AREGBESOLA IN FRESH TOUGH OPPONENT TUSSLE

The political atmosphere of the ‘State of the Virtuous’ is becoming daily interesting and scientific as democracy continues to evolve and blossom. Watchers of the political evolution would see that contrary to the ideological divide of the West versus the East, the Capitalists versus the Socialists, the Bourgeoisie versus the Proletariat of the global bi-polar politics of the past swept away by Globalization, what we have in Osun is the “Renegades” versus Loyalist.”

This categorization became evident in lieu of the critical examination of the press conference held on Saturday, July 18, 2015 at the Correspondents’ Chapel Secretariat in Osogbo by the human rights activist, Yinka Odumakin and the governorship candidate of the Accord Party in the last August 9, 2014 governorship election in Osun State, Barrister Niyi Owolade on behalf of a group called ‘Osun Stakeholders’ on its planned summit in Osogbo on Thursday, July 23, 2015.

The renowned activist, Mr. Yinka Odumakin at the conference accused the State Governors, Rauf Aregbesola of deliberately accumulating “needless debts” for their states by raising bonds to finance capital projects that are meant to provide essential social services. He explained that raising

bonds for rehabilitation of roads that cannot be tolled and construction of classrooms and health care facilities when most states run free -education and health services was an indication that right ideas are no longer being employed in governance. He mentioned how rare ingenuity of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, when he was the Premier of the defunct Western Region, helped to reduce budget for the construction of classrooms across the region, as means of cutting cost, without lowering the quality of the buildings, opted for usage of bricks in place of more expensive, but less durable cement blocks.

Odumakin, also blamed the myriads of economic problem woes facing Osun in recent times on lack of right ideas in managing its affairs and stressed that this made concerned indigenes to organise the summit, where issues affecting collective destiny of the state will be dissected and solutions proffered to them. He added that the summit was not meant to apportion blame or score cheap political points, but organised to assist those in government tackle some of the problems that are proving too difficult.

The National and State Assemblies legislators from Osun State under the aegis of Osun Legislators’ Forum led by Hon, Mrs Ayo Omidiran (Irewolede/Isokan/Ayedaade Federal Constituency of Osun.

State),accompanied by Hon. Ajibola Famurewa of Ijesa South Federal Constituency, Hon. Prof. Mojeed Alabi of Ede North/ Ede South/ Ejigbo/ Egbedore Federal Constituency Hon. Amere of Iwo/Ola Oluwa Federal Constituency as well as Hon. Olatunbosun Oyintiloye of Obokun State Constituency as the representative of the Speaker of the State House of Assembly and members who were absent as a result of the Speakers birthday celebration .

Addressing a press conference at the State Correspondents’ Chapel Secretariat in Osogbo on Saturday, August 8, 2015 led by Hon, Mrs Omidiran stated that they would hold a conference at the Women and Child Care Initiative Foundation (WOCDIF) Centre in Osogbo on Monday, August 10, 2015 to deliberate on how to liberate the state from the present situation. She added that the conference is aimed at salvaging the state government from the present predicament whereby its being unable to pay workers and pensioners salaries resulting in negative publicity.

According to the legislators, “The state of Osun is in dire straits. It is true that our state is going through hard times. Workers and Pensioners are owed many months’ salary and infrastructural
development projects have come to a halt. The conference is to serve as an avenue to deliberate on the state of our state, interact with all stakeholders including but not limited to, all past governors and their deputies, technocrats and artisans, labour unions and Non-Governmental Organisations, traditional rulers and market women. The Governor will explain in clear terms and plain language during his submission, the what, when, why and how. He will answer all our questions and lay all his cards on the table.

They however promised to make recommendation that would help the state government, saying : “We shall together, by the grace of God the almighty, proffer lasting solutions to the myriad of problems
confronting our dear state; thereby ensuring the continuation and completion of all the laudable people friendly programmes already started by the administration of Ogbeni Aregbesola. Recalling how Governor Aregbesola was paying workers and pensioners salaries as at when due, including 13 months bonus, sponsoring civil servants for training- within the country and abroad, the legislators urged the people to fear God and not to be mischievous.

Also, the legislators explained that the conference is different and not in response to the one held in Ile-Ife about two weeks ago, adding that: “This is not for political party alone.” On the issue of some people expressing disappointment in the Governor saying he is in quagmire and has resigned to fate, the legislators said that it was stated in the context of requesting for help from the people after he had consulted the top hierarchy of the workers and party on the challenge posed by poor allocation whereby he found it difficult to pay workers and pensioners after he had stopped work o infrastructural development with emphasis on road construction without getting any response. To them, Nigerians should appreciate a politician speaking the truth instead of liars that would always
deceive them that all is well. The governor is an ordinary mortal. He is not and he has never claimed to be super human.

While political pundits accused the Legislators of being spurned into organizing the conference by the Ife summit, the Legislators disclosed that the initial wrangling and intense politicking in the National Assembly after electioneering and subsequent proclamation of the Assembly could not avail them the opportunity of holding the conference earlier than the summit. Moreover, they argued that a good conference needs proper planning that will involve a wide range of the society as the representatives of the people, However, one thing paramount to and established by the convener of the summit and conference is that Osun State have some teething problems that required stakeholders deliberation to appraise and solved.

