₦airaland Forum

(CNN) -- Manned space missions bring with them a
plethora of challenges to keep astronauts alive and
healthy, especially on long-duration space missions.
Astronauts need to breathe, eat, drink, excrete their
food and drink, and be kept free of infections to stay
healthy enough to do their job. The key to an
astronauts' wellbeing has been found, somewhat
contradictorily, to be a group of tiny organisms --
bacteria.
You might think of space as a germ-free
environment, but microbes can be carried to space
inside human gut flora as well as in food and water
and once up there, can be expelled by humans in
their breath.
According to NASA, immune systems weaken during
space flight, making the impact of infection even
greater.
What's more, the greater radiation levels and the
weightless microgravity environment of space alter
bacteria as they grow. Recent work at NASA by Cheryl
Nickerson and her team from Arizona State
University discovered that certain bacteria become
more virulent in space, meaning they become better
at infecting us.
"Salmonella bacteria become more
potent, virulent and are more able to
cause disease," says Nickerson. "They also
become more resistant to factors such as
the acid in your stomach." Nickerson's
group is investigating a range of bacteria
found in food, water and our gut flora,
including Salmonella typhimurium, a
common cause of food poisoning and
diarrhea, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa,
which is a known water contaminant.
'War with microorganisms'
As astronauts spend longer periods of time in space,
their increased exposure to recycled air and water is
likely to affect their risk of infection
Mark Nott is one the people in charge of crew health
at NASA and focuses on keeping microbes at bay.
"We're at a constant war with microorganisms
because they adapt," he says. "The stressful
environment of spaceflight affects them and under
stress your immune system also functions less
effectively and we have to take precautions for this."
Reduced immunity can cause some bacteria, such as
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, to cause illness despite
normally being carried by many of us with no effect.
"However, not all microorganisms are bad and so the
key is to understand how they change and impact us,"
explains Nott, who also found that the infectious
bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, which causes a range
of symptoms from boils to food poisoning, becomes
benign in microgravity.
By understanding the changes in salmonella and
other disease-causing bacteria in microgravity
Nickerson hopes to not only keep crew healthy but
also help humans down on Earth through the
development of drugs and vaccines.
"Infections are becoming harder to treat; we have no
vaccine for salmonella food poisoning and it remains
[one of] the leading cause of bacterial food-borne
illness worldwide," states Nickerson.
Spaceflight opens up a new world of research that
can't take place on Earth and Nickerson has unmasked
key changes in the behaviour of genes in the bacteria
which aren't usually seen under gravity. "Vaccines are
about identifying targets and in microgravity the
bacteria have unmasked themselves and revealed
secrets to help develop therapeutics."
Sustaining life in space
The research is in its early stages but it's
just one example of how bacteria are
being investigated by space agencies. Far
from just a health hazard, bacteria could
be used to help sustain astronauts in
space, as a source of food and oxygen.
"The major advantage to using bacteria is
the size of them," explains Christophe
Lasseur, coordinator of life support
research and development at the
European Space Agency (ESA). "For space
missions the mass of oxygen, food, and
water is high and not compatible with
current launch technologies. A crew of six
to Mars would need over 30 tons."
Lasseur directs the MELLiSSA programme at ESA,
which aims to develop a regenerative life-support
ecosystem for use on board spacecraft. "We need to
recycle everything for an ecosystem that can sustain
human life," says Lasseur. The team wants to recycle
80% of all mass on board, including carbon dioxide,
which can become toxic if allowed to build up.
Key algae and bacteria can mop up carbon dioxide
and in turn release oxygen to enable astronauts to
breathe. "We have approached this molecule by
molecule, first oxygen, then water and now food,
which is more complex," says Lasseur.
The chosen range of bacteria not only utilize carbon
dioxide but can also harness other human waste
products, such as urine and feces -- a win-win given
their growth results in food for the astronauts.
Eating bacteria grown on urine may not sound like a
delicacy, and it isn't, which is why psychology also
comes into play. "Our most advanced work is using
spirulina as this has been used as a protein source for
many centuries and in many countries, making it
much more psychologically acceptable," explains
Lasseur. Spirulina is a cyanobacterium found in many
salt water lakes and is consumed readily by lake
communities. The edible bacterium is also marketed
as a health supplement.
In the search for bacteria that feed on our food
waste, Lasseur's team discovered a hidden gem that
has an additional medical benefit -- helping to fight
cholesterol.
"We were looking for bacteria which use a lot of
carbon and nitrogen as there's a lot of this in waste
disposal," states Lasseur. The resulting use of
Rhodospirillum rubrum led to a nutritious product
found to produce significantly lower levels of
cholesterol in mice and will soon be marketed by
spin-off company EzCOL BV, which is in talks with big
pharma. This bacterium has been by-passed in favor
of more nutritious alternatives for consumption by
astronauts but the research to get there has borne
beneficial fruit for those of us not venturing up into
space.
As for the astronauts, Mars missions could be a
reality in the, albeit distant, future. And when the
day comes, crews could depart feeling confident of
reaching the red planet well fed, watered and free of
infection.
Source: cnn.com

I ve this same type of apple in my house.. We ve harvested the fruit like three times now but the the fruit is different from the imported one. But it is sweet sha... It is nt a real apple, especially the one posted by d op.

Source: techcrunch.com/2014/09/26/apples-expanded-iphone-6-availability-draws-big-crowds/

Source: techcrunch.com/2014/09/26/yahoo-to-shut-down-qwiki-yahoo-education-and-the-yahoo-directory/

surrogatesng: Source plz

Source: techcrunch.com/2014/09/26/yahoo-to-shut-down-qwiki-yahoo-education-and-the-yahoo-directory/

Yahoo announced today it’s shuttering a handful of
products, including Qwiki, a mobile app Yahoo
acquired last July for $50 million, which helps users
create movies from the photos and videos in their
Camera Roll. Also getting the boot are Yahoo
Education, a site designed to connect users to
educational content and providers, as well as Yahoo
Directory, the 20-year old listing of websites which is
how old people used to browse the web.
I kid, I kid. We’re not so old!
Still, seeing Directory shut down for good has an “end
of an era” vibe to it. It’s not like anyone ever used
the site anymore to browse the web – can you really
believe that this is how it was once done? – but
seeing it snuffed out may leave you feeling a bit
nostalgic for the good ol’ days of the pre-Google era.
Yahoo Directory will be shut down on December 31,
2014, the company says. Yahoo notes that advertisers
will be upgraded to a new service. (There were
advertisers?! They must have been targeting Jerry.)
Meanwhile,
Qwiki, also
the
TechCrunch
Disrupt SF
2010
winner , will
be closed
down on
November
1st. Yahoo
says that the team will be tasked instead with.
Source: techcrunch.com/2014/09/26/yahoo-to-shut-down-qwiki-yahoo-education-and-the-yahoo-directory/

