₦airaland Forum

Osun: Adeleke has done it again

By Sarafa Ibrahim

When I opened my WhatsApp this morning (Friday), I saw an unusual message conveyed by just five words: "Adeleke has done it again". The message came from an unsaved number and out of curiosity, I probed to get the import of the message by asking the sender what has Governor Adeleke done again.

And the follow–up exchanges are as pleasing as intriguing. The message was from one of the thousands of active workers in Osun state who is seemingly impressed with the sustained commitment of Governor Adeleke to their welfare, which was topped with the recent approval by Governor Adeleke for the promotion of civil servants in the state.

In between our engagement, I paused a bit and tried to understand the significance of the Governor's latest gesture to workers in the state. I was deep in this thought when the bitter experience of career stagnation shared with me by a brother who is a civil servant a few years ago crossed my mind. This brother, although more tilted towards the All Progressives Congress (APC), bitterly lamented the cruel fate experienced under the party, which kept civil servants stagnated for several years as a result of no promotion.

The past was tortuous and horrible, and this clearly explains the message of the excited workers seeing the change in attitude towards their welfare and progressions by Governor Adeleke. The promise of career progression was one of the factors that enticed many to join the civil service and endure the series of challenges they encountered.

But the APC made a terrible mess of that promise, unfairly subjecting Osun workers to emotional and economic pains necessitated by the denial of moving the ladder in the service. Even when Gboyega Oyetola, the immediate past governor in the state, pretended to be interested in the growth of workers in the state by granting promotion to them in 2019, it did not go beyond the papers conveying them as he failed throughout his tenure to implement the financial consequence. In essence, it was an audio promotion carefully packaged to deceive Osun workers.

It took the intervention of Governor Adeleke to end the wait of the workers as he implemented the financial implication of the promotion done by Oyetola in May 2023. So, this latest effort is in continuation of his unwavering commitment to the welfare of workers, and demonstrates the interest of the Governor in their situations, particularly at a time like this.

In a statement by his Spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, Governor Adeleke said the promotion exercise reaffirms the commitment of his administration to workers welfare. He went on to note that the exercise is unarguably in line with the pursuance of No1 of the 5-Point Action Plan of his administration, which is giving the welfare of public servants topmost priority.

But he didn't stop there as Governor Adeleke was quoted to have said that "I assure all civil servants that the public service reform is on course. We will deliver on a fully professionalized public service. I congratulate the beneficiaries. I urge you to show deeper passion for public service. Our government will ensure the required opportunity for all to operate and display their spirit of service to the state."

From the Governor's words, it was clear that he's not stopping in making sure that civil servants enjoy every due benefit so as not only to make them comfortable but also to motivate them for increased efficiency. No doubt, a happy civil service will translate to improved outputs, which will in turn benefit the people of the state and its economy.

Since assuming office, Governor Adeleke has shown sincere efforts at addressing past maltreatment suffered by the active workers as well as the senior citizens. Between when he assumed the mantle of office and now, Governor Adeleke has paid five months out of the 30 months half salary owed to workers. This was something his predecessor found so hard to do all through his 48–month stay in office despite serving in the administration that incurred the wage-related debt.

It is also worth noting that Osun is on the list of about 15 states out of the 36 states in Nigeria that are paying wage awards for civil servants and pensioners as a measure to cushion the impact of the removal of fuel subsidy. For pensioners, Governor Adeleke has been somewhat incredible because Osun is the first and only state in Nigeria with comprehensive healthcare coverage for senior citizens in the whole of Nigeria. All thanks to Governor Adeleke, pensioners in Osun state no longer have to worry about the cost of managing their health as it will be entirely shoulder by the government.

But that isn't all, because Governor Adeleke has been faithfully working to clear the mountain of pension liabilities inherited and bring to an end the long wait for earned entitlements of people who dedicated their most active lives to the service of the state. At the last count, over N20 billion has been expended in bond payments and associated benefits of pensioners, and in a matter of days, some other beneficiaries will join the list of senior citizens touched.