Another crux observed by political pundits is the modalities for participation in the summit and conference respectively. Giving the modalities the summit will take, former Osun state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Chief Niyi Owolade, said 250 delegates that will include all former governors, huNational and State Assembly Members from the state were invited.
Owolade said both ruling All Progressive Congress, (APC), and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), will nominate 20 delegates each, while other political parties in the state will be represented by 20 delegates.

According to him, Governor Aregbesola and top officials of his administration were not given personal invitation to the summit, so as to, give the gathering no political inclination and
enable it achieve the already set goals. The governor, Owolade said, may attend the summit, if nominated among APC delegates.

The Legislators on the other hand said that their conference tagged “Osun Stakeholders’ Conference – Our State, Our Stake”, would bring stakeholders from present and past leaders, Labour leaders, representatives of market men and women, artisans, different guilds and associations, the academics, students’ unions, including religion leaders. The basic difference was that Governor Aregbesola as well as all the political appointees were expected. The conference expected not less than 1,000 people in attendance.

The observers rated the two as having basically the same modalities with a minute modification traceable to the political underpinnings of the organizers. One fact remained that the summit of Ile-Ife and the conference of Osogbo were viewed separately by critics in different perspectives.
While the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC),the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Najeem Folasayo Salaam, the member of the House of Representatives representing Ijesa South Federal Constituency of the State, Hon. Ajibola Famurewa , Comrase Waheed Lawal-the National Deputy Chairman (South West) of the National Conscience Party and a host of others sees the Ile-Ife summit as a gathering of “renegades”, the likes of the Chairman of Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun (CSCEO), Comrade Sulaiman Adeniyi Alimi and his group sees the Osogbo conference as a jamboree of Aregbesola “loyalists” whose interest is defence the ruling APC in the state.

In their reaction on Sunday, July 19, 2015 through the Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, Barr. Kunle Oyatomi called on security agents to be doubly alert and keep a close watch on the so-called ‘Summit on Education and Finance’ planned for Thursday, July 24, 2015 in Osogbo by Senator Iyiola Omisore, the Osun PDP and its surrogates – Osun Stakeholders.

According to APC, the Summit is a ploy intended to beat security and create the atmosphere for mayhem, which the security agencies had foiled on several occasions of what it regarded as the inhuman, obnoxious policies of the Governor. The APC also alleged that they have it on good authority that the purpose of the Summit is to create an atmosphere conducive to chaos and that the majority of those who will attend that summit are PDP thugs, criminals, and vandals.

“The citizens of Osun should not be deceived and ‘we appeal to security agencies not to put down their guards, because the PDP in its desperation will clutch at any straw to create mayhem and the Thursday’s summit is one of them’, the APC said. The Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Najeem Folasayo Salaam described the summit as renegades’ assemblage. He said, “I can’t be part of a summit whose report is predetermined to smear the personality of an individual who the promoters believe would forever constitute a clog to their plan to hijack power in the state for their selfish interest.

I think the profiles of those who are calling the summit suggests the coming together of renegades who hate Rauf Aregbesola’s gut, and right here I can tell you their three cardinal objectives: one, to hijack power in 2018 having lost out disgracefully in 2014; two, to wage campaign of calumny against the person of the governor; three, to sex up fictitious figures as our debt profile, expenditure and income arbitrarily.

So, you need to place the objective of Odumakins in proper perspective. ”If you care to know the grouse of Odumakins, read what Chief Ayo Opadokun said about him. For Muyiwa Oladimeji, I think some of my friends in Osogbo have given me the graphic of his person, and what do you expect from a man who has chosen to be an incurable reactionary?

The Chairman of Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEO), Comrade Adeniyi,Alimi Sulaiman described ‘the proposed summit as a political jamboree and wasting of meagre resources of the state where nothing meaningful would come out of and an afterthought of the criminally mismanagement of the allocations accrued to the state from Federation Account”. He added that, “it is regrettable that the coming of Aregbesola to the governance of the State has turned the State to where his (Aregbesola) Son’s Mother-in-Law, Mrs. Ayo Omidiran would be organizing a Summit and by implication, they have turned the State into family affairs.’

He declared that ‘Governor Aregbesola has been a curse to the state and her citizens, because the governor has destroyed economy of the state beyond redemption which made it difficult for the people to eat three square meals again. He maintained that “the present economy quagmire facing the State which made her not to be able to fulfil the common sense obligation of payment of salaries to its workforce and retires alike for period of six (6) to eight (8) months, and as well put the state into debt regime which no government has ever put Osun State into since its creation in August 27th,1991, is as a result of visionless and bad governance of Mr. Aregbesola.”

On why the summit was shifted to Ile-ife, former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Niyi Owolade, said the police prevented them from holding the summit. According to
Owolade: “We wrote to the police, informing them of our planned summit which we are entitled to as citizens, but the Commissioner of Police said we could not hold the summit. He alleged that political thugs who he described as ‘state boys’, have invaded Leisure Spring Hotel where the venue was earlier slated, and still remain at the premises till date.