Apple’s iPhone 6 launch maybe be its queueiest yet,
according to droves of fans lining up around the
world for round two of the new device’s global debut.
Today, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus went on sale in over
20 new countries, including Austria, Belgium,
Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein,
Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway,
Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey and United Arab
Emirates.
Lines still exist at some locations from the first round
of countries, but they’re also forming in the new
launch spots, and drawing crowds just about as big as
we saw in some places during last week’s debut.
Moscow saw a big wait, with crowded conditions in
reseller stores, and Istanbul had a queue that wove
around a public park and looks to have included
hundreds. Taiwan had predictably long lines, given its
proximity to China, where the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus
still don’t have a firm launch date, and in Amsterdam
people lined up for blocks in conditions that look far
from favorable.
Apple’s ability to continue to draw lines to both new
markets and ones where the phone has already
launched bodes well for the iPhone 6’s performance.
Already, Apple has said it sold 10 million devices
during launch weekend, a figure which was
constrained by the amount of available stock. Online,
Apple’s own store shows lead time for all iPhone 6
models at 7 to 10 business days, while the iPhone 6
Plus, if ordered today, won’t ship for between 3 and 4
weeks.
Source: techcrunch.com/2014/09/26/apples-expanded-iphone-6-availability-draws-big-crowds/

The Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwakwanso, has again lambasted the ruling Peoples Democratic Party for harbouring failed and corrupt politicians.
Do you think the PDP is corrupting politicians?
Why?

In partnership with the organisers of Akwaaba
African Travel Market, Women in Aviation
(Nigeria) International, Glowing Wings chapter,
is set to honor Captain Irene Mutungi, the first
woman in the world to captain the newest
plane in the world, the Boeing 787.
Captain Mutungi, who was recognised at
Akwaaba in 2009 as the first African Lady
Captain of a Commercial Airliner, will also, on
the occasion, receive recognition for her
pioneering role in Africa’s aviation industry.
Women in Aviation International, with
headquarters’ in the USA, is a non-profit
organisation that is dedicated to the
advancement of women in all aviation career
field and interests with over 10,000
professionals all over the world.
According to the President of the Glowing
Wings chapter, Mrs Ify Megwa, who would be
leading her chapter to the fair, “we deemed it
fit to honour one of our own, Captain Irene,
who has accomplished a feat no female has
ever attained in Africa. In doing this, we are
not only recognising her for been exceptional
feat, we hope this will encourage more
females to reach extraordinary heights in their
aviation careers and also encourage young
women to consider aviation as a career too.
So, we couldn’t think of a better medium to
present this award to her other than Akwaaba,
a credible platform that has consistently
honored pioneers in Africa over the years”.
Rwandan first female pilot with Rwandair,
Esther Mwange, will also be honored at the
event.
Akwaaba African Travel Market is the only
annual international travel fair in West Africa,
drawing attendance from over 15,000
delegates from over 20 countries worldwide
and the largest platform to meet with
traveling public, airlines, hotels, restaurants,
tour operators, travel agents, state tourism
boards, foreign trade and tourism sectors and
similar industry suppliers across Africa.

An experimental drug developed by a Nigerian in
diaspora for the treatment of Ebola is expected
to arrive the country today, the Minister for Health,
Onyebuchi Chukwu, has said.
The drug, called “Nanosilver”, has been approved for
use by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an
experimental treatment ethical in the case of the
Ebola epidemic. The Federal Govt yesterday
approved the use of experimental drugs in the
treatment of the deadly virus.
Source: lindaikeji blog

Tomoro is d deal day

shenney: By Remi Oyeyemi
“The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of.”
    Blaise Pascal (1623-1662),French philosopher, mathematician, and physicist.
“…most voters do not base their decisions on its utility value by adding up the costs and benefits of taking a particular decision. The political brain, ………is an emotional brain not an unemotional calculating contraption impartially probing for the right details, statistics, and policies to make a reasoned decision. And in politics, when reason and emotion eventually run into each other, emotion ultimately wins.
-  Abdulmumin Yinka Ajia in his article “The Ekiti Election And The Role     of Emotion In The Outcome”, June 22, 2014
“The functional relationship between politics and patronage as veritable vehicles for people’s and polity development is of great pertinence to maintenance and sustenance of power. Politics, Patronage, People and Polity development are interwoven and are all mutually inclusive not mutually exclusive in the pursuit of power.”
-Remi Oyeyemi in “The Challenges of Politics, Patronage and Development.” March 30, 2014
Few days ago, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola, the governor of Osun State met with the Osun Stata Conference of Principals and Headmasters at the Government House at Oshosho to plead for their support and votes in the forthcoming gubernatorial elections slated forAugust 9, 2014. He gave them take-away and a thousand naira each for their transportation back to whence they came from after the meeting. But at Okefia Roundabout, less than a mile from the Government House where these principals and headmasters have just met Governor Aregbesola, there were shouts of “Te s’oju e, Te s’oju e” which literally means “Imprint on it, Imprint on it.” This slang is the slogan of the Iyiola Omisore Campaign Organization and it was what rented the air to the cheering of the onlookers who did not even know that the governor had just met the principals and the headmasters in the state. The meeting was the first time since Ogbeni Aregbesola became the governor of Osun State through a judicial process almost four years ago.
Without having to state the obvious, it was evident that the principals and the headmasters did not buy whatever the APC governor of Osun State was trying to sell to them. They came off with the belief that someone was trying to take them for a ride after ignoring them for four years, owing them salaries and telling them off that they did not have the voting strength to affect his electoral fortune for his re-election. But the earthquake that occurred in Ekiti seemed to have made the governor have a rethink. It is however, a rethink that is a little too late.
One of the major dangers of governance is the shrouding of the arrowhead to the point where he/she is unable to feel the pain of the followership or hear the lamentations of the governed. The essence of politics is to help hearken unto the public supplications, aggregate them and shape such into a policy. Another dangerous concomitant to governance is the sycophancy of those surrounding the arrowhead, feeding him with only what he wanted to hear as opposed to what he needed to hear. For the arrowhead to succeed, it is of great pertinence that he is made to hear and know what he needs to hear and not what he wants to hear.
Aregbesola has been able to bring about a monumental change to the State of Osun in terms of infrastructure. But it is a change that has drained the state dry financially. He has given hope to the frustrated especially among the downtrodden. But it is a hope given with the right hand but retrieved with the left. He has made people believe that things could change for the better while at the same time make believers of people that things could be agonizingly worse. Aregbesola’s main forte is the development of infrastructure. Ironically, it is also the one of the major causes of his misfortune.
There are serious complaints in Aregbesolaland. These complaints are currently fostering anger. Some of this anger is subtly open. Some of the anger is silent. But a lot of this anger is raging and simmering for August 9, which is currently being referred to among the people of Osun as the “Judgement Day.”  The inability of Governor Aregbesola to synergize the needs of politics, patronage and development of infrastructure and or any other is the reason he may lose the control of the State come August 9. And turn Osun State to Omisoreland!
Aregbesola’s problems with the people of Osun in general and later his party members in particular began very soon after he was sworn in. He ruled the State for close to a year (ten months to be exact) without any commissioner or appointed members of Boards of parastatals. His party members waited and waited until they began to echo the opposition as to what was going on, asking why he refused to appoint commissioners for the State. During that period, he received over 40 billion naira in Federal allocations. He alone and the then Secretary to the State Government, Segun Akinwumi could say exactly how this money was spent. It is being alleged that the opposition of the SSG to Aregbesola stemmed from the disagreements emanating from how this money was disbursed. The SSG Akinwumi is now a gubernatorial candidate of the Unity Party of Nigeria in the August 9 election.
Eventually when Aregbesola appointed the commissioners, he retained the Ministry of Works and Transport to himself while appointing his former Director in the Lagos State Ministry of Works and Transport where he (Aregbesola) was commissioner under Bola Tinubu as the Special Adviser to co-manage it with him. He allowed his Deputy to oversee the Ministry of Education as 75% of the entire cabinet consists of his friends from Lagos and elsewhere other than Osun local politicians. He left the local politicians hanging, insisting that he had to reward those who financed his legal battles against the PDP. He forgot that without those who voted for him and ensured that those votes counted across Osun State, there would be nothing for his Lagos friends to finance!