The long and short of it all is that Governor Adeleke is a fair leader whose interest in the welfare of the people can hardly be quantified. And just as the follow–up exchanges of the person who sent the message to me portrayed, he is desirous of improving the situation of not just workers, but the entirety of the people of the state. But before I go, I like to allay the fear of our APC people that this promotion approved by Governor Adeleke won't follow the 'audio' version of Oyetola's promotion, but one that will be followed to the letters. And it won't take much longer for workers to begin to enjoy the financial benefits that come with it.

• Sarafa Ibrahim is a Special Assistant to the Osun State Governor on Print Media.

It is not surprising that the author of this concoction choose to hide, because it is nothing to be proud for. What the lies and distortions against Mallam Olawale Rasheed has shown so far is that is pen of truth and logic is daily tearing out the foundation of lies and damages done by the ruinous elements of yesterday. The record of Mallam Olawale Rasheed with the Nigerian Tribune is as clear and day and that was why he made great career progress in his over 20 years service with the platform. It is those cooking lies about him that are finding it hard to point to any noticeable achievements in their career, having to kowtow to the whims and caprices of failed politicians.

Osun State House of Assembly members elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on leaders and delegates to submit themselves to peaceful conducts as the Southwest Congress holds on Monday, April 12, 2020.

This call was contained in a jointly issued statement by the Minority Leader, Hon Kofoworola Babajide Adewunmi, Hon Adewumi Adeyemi IREKANDU, and Hon Olaniran Akanfe Atidade.

The lawmakers acknowledged contest as a critical part of democracy, however, urged every stakeholder involving in the process to let the progress of the party be the ultimate objective.

"As delegates elect a new set of Executives for our great party, PDP, in Southwest, we want to impress on leaders and candidates to embrace peace and make sure the exercise set the path for a united party," the statement noted.

"We are not unaware of the interests that the Congress is attracting, particularly from respected leaders on both divides, however, we call on every stakeholder to think through their roles and make sure that they unite and not divides.

"Knowing well how much damage divisions had caused the PDP, we pledge our total support to a peaceful exercise that will produce officials that will lay the foundation for a strong and virile party in the Southwest as we gradually inch closer to 2022 when governorship election will hold in Ekiti and Osun states respectfully and the general election in 2023.

"As such, we ask candidates to demonstrate an act of sportsmanship while we call on whoever emerges victorious to be magnanimous in bringing every interest together to move the party forward in the zone."

The lawmakers further urged everyone participating in the Congress to abide by COVID-19 regulations and not allow themselves to be used in any way to disrupt the process.

Signed:
Hon Kofoworola Babajide Adewunmi,
Minority Leader, Osun State House of Assembly.

Follow @HonKofoworola

SW Congress: Osun Assembly caucus sue for peaceful exercise, tasks stakeholders on ensuring a united PDP

Osun State House of Assembly members elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on leaders and delegates to submit themselves to peaceful conducts as the Southwest Congress holds on Monday, April 12, 2020.

This call was contained in a jointly issued statement by the Minority Leader, Hon Kofoworola Babajide Adewunmi, Hon Adewumi Adeyemi IREKANDU, and Hon Olaniran Akanfe Atidade.

The lawmakers acknowledged contest as a critical part of democracy, however, urged every stakeholder involving in the process to let the progress of the party be the ultimate objective.

"As delegates elect a new set of Executives for our great party, PDP, in Southwest, we want to impress on leaders and candidates to embrace peace and make sure the exercise set the path for a united party," the statement noted.

"We are not unaware of the interests that the Congress is attracting, particularly from respected leaders on both divides, however, we call on every stakeholder to think through their roles and make sure that they unite and not divides.

"Knowing well how much damage divisions had caused the PDP, we pledge our total support to a peaceful exercise that will produce officials that will lay the foundation for a strong and virile party in the Southwest as we gradually inch closer to 2022 when governorship election will hold in Ekiti and Osun states respectfully and the general election in 2023.

"As such, we ask candidates to demonstrate an act of sportsmanship while we call on whoever emerges victorious to be magnanimous in bringing every interest together to move the party forward in the zone."

The lawmakers further urged everyone participating in the Congress to abide by COVID-19 regulations and not allow themselves to be used in any way to disrupt the process.

