Osun 2014: Aregbesola, other gladiators in battle of wits

Ahead the 2014 governorship election in Osun State, political activities are gradually taking an upward swing. All the major parties are working out different strategies to secure the backing of the grassroots. For instance, the All Progressives Party (APC), which is the ruling party in the state, has initiated a programme tagged, Gbangba dekun, targeted at the grass root people, while the Unity Party of Nigeria(UPN) has adopted the use of mobile phone to transmit its manifesto to both the rural and urban populace in the state.
 In his own way of getting to the people, the state governor, Rauf Aregbesola, has commenced an enlightenment tour to show case the activities of his administration. The highpoint of the strategy is the interactive talk-show, Gbangba dekun, a kind of town hall meeting, during which the governor interfaces with the people on the activities of his administration, especially on the various ongoing developmental projects.
At the maiden edition of the programme held in Iwo, where hundreds of people from Iwo Federal Constituency that comprises Iwo, Ayedire and Ola-Oluwa Local Government Councils converged to have one-on-one interactive session with the governor who is believed to be seeking another term in office 2014 on the platform of APC. The second edition, which was held in Ila Orangun, equally attracted a massively turnout of people from Ila, Ifedayo and Boluwaduro Local Councils. According to the architects, the programme affords the people the veritable opportunity to express their views and opinions, as well as offer advice on all government policies, programmes and projects relevant to their communities. The programme which is aired live on the electronic media, attracted more audience, especially those that could not physically attend the talk show for one reason or the other.
Community leaders, traditional rulers, market men and women, youth organisations, civil society groups, religious organisations, politicians and other stakeholders in the federal constituencies were given opportunities to speak frankly on issues.
The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Honourable Sunday Akere, explained that, “The programme is to ensure that the current administration makes itself more relevant to the people in deeds and in words. It is a feedback mechanism that will propel government in the right direction.”
At one of the programmes, a lawyer and community leader in Iwo land, Chief Gbadegesin Adedeji, noted that the on-going urban programme of the government had rekindled public hope in government. While seeking the sustenance of the interactive session, he urged the government to compel councils to provide palliative measures to those who were affected by the dualisation of roads.
For Oba Solomon Ojo, the Onikonifin of Ikonifin and Dr. J A Adigun, the need for more rural roads and tarring of the one leading to the Oloba Cattle Ranch could not be over-emphasised so as to facilitate the transportation of agricultural produce, just as Mr Kasali Adeoye advised the government to fast track the process for the selection of new traditional ruler for Iwo land.
Aregbesola appreciated the frankness of the leaders and the people of the federal constituency, especially Iwo, for their unflicting support to the government, promising that his administration would not disappoint them. He promised that the local government election would hold in the state before the governorship election and that before then, new local government councils would have been created after the conduct of a referendum and carrying out other necessary processes. The governor added that a bill would be sent to the state House of Assembly for a referendum to be carried out. On the creation of a university in Iwo, he explained that the resources of the state were too meagre to cope with such venture now, saying that the current government emphasis was on laying a solid foundation for basic and secondary education, hence the present huge investment in building conducive and comfortable modern structures, as well as investment on Opon-Imo and free uniform projects for students in the state. He, therefore, enjoined the people of the area to fully support Bowen University in Iwo to take care of the admission of their wards.
However, at the town hall meeting held at the Baptist Primary School in Ila Orangun, Aregbesola restated that the policy of his administration to pay extra bonus to civil servants posted to rural communities. According to him, the action is one of the ways by his administration to ensure that public officers are encouraged to serve in rural communities. He said the incentive was that 25 per cent of the salaries such civil servants would be paid as the said bonus. The governor, while responding to questions from the residents of Ila, Boluwaduro and Ifedayo Local Government Areas said his administration was dedicated to completing the road project from Ikirun extending to Oke-Ila and Kwara State boundary, as his government was committed to spreading developmental projects across the state.
Aregbosola, who spoke in Yoruba, said that his administration banned kindergarten classes in public schools so as to allow parents to take adequate care of their children till six years of age.
According to the governor, all children from age six would have the right to quality primary and secondary education till they are 18 years old. Speaking on the state traditional council, Aregbesola said plans had been concluded to inaugurate the body to regularly counsel government on programmes and policies to impact more on the people’s welfare. He emphasised his administration’s commitment to making the council neutral and ensure  its effectiveness.

Labour Party
For the Labour Party, the two governorship aspirants; Messrs Wale Alakinde and Akingbade Oyelekan, are new faces in the political circle in the state, so they are keeping the public in suspence about their individual capacity and capability. A former Head of Service in the state, Mr. Segun Akinwusi, has also joined the governorship race under the resuscitated Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN.) This group through its campaign organisation code named, Rescue Team, has been conveying its programmes on healthcare, education, youth employment, rural development, labour matters and other issues to the people through mobile telephone. One of such campaign issues read:”Dignity of labour shall be respected. Retired and workers still in the civil service will not be neglected. Support UPN,” while another text message says, “UPN will provide free education from nursery to the first degree at university; we have the master-plan to develop Osun.”

PDP
For the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), the crisis rocking the party at the national level appears to be rubbing on,  the state chapter, as the party is not able to speak with one voice on who will be the candidate of PDP during the 2014 governorship election in the state.
Recently, the party leadership, in an effort to present a formidable candidate, conveyed a meeting of all the four aspirants and their supporters to rub minds on evolving a process that will be rancour-free. But the meeting ended in a deadlock, as none of the contestants was ready to step down for the others.
The aspirants are Honourable Oluwole Oke, who is a former member of the House of Representatives representing Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency; Senator Iyiola Omisore, former deputy governor and Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation; Senator Akinlabi Olasunkanmi, former Minister of Youth Development and Alhaji Fatai Akinbade, a former Secretary to the State Government under Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola. The parley was at the instance of the State Working Committee led by the PDP state Chairman, Alhaji Ganiyu Olaoluwa, who pleaded with the aspirants to bury their differences in the overall interest of the party.
When asked whether any of them was prepared to step down or take the slot of the deputy governor, they all answered in one voice that it was either the governorship ticket or nothing. Specifically, Senator Omisore said that having served as deputy to Chief Bisi Akande between 1999 and 2002, it would be foolhardy for him to aspire again to be deputy governor more than 10 years after.