Tomoro is d deal dey

Revisiting The NMA Strike - The Candid Opinion Of A UK-Based Doctor By Dr. Ijabla Raymond

I feel compelled to write on this subject
because of its seriousness and the dearth of
objective analyses on our social media. It is an
emotive subject for both NMA and JOHESU
members, and I can understand why punches
fly around, but both parties must rise above
petty and emotional considerations if we are to
find a way forward. For clarification purposes,
the NMA represents medical doctors whilst
JOHESU is a union of all health workers who are
not doctors.
The NMA has a list of 24 demands but I will
limit myself to the most contentious ones. At
this stage, it is probably best that I introduce
myself. I am medical doctor of Nigerian
heritage practising in the UK.
WHO SHOULD HEAD THE HOSPITAL
There is no contention – the medical doctor is
the head of the clinical team. He/she leads the
ward rounds, clinics, surgical operations,
multidisciplinary meetings and so on because
the ultimate and final responsibility for patient
care rests in his/her hands.
The headship of the hospital is a different
matter. This is an administrative office, which
needs not be occupied by a medical doctor. This
job is better in the hands of people who have
administrative or business management skills.
This is the case in countries like the UK, Canada
and the US, which heavily influence our health
system. Therefore, it is difficult to reason with
the NMA why this job should be the exclusive
right of medical doctors.
NON-MEDICAL CONSULTANTS
The doctor-patient ratio in Nigeria is
dangerously low. In my view, the roles of non-
medical professionals such as nurses,
physiotherapists, pharmacists etc need to
expand to cope with the demands on doctors. It
is important that this is done in a safe way by
providing the appropriate level of training for
these individuals. This is the case in countries
such as the UK, Canada and the US where
consultant nurses, pharmacists etc have existed
for a few decades now. I do not see any
problem with non-medical consultants as long
as these individuals are appropriately trained
and can practise both competently and safely
within an agreed framework. These
professionals have separate (but
complimentary) job descriptions and their roles
are not designed to replace or dispense with
the services of the doctor. If this arrangement
enhances patient care, then where is the
problem with it? The NMA needs to
demonstrate to the public and to the
government how the creation of these non-
medical consultant positions will adversely
affect patient care, otherwise, its demands will
be perceived as obstructing the professional
development of JOHESU members, and I don’t
think this is helpful to anybody.
HAZARD ALLOWANCE
The types of hazard and the level to which
healthcare workers are exposed vary
considerably and depend on the type of job
they do. For instance, psychiatrists are hardly
exposed to body fluids and their risks for
contracting diseases like HIV and hepatitis are
much less than for a theatre scrub nurse. The
risk of physical assault by a patient is higher for
a psychiatrist than for a surgeon. And because
psychiatry nurses spend more time with
patients, their risks of assault are arguably
higher than those of consultant psychiatrists.
The people who work in radiology departments
such as radiologists, radiographers, nurses,
porters and so on have greater exposure to
radioactive materials than everyone else in the
hospital.
The current health hazard allowance of N5,000
is unconscionable – it needs to increase.
However, I think it is imperative to get an
independent risk assessor for impartial advice.
MISCELLANEOUS
I have read far too many emotional arguments
on these issues and very little of an objective
discourse. It is important that I draw your
attention to a few of these.
What has become obvious is the lack of
understanding of the concept of teamwork.
There is a pervasive notion among doctors that
the other healthcare workers are there to serve
them. JOHESU members think that doctors have
become too conceited for their own good and
are determined to put them in their “places”.
The most important person in the hospital is the
patient – it is not the doctor, nurse, pharmacist
or laboratory scientist or anyone else. Every
team member is important and must be
respected, including the people who do the
least clinical jobs like cleaning. I don’t imagine
that any hospital will remain open for longer
than a week if its cleaners went on strike and
dirt was allowed to accumulate to the point
where it constitutes a health risk.
I have heard so many anecdotal accounts of
nurses not joining doctors on ward rounds or
pharmacists altering prescriptions without first
discussing these with the prescribing doctors or
laboratory scientist slapping doctors; and these
accounts are being given as reasons why
doctors must continue to head hospitals. These
are disciplinary matters, which should be
managed according to existing procedures.
These excuses are emotional and should not be
used to block the professional development of
others.
The other reason I have heard doctors give for
not wanting our non-medical colleagues to bear
the "consultant" title is the fear that patients will
confuse them or anybody else in a white-coat
for a doctor and give such people an excuse for
autonomous practice. This reason is not good
enough because this problem can be solved by
wearing names badges and/or colour coded
uniforms. Also health professionals should
introduce themselves to patients at the start of
consultations. But more significantly, this can be
an issue of regulation - any one found to be
(criminally) practising over and beyond their job
description, competence level or professional
registration becomes liable to disciplinary
procedures.
Our health system suffers from poor regulation.
This is why anyone can open a chemist and dole
out antibiotics indiscriminately. It is the reason
doctors are scared that consultant pharmacists,
nurses and physiotherapists will steal their
patients. But it is also the reason why doctors
may recommend an operation to a patient
where none is necessary just so they can
charge more. This is a problem that is in urgent
need of attention. I hope that this something
both NMA & JOHESU will flag up in the near
future.
Another recurrent theme in these debates is the
abuse of junior doctors by both medical and
non-medical staff, which appears to be
endemic. There is a consistent narrative of
junior doctors being asked to do other people’s
jobs such as collecting blood from blood banks,
taking samples to laboratories etc. In extreme
cases, these doctors are asked to undertake
non-clinical tasks by more senior doctors. This is
simply unacceptable! I think it is fair to place the
blame for this at the hands of consultants who
are supposed to be responsible for junior
doctors. But this in itself is not a good argument
for blocking JOHESU members from becoming
consultants in their specialties or for stopping
them from heading hospitals if they have the
right qualifications.
I am concerned that the NMA is losing public
sympathy. Increasingly, I hear people describe
doctors as selfish and heartless. This is very sad
and rather unfortunate. They say doctors do not
have any motivation to end the strike because
patients are forced to pay exorbitant fees to
them in their private hospitals. Those patients
who cannot afford these fees are left to suffer
or die. If the NMA has made any efforts to
change this public perception, then these do not
appear to have been effective.
CONCLUSION
The current strategy (i.e., recurrent strikes) is
not working. Over the last decade or two, the
NMA and non-medical health workers (more
recently represented by JOHESU) have taken
turns to go on strikes. Perhaps, it is time for
both parties to sit together, talk to each other
and resolve these contentious issues once and
for all. It’s pointless for the government to enter
into agreements with one party knowing fully
well that the other party will ask for a reversal
of those agreements.
I think the time has come to incorporate Ethics,
Teamwork and Communications into
undergraduate curricula. The various online
comments I have read from medical and non-
medical colleagues show that whilst many
easily mouth off "team work", a practical
understanding of what this means is lacking.
Disciplinary procedures are there for a reason.
They must be followed when necessary.
Although I practise abroad, I should point out
that this strike affects me too. My family and
friends all live in Nigeria. And who says I am not
planning to come home to practise?
Lastly, we must all be mindful of our own
mortality. Most of us will be ill someday. And
when this happens, the only thing that will
matter to us is to be looked after by caring and
competent health-workers regardless of their
individual specialisation. We can create that
environment if we forget our individual egos
and work as a team.
Ijabla Raymond, a medical doctor of Nigerian
heritage writes from the
UK. Contact: ijabla.raymond@facebook.com.
Source: saharareporters.com/2014/08/06/revisiting-nma-strike-candid-opinion-uk-based-doctor-dr-ijabla-raymond