Signed:
Hon Kofoworola Babajide Adewunmi,
Minority Leader, Osun State House of Assembly.
neyoclass09@gmail.com

Follow @HonKofoworola

SW Congress: Osun Assembly caucus sue for peaceful exercise, tasks stakeholders on ensuring a united PDP


Osun State House of Assembly members elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on leaders and delegates to submit themselves to peaceful conducts as the Southwest Congress holds on Monday, April 12, 2020.

This call was contained in a jointly issued statement by the Minority Leader, Hon Kofoworola Babajide Adewunmi, Hon Adewumi Adeyemi IREKANDU, and Hon Olaniran Akanfe Atidade.

The lawmakers acknowledged contest as a critical part of democracy, however, urged every stakeholder involving in the process to let the progress of the party be the ultimate objective.

"As delegates elect a new set of Executives for our great party, PDP, in Southwest, we want to impress on leaders and candidates to embrace peace and make sure the exercise set the path for a united party," the statement noted.

"We are not unaware of the interests that the Congress is attracting, particularly from respected leaders on both divides, however, we call on every stakeholder to think through their roles and make sure that they unite and not divides.

"Knowing well how much damage divisions had caused the PDP, we pledge our total support to a peaceful exercise that will produce officials that will lay the foundation for a strong and virile party in the Southwest as we gradually inch closer to 2022 when governorship election will hold in Ekiti and Osun states respectfully and the general election in 2023.

"As such, we ask candidates to demonstrate an act of sportsmanship while we call on whoever emerges victorious to be magnanimous in bringing every interest together to move the party forward in the zone."

The lawmakers further urged everyone participating in the Congress to abide by COVID-19 regulations and not allow themselves to be used in any way to disrupt the process.

Signed:
Hon Kofoworola Babajide Adewunmi,
Minority Leader, Osun State House of Assembly.
neyoclass09@gmail.com

Follow @HonKofoworola

Osun State House of Assembly Minority Leader, Honourable Kofoworola Adewunmi Babajide has congratulated Mr Sunday Bisi, on his ratification by the National Working Committee of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the Acting Chairman of the Osun State chapter of the party.

Hon. Kofoworola, who is the lawmaker representing Ede North State Constituency, described the decision of PDP NWC as timely and an important step in repositioning Osun PDP, urging Mr Bisi to use his new office to foster unity and work with relevant stakeholders to position the party for victory in elections.

He acknowledged Mr Bisi's passion and loyalty to the PDP and encouraged him to leave no stone unturned in swelling support base of the party, stressing that "we are confident in your capacity and look forward to taking over the government of the state under your leadership."

"Please accept my assurance and that of members of our great party, PDP, in my Constituency, to work with you in repositioning our party and delivering victory to it in elections," he added.

"It is, therefore, my prayers that, the Almighty God, shall guide you and give you the expected wisdom to direct the affairs of our party in this state and bring everyone together to work for the success of PDP in the 2022 governorship election and the 2023 general election.

"Congratulations and my best wishes."

By Ibrahim Sarafa

In any ideal society, the sight of security agents would bring comfort and high sense of safety for citizens. But here in Nigeria, the scenario is different, as the impunity of men in uniform constitutes grave danger to citizens.

This is the sad reality that Nigerians, especially youth, are frequently exposed to in the hands of Special Anti-robbery Squad, infamously known as SARS. While SARS is a special unit in the Nigerian Police and set up to curb violent crimes, such as robbery, kidnapping and other related crimes, it has turnaround to become a vicious and gruesome squad that is now dreaded by Nigerians.

Whether on the road or elsewhere, the conduct of SARS are no different from the criminal elements they were supposed to checkmate. As a result of their incessant harassments, and sometimes, maiming and extrajudicial killings, many Nigerians have lost trust in them and are wary to trust their safety on those who have become their tormentor.

That is something that has been going on for sometime now and public outcry for authority to do something, has received little or no attention. Just yesterday, many Nigerians took to the social media to highlight the varying abuses of SARS and impressed on the authority to reform or disband the unit that seem to have gone rogue.

This is because SARS has outlived its purpose, and worse, presents themselves as the same dangerous evil they are created to solve. Few weeks ago, three young Nigerians suffered fatal car crash in Osogbo, the Osun state capital, and lost their lives as a result of a hot chase from SARS officers, when there is nothing to suggest they are criminals.

