. Since two good heads are better than one, we make decisions together.
What are your expectations for the proposed worship centre?
My expectation is that the economic status of my community is going to be better. My community is a small one and I know that if the project spreads and becomes a city, it will spread even beyond to the whole of Ijeshaland and become giants economically.
In your own view, how profitable do you think this project would be?
Are we talking about profit this time? We are looking at the benefit to our people. The government is not making anything out of it. The governor is looking at the long-term benefit to the people. Give them another 2-3 years and you will see the difference entirely.
 Religious crisis is looming in the state with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), confronting the government on the wearing of hijab and other religious regalia in secondary schools. Are you and other Kabiyesis planning to meet with the governor and other religious leaders on how to solve this?
As far as we are concerned, we Kabiyesis don’t get ourselves involved in the state issue. All we know is, we control our own people and once our different communities are peaceful, there is no need to get involved with state issues.
Lastly sir, what is your opinion about the education policy of the governor Rauf Aregbesola? Do you want some aspects of the policy changed?
Like I said earlier, I don’t have anything against his policy. He is doing perfectly well as far as educational policy is concerned, there is nothing more one could ask for than a governor who is doing what is good for his people.
Let me quickly chip in this. It is possible that the governor may be discouraged with the criticism of the proposed worship centre, what are your words of encouragement for him?
I said earlier that we see the governor as someone who has vision and the interest of the people at heart. So, why should he feel discouraged? You know what you want, and you are focused, don’t get discouraged. It’s just like someone trying to discourage me from donating the land. But since I know that it is for the benefit of even the generations yet unborn, I will say to the governor, he is a visionary leader and he should not get discouraged. He should just carry on with his visionary leadership and when the results show, these same people who have tried to discourage him  will come back to praise the work.

Still on Osun State and the Jihadist

Still on Osun State and the Jihadist

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AREGBESOLA must know that he is on his way out. If this man who held sway as the commissioner for works in Lagos State for eight long years at a stretch with the budget for the ministry being in trillions of Naira (a budget that is bigger and fatter than the budget for the whole of Osun state); and in the end he has nothing to show for it, then I don’t see him achieving much in Osun State. It follows therefore, that Aregbesola cannot do much for his people. It is obvious that with the cumulative budget for four years being not up to five hundred billion naira, the people of Osun should not expect any proactive moves from him. If he could not achieve anything with that huge budget for a mere ministry in Lagos state, then the people should not expect his administration to touch their lives positively. No wonder he has plunged them into religious turmoil?
Is it not obvious that it is a planned strategy to distract the people, simply because he knows his government is not transparent and would not be able to account for the squandering of their limited resources? With less than 500 billion Naira at his disposal, he cannot, in four years, do any meaningful thing for the people of Osun. Let us do a simple arithmetic here. It is out of this amount that he would build schools and hospitals and furnish them. It is also out of this amount that he would pay salaries and fund housing, sports and build roads. It is out of this amount also that he would fund over 10 important ministries; and also make sure that he caters for his cronies and political leaders. It is because he is so financially handicapped that he has resorted to propaganda as well as cheap ad hoc/crash programmes to cover up his failure.
How can a sitting governor, who is hard working indulge in such irrelevancies, as the renaming of a state; is it a new name that will put food on the table of an average Osun person? This is a state, which is part of a federation, yet, despite his illegal act, he is still accusing the presidency of short-changing the other tiers of government in the monthly allocation for both the states and the local government areas. Should the states not put in place solid economic policies, which would make them independent of the Federal Government so they could fend and cater for their people? Should Aregbesola not be the spearhead of such a policy, to justify his clamour for an “independent” state? He has conveniently forgotten that Osun state like any other state in the federation is absolutely subject to the federal government, firstly, as stated in the constitution, and also by the financial dependence on the central government, through the federal allocations. I marvel each time I consider the actions of this egocentric governor who sits atop the affairs of Osun State and wonder why he is not being realistic. This is a state that can hardly fend and cater for itself and its people without the absolute dependence on the federal government through the monthly jackpot known as federal allocation, and yet this confusionist of a governor is doing all he can to rubbish what great Yoruba heroes have done by his actions which is a play out of the script written by his political leaders..Osun state today is unarguably one of the five poorest states in Nigeria going by the facts on the ground and the economic and financial indices of the past thirteen years. In view of the foregoing, is it not obvious why he is using religion to cause disruption in the state? He has nothing to offer, he cannot see his way through the muddle because he simply has no clue of how to run the state. No wonder he is using the fight or flight survival strategy!
— Mr. Babatunde wrote in from tundedisuza@yahoo.com

I have a few questions for Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. Did he discuss with stakeholders before introducing this new policy? If he did, what are their responses? Did he listen only to the sycophants surrounding him in government? What he is toying with is dangerous. Religious was in the S/W is and evil wind that would do no one any good.
— Popoola Taiwo, Ibadan. 08058584692

I refer to the unsettled problem in Osun state raised in your column last week. The fault is from the chairman of CAN in the State. I see him as someone who lacks the spirit of God to wrestle against the principle of ungodliness. The Christian Association should go to Governor Raufu Aregbeshola and ask him to return all schools to their owners; this is the solution, instead of Christians fighting for what does not belong to them.
— Pastor Comfort Adebayo-Oyende. 08085441411