This weekend Aug. 9.... We will knw

Breaking: Nigeria records another case of Ebola virus
A fresh case of Ebola virus disease has been recorded
in Nigeria.
One of the doctors that attended to the Liberian,
Patrick Sawyler, tested positive to the virus.
Result of the second doctor who was symptomatic is
being awaited — this the Minister of Health said
would be made public on Monday afternoon.
At least 70 of those that also travelled along with the
Liberian are under surveillance. Eight are already
under quarantine.
Airlines have also been directed not to bring back
dead bodies from countries with Ebola virus.
Government agencies have also been directed to
ensure that borders are properly checked to ensure
that dead bodies from such countries are not allowed
in.
Besides, the government has also set up six member
treatment and research committee as part of the
efforts to contain the disease.

Source: thenationonlineng.net/new/breaking-nigeria-records-another-case-of-ebola-virus-disease/

Hmmmmm!!!

hmmmmmm!!!!

Osun Guber Election: Islamic Leaders Reject Gov Aregbesola’ overtures
Few days to the governorship election in Osun state,Governor Rauf Aregbesola has launched consultations with Islamic leaders across the three senatorial districts of the state. Reports from the encounters of the governor however indicated that many Islamic clerics in the state are not satisfied with the performance of the governor in the last four years .

Investigations showed that the meeting held at Osogbo with Islamic clerics from the Central zone ended in chaos as the governor was allegedly accused of idol worship by vocal clerics and of doing nothing for Muslims despite his earlier promises.

At the meeting held late in the night at the residence of a top Islamic leader,the Muslim leaders were said to have challenged the governor to mention one thing his administration did for Islam to justify their supporting him for the second term. The governor was also accused of raising the profile of traditional religionists by declaring a public holiday for them and reflecting their symbols in state institutions .

The governor was quoted as telling the clerics that he did not favor the traditionalist but only provided a level playing field for all religions. The explanation was said to have angered the clerics more as they used the governor’s argument to justify their allegations that he is not a true Muslim.

The central zone muslin leaders were reported to have directly challenged the governor to name any one mosque that the administration helped to upgrade,a question said to have infuriated the governor who said it is not the duty of his administration to upgrade mosque.

A young cleric was said to have asked the governor whether it was his job to have spent thirty million naira to build a stature of Ori Olokun at a junction at Ile Ife and another ninety million naira to rehabilitate the Ifa house also in the same town.

At this point,the meeting was reportedly brought to an abrupt close with the governor storming out of the meeting,an eye witness recounted.

If the meeting at the central zone was turbulent and deadlocked,that of Osun West held at Iwo was even reportedly more hot and heated with the governor and his men begging the clerics to support the second term aspiration of the governor.

An eye witness account reported that the meeting started with the governor warning that the PDP is plotting to destroy educational progress of Muslims students by deliberately failing them and by returning schools to missionaries.

” He told us the clerics that Islam will be in danger in Osun if PDP wins. He said something about schools going back to owners among others. When they asked us to respond,we reminded them that Islam had good time during PDP regime and that we see no evidence that the PDP is against Muslims .

” We then asked him to explain why in the last four years he had promoted one small body over all established Muslims sect and associations.We asked him why he is so close to traditional worshippers. We asked him what exactly he has contributed to Islam “, an eye witness recounted.

The governor surprised at the line of questioning was quoted as telling the clerics that he contributed to Islam by his dress and wearing of beard. He also warned the clerics not to be swayed by PDP propaganda.

The clerics said to be very bold in their interactions with the governor responded by telling the governor that his policies have not assisted Islam but rather created image problem for the religion.

A state commissioner was then reported to have intervened by directly begging the clerics to support the reelection bid of the governor and promising that all grievances of the clerics will be looked into.

Checks revealed that consultations for Osun East was put on hold because of negative experience in both central and western senatorial districts .

A top Islamic leader in Osogbo who crave anonymity confirmed series of meetings the governor held with Islamic leaders and informed that most clerics are not comfortable with the governor’s second term bid.

According to him,” we met the governor . He failed to explain his romance with traditionalists. He failed to point to anything he did to help Islam . His bid to blackmail PDP as anti- Islam backfired because we know PDP is not anti- Islam .