That is the experience everywhere, and for sometimes now, stirred huge concern from Nigerians, who keep sounding to the hears of the authority that SARS should be disbanded. The impunity of SARS is horrendous as at any given opportunity, they inflict crude forces on citizens, and in some instances, reign bullets on Nigerians without justification.

Stories of Nigerians unlawfully picked up on the streets, beaten and extorted or maimed, were daily heard, leaving many people worried about their safety in the hands of those who should ideally protect them. SARS impunity and uncanny attitude have turned a nightmare for the people and this is quite evident in the outpour of criticisms against them by Nigerians, who are demanding for their end.

Disturbingly, SARS often view any successful young Nigerians as criminals, and in turn, harass, molest and forcefully extort them before they can gain their freedom. Those who choose to exercise their rights are subjected inhumane treatments, and sometimes, killed without any consequence.

Nigerians do not deserve to be terrorized by those who should protect them and make sure no arm comes their ways. With the outlook of SARS activities, it is certain that they are not interested in fighting crimes they were set up to do, but to use their firearms advantage to intimidate and inflict unbearable pains on Nigeria.

The pains they have wrought on Nigerians are quite huge and a review of the experience of people, which are daily shared on social media, is enough to know that #EndSARS is the only way out of this mess. If not, no one may be spared from the unending cruel and strong-arm tactics of SARS, and that will be too fatal for the country to bear.

Since SARS has shown overtime that it could not be trusted with the safety of Nigerians, then government should waste no time in dismantling the squad of terror. Enough of watching promising Nigerians lost to indisciplined lots, who think they are above board because they bear firearms.

Buhari made a vow to keep Nigerians safe, and having a unit of a security agent become a threat to citizens, is nothing but a blight he should not waste time to do away with. From the look of things, it is clear that SARS is averse to reforms and the most potent approach to bring an end to their rampaging impunity is to get the unit scrapped.

I joined millions of Nigerians in the call to #EndSARS so as to keep everyone safe from their recklessness and impunity.

Ibrahim Sarafa is a writer and can be reached via neyoclass09@gmail.com

Osun: Oyetola and his jokes of 'great strides'

By Ibrahim Sarafa

Last Friday was November 27 but it ended up reminding Osun people of how uninspiring an inept leadership could be. That day marked a year that Gboyega Oyetola took the saddle of Osun state, however, it left people of the state with nothing to cheer about. It was a boring celebration and I'm sure Oyetola knows this himself.

Though, his uninspiring performance in the first one year was not unexpected. Osun people were conscious enough to project abysmal progress under Oyetola and resoundingly rejected him at the poll. But the will of the people were violently circumvented and a callous and inept leadership was foisted on the people through 'remote control'.

The judiciary that ought to be the last hope of the common man, left Osun people more disappointed and devastated with pronouncements that failed to emphasize the sanctity of ballots to decide a leader in a democracy. Here, we are, and confronted with the reality. One year in the saddle and Oyetola has proven majority of Osun people who rejected his choice right.

When you look at the sluggish pace of things generally in the last one year, you'll be left with a sore taste of Oyetola's directionless government. Infact, it is not a thing to be celebrated and calls for sober reflections from citizens on the trajectory of the state under Oyetola.

It's hard to remember when last a governor left many with little or no prospect about his government with abysmal showing in a year. It is a sign that the man in the saddle lacks the emotional and intellectual capacity to find solutions to the myraid of challenges facing the people nor inspire confidence of his ability to deliver.

For the first time in Osun's democratic history, the people felt disjointed with the trajectory of the state, and the reason for their discomfort is right inside the broadcasted speech of Oyetola to commemorate his one year in office. Sound disturbing? Well, welcome to the rule of Oyetola, where "almost achieving" is dubbed "great strides".

If you take your time to study the speech of Oyetola well enough, you would probably understand the precarious situation of the state and get a sense that help is elusive. Osun is facing challenges on different fronts and that explained the vigorous push by the people to elect someone with genuine love and concern for them, that would work for them and not the pecuniary interests of a Lord and Master Ikoyi but their will was violently subverted.

