Olabisi Deji-Folutile


I have on my table a protest letter from the Office of
the Secretary to the State Government, Office of the
Governor, State of Osun. The main complaint in
that letter is that the PUNCH titles have not been fair
to Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola in their reports.
There is no point defending PUNCH on this. From my
experience as an editor, this is a common complaint,
especially from politicians. I can’t count the number
of times that both the Peoples Democratic Party and
the All Progressives Congress have accused PUNCH
of working for the opposition. To an average Nigerian
politician, any story that does not favour his
political party or members is sponsored.
The state government’s protest letter
notwithstanding, I can’t help but bare my heart on
the current imbroglio in Osun State between the
government and its lecturers on the one hand, and
the state and its doctors on the other.
Indeed, for the people of Osun, it has been a circus
show since the election of the “financial engineer”
more than five years ago. First, the governor
slashed tuition drastically at the state-owned
university, Osun State University, and refused to
provide funds for running the institution. Not too
long after, the institution’s lecturers went on strike
because the state couldn’t pay their salaries.
Again, the governor merged about 850 secondary
schools in the state into 70, in what he described as
the “Omoluabi Essence.” By that merger, Christian
schools were merged with Muslim colleges where
the mode of dressing involves the wearing of hijab.
That also created problems. At some point, some
students dressed as masqueraders to school to prove
a point. It was really confusion galore!
In October last year, there were rumours that the
state was planning to merge all its colleges of
education. This was also greeted with many protests.
Though the state debunked the reports, the sacking
of lecturers in some of the colleges of education has
further fuelled the rumour of merger.
Last Friday, 141 members of the Academic Staff
Union of Polytechnics and Non-Academic Staff Union
in the state-owned tertiary institutions were laid off.
The dismissed workers were said to be victims of the
ongoing controversial merger of tertiary institutions
in the state. The two institutions affected are the
Osun State College of Education, Ila-Orangun and
Osun State College of Education, Ilesa.
But, the lecturers refused to collect their
termination letters. Under normal circumstances,
this should be regarded as an act of gross
insubordination. To compound the problem, other
lecturers in the state, in a bid to support their own,
have embarked on an indefinite strike.
Probably, as a way of saving the governor from an
imminent embarrassment, the Speaker of the State
House of Assembly, Mr. Najeem Salam, suspended
the lecturers’ sacking. He asked the provosts of the
institutions, their governing councils, as well as
officials of the ministry of education, ASUP and
CEASU to appear before the House to resolve the
issues.
But, interestingly, authorities of these institutions
told the House that government had nothing to do
with the workers’ dismissal. According to them, the
affected workers were dismissed due to redundancy,
inappropriate qualification, poor academic
development and declining productivity, among
other reasons.
Agreed that some of the reasons adduced for the
workers’ dismissal could be true, isn’t it strange that
the managements had to wait this long before taking
a decision on these people? It is also interesting that
different tertiary institutions are giving similar
reasons for taking similar steps when there are no
records of joint meetings of both institutions on
same agenda at any point in time.
The truth is the school authorities may need to
invent another lie for the discerning and intelligent
members of the society.
As things stand now, if I were to be in Ogbeni
Aregbesola’s shoes, I would simply embrace the
political resolution that the House of Assembly has
graciously offered. I will drop the idea of sacking the
lecturers.
Already, Governor Aregbesola is fast losing the
respect of the state’s workforce. He is going through
what some lazy husbands that constantly crave for
respect when they can’t do things that confer respect
on men go through every time. No woman respects
any man that delights in giving excuses for failure.
Any government that can’t pay its workers has failed.
Respect is earned. One of the things that confer
honour on responsible men is their ability, not only
to provide the basic necessities of their families, but
to also satisfy some of their indulgences. Someone
once told me that his wife changed his name to “My
Lord’’ when he landed a mouth-watering job.
Recently, she changed his name to “My International
man” when his salary was doubled.
For now, Governor Aregbesola remains a
“weightless” governor. He can’t command the respect
of the state’s workers. Though he has consistently
tried his best to convince his people that their
present predicament is a function of the global
meltdown, workers who are being owed months of
salaries have refused to be persuaded.
How can they when they see their governor live a
life of opulence every day? The governor and his
family use a private helicopter funded by the state to
travel across the states of the federation.
Who would respect an employer who has turned
them to beggars? Lots of workers in Osun State are
welfare candidates in some churches and mosques.
Some have even been forced to sell their property
to pay their children’s school fees.
Right now, the governor is facing another set of
recalcitrant workers in the state doctors. They are on
strike and have ignored the governor’s threat to
dismiss them. Two times, the striking doctors
ignored the governor’s ultimatum for them to return
to work.
These are doctors who embarked on strike to protest
the government’s decision to pay them half salaries.
On Thursday, it was reported that the positions of
the doctors were advertised. But, the Nigerian
Medical Association has told medical doctors in the
country to shun the jobs being advertised by the
state government.
Meanwhile, the Medical and Dental Consultants
Association of Nigeria at Ladoke Akintola University
of Technology Teaching Hospital, jointly owned by
Oyo and Osun states, has started an indefinite strike.
How many battles would the governor fight?
Unfortunately, he seems to find it convenient to be
a lone ranger. Almost a year after he was sworn in
as a second-term governor, Ogbeni has yet to
constitute his cabinet. Sincerely, this is not the time
for the governor to flex his muscles.
The governor can’t afford any further distractions. He
needs all the time that is available for retrospection
and projections. He should start by constituting a
credible think tank that can proffer solutions to the
economic problems staring the state in the face.
Government has a duty to ensure that the basic
needs of its citizens are met. A workman deserves
his wages. So, it is part of the governor’s
responsibilities to pay his workers’ full salaries. While
the state may not directly provide food, shelter and
other basic needs for the people, it should at least
provide an environment where the people can
thrive.
The Japanese railway authorities are keeping a train
station in a remote village in North Island of
Hokkaido because of only one passenger – a high
school student. According to Straits Times, the only
two trains that stop in this village do so because of
this girl.
Three years ago, the Japan Railway Company decided
to shut down the station. But it reversed the decision
after it was discovered that a young girl used the
train to go to school every day. They are running the
station pending the time this girl will finish high
school.
Talk of a responsible and responsive government. A
government should be ready to go the extra mile for
its people, not bullying them after failing to pay
them their salaries.

www.punchng.com/ogbeni-aregbesola-this-is-no-time-to-flex-your-muscles/


Cc:Myn44
lalasticlala
Seun

they voted apc let them enjoy


I'm sure they won't make the mistake again they voted apc let them enjoy


I'm sure they won't make the mistake again

they voted apc let them enjoy


I'm sure they won't make the mistake again

The man lacks humility... He never begs.. that's bad!!
Pride kills..

tempem:
The man lacks humility... He never begs.. that's bad!!
Pride kills..

I tell u.... A proud man

Aregbe is a "change" agent like the Duara tyranny, let Osunites lay on the bed majority of them made.

Anyone u cannot handle u hand over 2 God, funny enuf HE deals with pple in such a way dat even u(d reporter) will begin 2 pity dem. So Aregbee shud b reported 2 God asap... may God visit on his haushold in double fold what he is making Osun civil servants to go thru

Simplymeah:
Anyone u cannot handle u hand over 2 God, funny enuf HE deals with pple in such a way dat even u(d reporter) will begin 2 pity dem. So Aregbee shud b reported 2 God asap... may God visit on his haushold in double fold what he is making Osun civil servants to go thru

We ve handed him ova to GOD

End time Governor