” The truth is the governor did not behave like a Muslim . So we are thinking he should not use Islam as a cover to get power. That is why the meetings failed “, the cleric said.
Source: http://pointblanknews.com/pbn/news/osun-guber-election-islamic-leaders-reject-gov-aregbesola-overtures/

.

Everything was in place: the intimate bistro,
the candlelight, the conversation. But somehow you
still had the feeling that there was something lacking.
Or were you just reading the situation incorrectly?
You might think it’s obvious when sparks are starting
to fly with your latest date. But a successful date
doesn’t always mean you end up in the sack. So, if you
can’t use that as a measure, how do you know when
things are going well?
1. She remembers you. There is little more
devastating than spending days getting the courage
together to phone someone interesting you met at a
birthday part last week – and then having to explain
who you are. If she instantly remembers you, you’re
on the right track for a romantic evening.
2. She sounds enthusiastic. Right, you’ve made a
date and you phone the day before to confirm
everything, and it’s obvious that she has been looking
forward to the evening. What’s not good, is if you get
the impression that she’s forgotten and it’s a good
thing you phoned, otherwise you might have been
stood up. Or she sounds tentative and as if she’s not
sure about wanting to go.
3. She’s on time. If the evening is really important to
her, she won’t make you wait. Not for more than ten
minutes anyway. There’s nothing more nerve-
wracking than having to make small talk for half an
hour to parents or to a flatmate in slippers while
you’re waiting. It’s a real passion killer.
4. She’s looking good. If she has obviously taken
trouble over her appearance, it’s because she wants to
make a good impression. Good signs are a new hairdo
and a new outfit. Bad signs are hair that’s past its
wash-by day, nail polish that’s chipped, stockings that
are laddered, or an outfit that was obviously worn to
work that day.
5.She likes where you’ve taken her. If she says
nice things about the restaurant, it means you share
preferences in certain things. So try and find out
beforehand if she prefers the sterile bathroom
atmosphere of a sushi joint, or the dark and romantic
candlelight of a backstreet bistro. If she looks
comfortable in the restaurant, and makes positive
comments on the menu and the décor, you’re off to a
very good start.
6. She makes eye contact. Direct eye contact is a
very personal thing – especially if you’re sitting close
to each other. If she’s avoiding doing this, there might
be a problem. That bit about the eyes being the
windows to the soul – it’s true. If she looks you in the
eye, then looks down and looks up again, she’s a
winner. This is international flirting language. So is
touching you in any way, or sharing food.
7. She orders medium-priced dishes. If she orders
all the most expensive things on the menu, she’s
either a gold digger who has mistaken you for Mr
Moneybags, or she really didn’t feel like the evening,
and is making up for it by eating everything in sight. If
you suspect she’s after your credit card, rather than
your scintillating personality, run for the hills.
8. You laugh together. People who share a sense of
humour, could share a lot of other things as well.
Humour is so specific and reveals a lot about who you
are. Laugh about the same things and you’re
definitely on the same page. If that spark is absent,
nothing can light it.
9. She talks and listens. If she’s talking and listening
in equal measures, you’re off to a good start. One-way
conversations are very unsexy. Especially if they’re all
about her, or an ex of hers. If by the end of the
evening you feel as you’ve been standing under a
waterfall of words, hit the road. It’s never going to be
about you. Not even partially.
10.The overnighter. While being asked to spend the
night is not the only measure of the success of a date,
it is a reasonably good indication that she likes you,
unless she has had far too much to drink. Whatever
you do, just remember to practise safe sex. But even
if she just lets slip at any time during the evening that
she wants to see you again, you could be home free.
Even if you don’t get asked to spend the night.

Lagos - Lagos State has opened its first ultramodern
cardiac and renal centre in Gbagada.
The state said the facility is part of effort to stop the
spate of medical trips abroad as well as build local
capacity especially for ailments that could be treated
locally but for the absence of expertise and facilities.
It is designed to handle heart and kidney related
diseases also offers out-patient services, diagnostic
services, ultrasound, CT scan, Echo cardiograph,
Stress Electrocardiography, laboratory services,
fluoroscopy, ocular investigation for complications
from hypertension, diabetes and renal conditions,
haemo-dialysis for acute and chronic kidney diseases
with 24 dialysis machine.
The facility would also be used for admission for all
cardiac conditions that requires hospital stay, critical
care in intensive care unit (ICU) and high dependency
wards, cardiac cauterization, non invasive cardiology,
open heart surgery, renal surgery, nursing and
diabetic services, rehabilitation services and
corporate wellness programme.
The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris,
said government had found it appropriate and timely
to have a befitting cardiac and renal centre due to the
increasing number of patients suffering end-stage
renal failure.
He noted that cardiac and renal diseases constituted
a growing health burden globally stressing that there
is what is called a triple jeopardy in the health sector
especially in Lagos and Nigeria which require efforts
of stakeholders in State health system to address.
“We have what we call double jeopardy but now it is
triple jeopardy in the sense that we do not only have
problems with communicable diseases, we are now
having problems with non-communicable diseases,
and the third one has to do with mental health. But
this project is trying to address the major aspect of
the non-communicable disease burden,” Idris said.
He added also that the lack of a purpose built renal
specialist centre, the periodic nature of the cardiac
and renal missions which has limited the number of
beneficiaries and the need to conserve the financial
resources currently being expended in the
management of patients with renal and cardiac
diseases in foreign countries are key reasons for
building the facility.
– CAJ News

Osogbo - People Democratic Party’s governorship
candidate in Osun, Iyiola Omisore has accepted the
challenge to an open debate with Governor Rauf
Aregbesola.
The acceptance is contained in a statement given to
newsmen in Osogbo on Tuesday by Diran Odeyemi,
Omisore's Director of Media Affairs.
Governor Rauf Aregbesola, APC’s candidate in the
August 9 election, had thrown the challenge at the
inauguration of Ayegbaju International Market on
Tuesday in Osogbo.
However, the statement said the governor must
ensure that security prevailed for the debate to take
place.
"When an argument is being made between two
different parties for instance, it may result in physical
assault and harassment.
"The senator is a complete gentleman and a holder of
PhD. So, we need an assurance that there will be no
physical assault on him’’, the statement said.
- NAN

www.vanguardngr.com/2014/07/falconets-caught-fifa-web/ World soccer governing body, FIFA has tacitly
commenced the process of ostracizing Nigeria from
global football activities following the recent ousting of the Alhaji Aminu Maigari led Nigeria Football
Federation (NFF), by a section of the football fraternity
That brands itself as ‘congress’. This indication came to light following the refusal of FIFA to issue traveling tickets to Nigeria’s U20 Women national team, Falconets to take part in the upcoming U20 Women’s World Cup tagged Canada 2014. The tournament runs between August 5-24 and the
Nigerian side was scheduled to travel out early for
acclimatization and play some preparatory games
before the tournament. A confused official of the team said the team went to the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport in the course of the week but were told that the team does not have tickets from FIFA to travel out. They have since returned to their hotel abode in Abuja and have been training under darkness as the foisted NFF leadership seeks to conceal FIFA action against Nigeria.
The team handled by Peter Dededvo, have been in
darkness as to the next line of action, even as there are indications that FIFA will not blink an eye in its determination to ensure that Nigeria tows to international football order by reinstating the Maigari led board and wait for the August 26 Congress to take necessary action instead of the current state of brazen interference of the Sports Ministry that is being witnessed.