Though, the pain of denying people their rights to decide who leads them is excruciating, it was made worse by the incoherence and distasteful performance of the man who was manipulated over them with brute force and legal technical shenanigans. Except for his politically correct stooges or those trying to curry favour from Oyetola who will not tell him the truth, every sane minded Osun indegene knows his performance in the last one year has been anything far from encouraging. Infact, he aggravated the disappointment of the people by throwing up non-existing, fictitious progress recorded under his predecessor and former boss.

That explained the low interest the broadcast generated among Osun people, who are left disappointed at the clear indication that nothing really changed. The truth, which almost every Osun indigene are well aware of, is that Oyetola was not showing any difference from his predecessor, Rauf Aregbesola, whose eight years in the saddle demonstrated, on multiple fronts, that he isn't interested in the welfare of the people.

For instance, Oyetola claimed in his speech that "we have begun a remarkable journey of deepening our economy and opening up opportunities to empower our people and create wealth" but this is something anyone living in or who knows Osun very well will find almost impossible to accept.
Also playing Aregbesola's trick on diversification when he declared that Osun is "moving gradually from excessive dependence on the Federal Allocation" and that "we have significantly improved our Internally Generated Revenue", is one thing that cannot easily fool Osun people.

If indeed, there had been 'significant' improvement in IGR, Oyetola should have simply pointed it out to Osun people and let them guage if really excessive reliance on federal allocation is dropping. Just few years ago, Aregbesola painted similar scenario to Osun people by claiming that IGR had grown to an impressive N1.5 billion monthly but it later turn to be inaccurate when National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data could not back up the claim.

This is not a time to throw up figures particularly in the face of the challenges posed by huge debts incurred by Aregbesola's government; of which Oyetola is an integral part of, had sunk Osun into. That fuelled expectations that Oyetola would brace up and look inward for alternate source of revenue considering that substantial amount of federal allocations goes to servicing debt. However, Oyetola is more concerned about fancy political statements than actually making the right impact.

From infrastructures to the socio-economic benefits for Osun people, the stories have not been different from the ugly tales that characterised the 8 years of Aregbesola. But Oyetola would rather ignore the pulse of the public and dish out self-assessed achievements that fails to tally with the reality. Whether in agriculture or infrastructural interventions, Oyetola subscribed to vague descriptions to catalogue his so-called achievements in those areas.

Take, for example, Oyetola said he revitalized farm settlements across the state but that seems to be too excessive and not supported by the situation of most farm settlements in Osun. And, when he said "not less than 55 km roads have been rehabilitated throughout the 3 Senatorial Districts" and that "206 km of rural road have been completed", that was a turnoff to many citizens, who are either worried that the interventions are exaggerated to hoodwink the people or believed they were non-existent.

That is not all. The last one year of Oyetola has not been so cheering and this is more obvious from the scramble for anything that can be portrayed as "achievements", whether visible or not. It is anything short of 'great strides' except it is a joke and as at moment, Osun people are only interested in real things.

Ibrahim Sarafa is a freelance journalist and writes from Osun state. He can be reached on neyoclass09@gmail.com and @SarafaNgr

As brilliant as this opinion seems, it however omitted some aspirants who may spring surprise in the contest. One of such aspirant is OTUNBA SEGUN ADEWALE (AEROLAND) who is contesting under the ADP. Aeroland is a formidable politician, who tackled the dominance of APC in Lagos State and worked tirelessly to ensured that PDP achieved the number of House of Representatives and House of Assembly it could boast of today. He very much knows how to reach the grassroots and he is making waves in Ekiti as we speak. I think Ekiti election will shock many people as it will alter permutations.

This is serious. Ekiti people must be cautious enough to reject the hegemony

This is one of the best advice I have read in recent times. So apt and progressive. It's indicative that this man Otunba Segun Adewale is sympathetic to the plight of the people of Ekiti and want the best for them. I'm convinced with his intention to bring about a prosperous Ekiti and it will benefits the people of the state to embrace him and support him to be governor.

This presents great hopes to Ekiti youth. Otunba Segun Adewale has shown the zeal that will supports their advancements. It is wise enough for them to embrace this great man with a noble mission of Ekiti revival.

This is a clear indication of his mission to reset Ekiti state to the path of development and prosperity. Once the youths, who are the future of tomorrow are provided the facilities to explore their endowed potentials, this will translate to an unimaginable growth of the state and as well, guaranteed security