Our pioneer leaders went to public schools, and did well, says Aregbesola

…commissions Baptist School

Governor Rauf Aregbesola has stated that he will not renege on his efforts to restore the glory of public schools in Osun state and make it the citadel of learning. “Our pioneer leaders went to public school and they did well.”
He said that work is still going on in Osun and will not stop until his administration achieve her goal of making public schools in Osun places where pupils can get the kind of education that will place them at par with the very best in the world.  “This is our ultimate aim, and by the grace of God, and your support and understanding, we will realise this objective to the greater future of our children and our state,” Aregbesola told the people of Osun at the official commissioning of Baptist Central Elementary School, Ilare, Ile-Ife.
He said, “What we have brought to education in Osun, if we will not sound imodest, amounts to a revolution. Critics who will be honest should compare this new school and its facilities to what obtained when they went to school and what public schools have become of recent.
“ I am sure very few, if any private school can compare favourably with the schools we are building. Yet we are not competing with private schools.”
According to him, the role of private school is to complement and not displace government in the provision of certain essential services, stressing that our society has to do away with the notion that the government must necessarily fail in certain endeavours which must then be yielded to the private sector. Moreover, while insisting on quality education and conducive learning environment for students, the governor reiterated that  pioneer leaders who went to public schools did well in its ramifications.
He noted that preparing our children for the future is a responsibility that we must fulfill, adding that leaders will never be forgiven if they fail in  their responsibilities. According to him, the world around us is moving on; and at a pace that leaves no room for lack of seriousness or half-measures, especially with regard to education.
The education of our children, he warned, should not be a subject for petty squabbles or unhealthy politics about our narrow interests, adding, “if we are genuinely interested in the future of our children, we should bury our narrow concerns of today in order to assure for them a glorious tomorrow.” Upon this, he stated, “we will not be distracted from this objective even if it means stepping on toes, we are unstopable”
For the benefit of doubt, Aregbesola, however disclosed that the new school buildings are not for Muslims or for Christians, neither are they for adherents of any other religion, adding that they are for all children of Osun, regardless of their circumstances of birth.
On issue of religion, the governor said his efforts at revamping education never had a religious motive, but that he is motivated by the highest ideal of developing a complete personality who will be an asset to society as he would be for himself. “We are clearly neutral on religious observances,” he added.
Recalling his administration’s investment in education, Aregbesola said, “We have added 10,407 new teachers to the list of public school teaching staff in Osun. Thus, we now have 12,715 teachers in our primary schools and 7,848 teachers in our secondary schools. This amounts to a 54.8 per cent increase in the number of public school teachers we inherited. The same applies to non-teaching staff whose number has also increased by 564.
“As a result, the salaries and pensions of our primary and secondary school teachers now cost the government N16.8 billion and N10.3 billion respectively on an annual basis. On the free school uniforms, we expended N900 million, while the elementary school feeding programme costs N3.6 billion every year.
“On the supply of furniture to our schools, we have committed N2.5 billion so far, while we have spent N503 million on instructional materials which were not part of public school education before we assumed office. We have similarly increased school grants from N122 million to N856 million. Under our administration, WAEC fees have also shot up from N38 million to N400 million. We have also expended N1.2 billion on our pace-setting e-learning tablet, Opon-Imo.
“Along with building new schools, we are also renovating and upgrading some of the existing ones. On this we have spent N1.6 billion. On the new schools, we have committed N14.4 billion on capital projects, while our recurrent annual expenditure is N21 billion on elementary schools, and N13.43 billion on secondary schools. This amounts to per capita spending of N84,000 per elementary school pupil, and N30,000 per secondary school pupil. The total capital expenditure on all schools in the last three years outside new schools is N31.31 billion.”

INEC prosecutes 200 election offenders

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has revealed that no fewer than 200 people have been prosecuted for election offences since its Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, assumed office. It also promised that permanent voter’s cards would be used in this year’s Ekiti and Osun states governorship polls, culminating in the  2015 general elections.
Revealing this in Lagos yesterday, INEC National Commissioner and Ag. Chairman of Information & Publicity Committee, Dr. Chris Iyimoga, said that the commission takes the issue of election fraud seriously and has always taken offenders to court when security agencies conclude investigation.
He stated that whenever the police make arrests and complete investigation in cases of election rigging or other offences, INEC does not shy away from taking those involved to court.
The commissioner, who spoke at a programme entitled, “INEC engagement with media editors on election time table,” stated that the prosecution of election offenders had never been so good, as under the chairmanship of Prof Jega.
He stated: “INEC is saddled with the responsibility of handling this. INEC can’t take full charge in all cases. If there is crisis and people report it, it’s the responsibility of the police to take charge. After investigation and documentation, we can then step in. If there is no such documentation of investigation, there is nothing INEC can do.
“INEC can’t investigate. We can mete out punishment. It’s the police that will investigate before action will be taken. Investigation must be carried out properly before prosecution. INEC has prosecuted over 200 people for election offences since the coming of Prof Jega. It had never happened before.”
On how election fraud could be stopped, the INEC commissioner stated that measures were being taken to frustrate the works of election riggers.
He revealed that the commission would use the Ekiti and Osun states governorship elections as test cases, adding: “Now, ballot papers would be codified. There would be more polling units and each unit will get ballot papers specifically meant for it and equal to the number of voters on the register.”