Several Obas in Osun who spoke to this writer complained of “open insults and abuse” by Aregbesola and his administration. One of them told this writer that he has since become smatter and looked for ways to avoid government functions because he was tired of being “dragged in the mud.” He noted that at every government functions, the Obas who are “the fathers of the people” are often made to sit in plastic chairs while the so-called commissioners and Special Advisers sit in cushion comfort on the dais looking down on them. “I am tired of being insulted and disrespected,” he had said with a quiet voice. He noted that his people would have something to say about what happens henceforth because he did not put himself on the throne of his forefathers. It would be politically suicidal for any section of the political elite to assume that our traditional rulers are not relevant politically. Our peoples still revere them. They obey them and hold them in high esteem. Our people love their Obas and are willing to even indulge them. The Obas in Yoruba land are the reminders of the greatness of our race, of the ingenuity of our forefathers and evidences of a very great tradition and a distinguished history.

Then there is the issue of the Tipper Owners Association of Osun State who are gripping about lack of jobs despite the amount of road constructions going on. They are lamenting that the contractors who are mainly from Lagos or elsewhere are demanding for 3 or 4 axles tippers which they do not have. They noted that when Chief Bisi Akande built the ultra-modern secretariat it was their 2 axle 6-tyre tippers they used to supply all the materials such as sand, gravel, stone-based among others. They wonder how such vehicles are suddenly not good enough. They felt marginalized and complained bitterly that every effort to meet with the Governor to listen to their complaints has been rebuffed. The experiences of other artisans of different genres are not different. In fact, in Iragbiji, the home town of the Chief of Staff, it was not until there was a riot and stoppage of work by the local welders that an arrangement was made to accommodating them.

There are also the members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW). This is the only pressure group that is not unanimous in their detestation of the Aregbesola’s administration. They are divided almost 50-50. Their leaders are appealing to the angry ones to bear with Aregbesola and that at least he met them half way. Those angry are pointing to the time it took him to do anything about their complaints. Some of them are insisting that his train gesture to travellers was meant to undercut them and undermine their business especially during festive periods. A section of the Union sees this as selfish. Others insisted that meeting to discuss this with the administration would have helped. They are angry that Aregbesola was not accessible. The fate of the Okada Riders Association is not different. They are Balkanized. All are very angry, but not all of them are willing to turn against Aregbesola. It would appear that this would probably go 60-40 for the Omisore Campaign Organization.

The issue of demolished houses is still causing ripples among the Osun people. It is an issue more pronounced in Oshogbo than in any other city in the State. It caused a lot of sorrow and gnashing of teeth. A lot of businesses are affected. Some of them complained of drastically reduced turnover. While the people appreciated the need for demolition in areas like Igbona all the way to Ikirun road, the necessity for the demolition could not be fathomed on the two sides of Gbongan road all the way to the Secretariat that seemed well paved hitherto. The failure of Aregbesola to follow this up in demolishing the secretariat of the PDP along the same road despite falling within the range of other demolished properties seemed to suggest that only the poor and the powerless was being victimized.

There is a lot of anger that the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) business in Osun is contracted to a company closely linked to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. It is public knowledge that all the taxes being imposed on the indigenes of Osun are inspired by what Tinubu did in Lagos without consideration of the fact that there are not as many businesses in Osun as in Lagos. Also, trusted sources have confirmed that the Land Use Charge would soon be given to the same company to further make money from the sweat of Osun people to be eventually repatriated to Lagos State. This close link of Aregbesola with Asiwaju Tinubu is a source of great discontent and the Osun people are not happy that their fortunes are being decided from outside the state.

Since the defeat of Fayemi in Ekiti, Aregbesola and his mentor, Asiwaju Tinubu have been trying to make a show of decampees and running helter-skelter to plead with some lead politicians and beg for support across Osun State. It has been alleged that former Governor Isiaka Adeleke was paid handsomely to decamp from the PDP to APC. This writer could not confirm this, but it seem evident that the former governor from Ede would have a tough time convincing his people from Ede to abandon the former Speaker of the State, Hon. Bello Adejare who has been picked as the running mate to Omisore in the coming election. Evidently, the people of Ede who are still unhappy that their traditional ruler has been publicly dissed by Aregbesola and are not likely to forget that in a hurry, are very excited at one of their own becoming a Deputy Governor in the State. That Isiaka Adeleke decamped to APC might not have any electoral value for the desperate Aregbesola.

The surprise visit to the home of another former governor of the state, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola by his erstwhile enemy, Asiwaju Tinubu in the company of Governor Aregbesola may not bear any fruit for the Osun State APC in the August 9 governorship election. Prince Oyinlola is not against the candidacy of Otunba Omisore. He is just unhappy with some elements within the PDP. More so, he is still the court and INEC recognized National Secretary of the PDP. He would not be smart to throw that to the dogs and join the uncertainty of the Osun APC which support is fast vanishing and which has nothing tangible to offer him. Prince Oyinlola would not publicly endorse Aregbesola no matter what. In addition, this writer had it from a reliable source that his younger colleague from Ekiti, former Governor Segun Oni who recently joined the APC to support Fayemi’s second term bid has touched base with him (Oyinlola) with harrowing stories of regrets resulting from his move. The reason was to caution the Okuku Prince from making the same mistakes as he did.

Another great tragedy for the APC is the failure of their propaganda against the person of Iyiola Omisore. The Osun APC have thrown everything at him including but not limited to accusing him of murdering late Chief Bola Ige. The fact of this situation is that the Osun people are not buying the propaganda. They know this is politics and are convinced that Otunba Omisore was not responsible for the death of the former Attorney General of the Federation. The Osun people are aware that he has not been convicted in any court of law after being arraigned and tried. They are comparing this to the members of the APC convicted of murdering Hon. Olagbaju in Ile-Ife who were caught, arraigned, tried and convicted but later released by Aregbesola as soon as he assumed office. Osun people know that there are two sons of Chief Bola Ige who were never involved in the struggle for the Aregbesola’s mandate but are commissioner and Special Adviser now. Some in the APC see this as being to their detriment.

The stage is set for the “Judgment Day” as the people of Osun are calling the August 9, 2014 date. It is a day that would confirm the dimming star of the APC as a political party and the rejection of a cult of personality that has no enduring benefit for the people of Osun State. Source: http://newswirengr.com/2014/07/03/opinion-osun-2014-why-omisore-may-emerge-victorious/?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter

To this end, Aregbesola is considered an ungrateful man by a cross section of the party faithful in Osun State. There are actually those who consider him a traitor within the APC. Majority of those who share this view were those who went “toe to toe” with those who “stole” his mandate. For three and half years, they were engaged in serious battles in the war. They fought in the trenches for him. Some of them were rounded up and beaten mercilessly. Some of them were jailed on trumped up charges. Some of them escaped into exiles of varying distances. Some of them lost their businesses. Some of them lost their lives. Many of them were maimed. They are bitter that they have not been adequately compensated in terms of positions and or patronages. They understand that all of them could not be in positions but that most of them should be patronized via other means. They believe that they have been patient and long-suffering. Many of these are bewildered and could not comprehend why things have turned out this way. They complained but their complaints fell on deaf ears. Some of those in this category have decamped into the PDP. Some are working silently within the APC to undermine the governor. A handful of them are still loyal but not committed.

Among the malcontents within the party are the cross sections of the party functionaries who share the view that they have been weakened. They lament that the structure was marginalized and starved of activities as well as funds as they all lived in fear of offending the governor or doing something he might not like. The LG chairmen of the Caretaker Committee were all frustrated. They perceive themselves as “slaves” who could not decide anything for themselves. All their allocations were usually appropriated at the State level by the governor whom they all derisively call “Emperor” behind his back. They all feel choked, muzzled and powerless. The refusal of Aregbesola to hold the LG elections was considered deliberate to deprive them of the ability to build their own clientele and support base. Twenty seven of them were reported to have pledged allegiance to a PDP candidate in the coming elections.

Outside the Party structure, the Civil Servants are unhappy. They complained of being stifled. They are discontented that their salaries have been delayed for several months. They are more riled that when they complained, the governor and his men made them to understand that the civil servants would not be able to have any impact on the outcome of the coming elections. They are waiting in silence for August 9. As for the teachers, their fate is not different from that of their principals and headmasters. They are also owed salaries of several months. They are grumbling bitterly. Reportedly, the Chief of Staff had dismissed the fact that they might constitute any electoral threat on August 9. The governor even refused to meet their conference in the last four years until Kayode Fayemi was voted out in Ekiti. They felt patronized by Aregbesola’s gesture. They felt insulted, disrespected and undervalued.

The Local Government workers are also moaning. The chairmen of the Caretaker Committees have convinced them that they (the chairmen) had nothing to do with depriving them (LG workers) of their normal imprests which seemed to have completely disappeared. They showed how much were paid to them as allocation from the Federal Government and how much they were actually getting from Ogbeni Aregbesola. They washed their hands clean of any rigmarole concerning the lack of funds and activities at the local level. In addition, political appointees to Boards of Parastatals were never appointed until almost three years into Aregbesola’s tenure. In fact, many of them are yet to be appointed as we speak because only very few Boards have members appointed to them. Those appointed, mostly faithful party men at a point were allegedly owed seven months’ salaries.

There were also the retirees and pensioners who are owed several months of their pensions. Most of them have no other sources of income and are starving. Thanks to the Ekiti people for voting out Fayemi. Aregbesola suddenly found some money to pay down what he owes them. These pensioners are another group looking forward to August 9, 2014 as the “Judgment Day.” The teachers, the civil servants and the pensioners who are owed salaries are wondering if truly the state had no money because every month when Aregbesola did his “Gbagede Oro,” famous Fuji musicians come to town to play and allegedly leave with 5 million naira cheque for a day’s job!

The social welfare package put in place for the elderly by Aregbesola seems to be a hoax. It could not be accessed by many. Across many Wards and LGs in the state, there are agonizing stories of disappointment and frustration. It is either they could not get on the list after so many trials or you could not get paid after getting on the list. It was like jibiti to many across the state who could not access the 10,000naira monthly pittance. Like an elderly man, who is a retired school principal called it in Ijesha dialect, “Alaabaa ni ere” literally meaning “it is a useless programme.” While all these were going on, the governor was able to buy armoured vehicles for himself and some in his cabinet. Though, each of the vehicles was reportedly bought at the cost of 80 million naira, this writer has no way of confirming this amount but has seen the armoured vehicles. But regardless of the cost, how come armoured vehicles are the priority of a State government that could not pay the salaries of its workers and teachers? The people see these cars driving on their streets and wondered how they got it wrong to this extent. But their hope is alive as they wait for the “Judgment Day.”

While the armoured cars are driving on the streets of Oshogbo, all the Colleges of Education in the State were closed. Aregbesola was not perturbed. Neither his Deputy who oversees the Education Ministry. The issue with the lecturers pertains to the deduction of their pensions from their salaries which were not appropriately remitted. The government has no explanation what has happened to the money and was too arrogant to negotiate with the lecturers. Most of these lecturers were sympathizers of the governor who eventually got alienated. After the sack of Fayemi in Ekiti, Aregbesola hurriedly made arrangements to call them back on July 1. But the lecturers are not deceived. They are looking forward to the “Judgment Day” on August 9.

The arrogance of the governor and his team knows no bounds. The peoples of Osun, as far as the APC government is concerned, know nothing. The people of the State are treated like babies who have to do exactly what they are told. Peoples’ opinions and desires on the government policies did not matter. This was what happened on Aregbesola’s merger of schools. Everything is so muddled up that there is a lot of bitterness in the wake of this policy. Schools were indiscriminately merged. Methodist schools were merged with Ahmadiya schools, Anglican with Ansarudeen Schools, Catholic with Nawarudeen Schools, Baptist with Cherubim and Seraphim and so on and so forth. The saga of Fakunle Comprehensive High School is still a matter of great bitterness and regret among the people of Oshogbo and others from across the State. The old students of Ilesha Grammar School are still reeling from shock and hurt resulting from what their school has been turned to. The same story is repeated across Osun State. In the wake of this policy, a lot of History was mangled, wide range of traditions trampled and several sources of fond nostalgia mercilessly guillotined.

Then there is the issue of the school uniforms. There have been wide insinuations that the common school uniform imposition was a means to make the wife of the governor rich, but this writer could not really confirm the connections to Her Excellency. However, the fact that the governor was unwilling to hearken to the complaints of the generality of Osun people on this issue leaves a lot to be desired and seem to lend some credence to the suspicions of the people who did not like the idea in the first place.  One of major fallouts of this misguided policy was the attendant religious tension and crisis that followed. If it was not because this is an environment where peaceful religious co-existence has been part of the tradition for over 1000 years, the story would have been different. It was an arrogant policy that disregarded the role of stakeholders and their input. The policy seriously alienated the Muslims and the Christians in the State. They are very bitter and feel very insulted and disrespected. But their only hope is invested in the “Judgment Day” on August 9 when it is believed the wrongs would be put right.

Closely aligned with the above is the disrespect and disregard of and for the traditional rulers in Osun State. Since Aregbesola assumed office, he has not called the meeting of the State Council of Obas just once. He did not think that the traditional rulers in Osun matter. While he befriended Iku Baba Yeye, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi II, the Alaafin of Oyo, he was showing unimaginable ingratitude and arrogance to the Owa Obokun Adimula of Ijeshaland, Oba (Dr.) Gabriel Adekunle Aromoran II who almost lost his throne because of his support for Aregbesola’s mandate. Oba Aromolaran was humiliated and publicly insulted by the previous administration to the chagrin of all Ijesha who saw the action as being directed at them rather than their traditional ruler. It was hoped that Aregbesola would show some appreciation when he assumed office. No sooner did he assume office that he engaged in arrogant behavior and disrespect of Owa Obokun. The Ijesha are very upset about this. They are not hiding their feelings. Every attempt to blackmail the Adimula did not go down well with the Ijesha who are currently seething with anger. They are not impressed with Aregbesola who they now consider a prodigal son that would deserve some call to order. They are waiting for the “Judgment Day.”

By Remi Oyeyemi

“The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of.”

    Blaise Pascal (1623-1662),French philosopher, mathematician, and physicist.

“…most voters do not base their decisions on its utility value by adding up the costs and benefits of taking a particular decision. The political brain, ………is an emotional brain not an unemotional calculating contraption impartially probing for the right details, statistics, and policies to make a reasoned decision. And in politics, when reason and emotion eventually run into each other, emotion ultimately wins.

-  Abdulmumin Yinka Ajia in his article “The Ekiti Election And The Role     of Emotion In The Outcome”, June 22, 2014

“The functional relationship between politics and patronage as veritable vehicles for people’s and polity development is of great pertinence to maintenance and sustenance of power. Politics, Patronage, People and Polity development are interwoven and are all mutually inclusive not mutually exclusive in the pursuit of power.”

-Remi Oyeyemi in “The Challenges of Politics, Patronage and Development.” March 30, 2014

Few days ago, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola, the governor of Osun State met with the Osun Stata Conference of Principals and Headmasters at the Government House at Oshosho to plead for their support and votes in the forthcoming gubernatorial elections slated forAugust 9, 2014. He gave them take-away and a thousand naira each for their transportation back to whence they came from after the meeting. But at Okefia Roundabout, less than a mile from the Government House where these principals and headmasters have just met Governor Aregbesola, there were shouts of “Te s’oju e, Te s’oju e” which literally means “Imprint on it, Imprint on it.” This slang is the slogan of the Iyiola Omisore Campaign Organization and it was what rented the air to the cheering of the onlookers who did not even know that the governor had just met the principals and the headmasters in the state. The meeting was the first time since Ogbeni Aregbesola became the governor of Osun State through a judicial process almost four years ago.

Without having to state the obvious, it was evident that the principals and the headmasters did not buy whatever the APC governor of Osun State was trying to sell to them. They came off with the belief that someone was trying to take them for a ride after ignoring them for four years, owing them salaries and telling them off that they did not have the voting strength to affect his electoral fortune for his re-election. But the earthquake that occurred in Ekiti seemed to have made the governor have a rethink. It is however, a rethink that is a little too late.

One of the major dangers of governance is the shrouding of the arrowhead to the point where he/she is unable to feel the pain of the followership or hear the lamentations of the governed. The essence of politics is to help hearken unto the public supplications, aggregate them and shape such into a policy. Another dangerous concomitant to governance is the sycophancy of those surrounding the arrowhead, feeding him with only what he wanted to hear as opposed to what he needed to hear. For the arrowhead to succeed, it is of great pertinence that he is made to hear and know what he needs to hear and not what he wants to hear.

Aregbesola has been able to bring about a monumental change to the State of Osun in terms of infrastructure. But it is a change that has drained the state dry financially. He has given hope to the frustrated especially among the downtrodden. But it is a hope given with the right hand but retrieved with the left. He has made people believe that things could change for the better while at the same time make believers of people that things could be agonizingly worse. Aregbesola’s main forte is the development of infrastructure. Ironically, it is also the one of the major causes of his misfortune.

There are serious complaints in Aregbesolaland. These complaints are currently fostering anger. Some of this anger is subtly open. Some of the anger is silent. But a lot of this anger is raging and simmering for August 9, which is currently being referred to among the people of Osun as the “Judgement Day.”  The inability of Governor Aregbesola to synergize the needs of politics, patronage and development of infrastructure and or any other is the reason he may lose the control of the State come August 9. And turn Osun State to Omisoreland!

Aregbesola’s problems with the people of Osun in general and later his party members in particular began very soon after he was sworn in. He ruled the State for close to a year (ten months to be exact) without any commissioner or appointed members of Boards of parastatals. His party members waited and waited until they began to echo the opposition as to what was going on, asking why he refused to appoint commissioners for the State. During that period, he received over 40 billion naira in Federal allocations. He alone and the then Secretary to the State Government, Segun Akinwumi could say exactly how this money was spent. It is being alleged that the opposition of the SSG to Aregbesola stemmed from the disagreements emanating from how this money was disbursed. The SSG Akinwumi is now a gubernatorial candidate of the Unity Party of Nigeria in the August 9 election.

Eventually when Aregbesola appointed the commissioners, he retained the Ministry of Works and Transport to himself while appointing his former Director in the Lagos State Ministry of Works and Transport where he (Aregbesola) was commissioner under Bola Tinubu as the Special Adviser to co-manage it with him. He allowed his Deputy to oversee the Ministry of Education as 75% of the entire cabinet consists of his friends from Lagos and elsewhere other than Osun local politicians. He left the local politicians hanging, insisting that he had to reward those who financed his legal battles against the PDP. He forgot that without those who voted for him and ensured that those votes counted across Osun State, there would be nothing for his Lagos friends to finance!

Frontpage please

I'm sorry, I'm not sure O̶̲̥̅̊ƒ where to post this
On my bed now preparing to sleep and a lot O̶̲̥̅̊ƒ thought was going through my mind. One O̶̲̥̅̊ƒ it was today's date 11-12-13..
I think it is a special day to remember..
Nairalander, I think we need to celebrate this special day.
Merry xmas in advance to U̶̲̥̅̊ all.

Read this also: www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/anambra-supplementary-poll-apc-cause-mischief-pdp-chairman/#sthash.3BSOpQru.dpuf