OGBENI AREGBESOLA NEEDS URGENT SOCIAL SURGERY - OGUNTOLA ADELOWO

"In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act"- George Orwell

Your Excellency, Sir, You have not paid the seven (7) months salaries of Civil servants in Osun state. Teachers, Public administrators et al are languishing in pain, suffering from predicament and deprivation of salaries, facing recurrent disappointment and daily feeling distraught and sad! Yet, you prefer to still blab and unleash various malicious insinuations and innuendos in your well-oiled political arsenal.

Have you forgotten the remission of two-years pension deductions made from workers accounts and not remitted to their pension accounts since the last two years? Pensioners in the state have now resorted to menial jobs. The hoax you created just three months after your first term swearing-in ceremony with nomenclature, Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES) which you turned Graduates to laborers and sweepers have now rendered most of them useless with your gargantuan lies and fabricated gossips! 96 per cent of them are now impecunious and financially bankrupt.

The road construction of Osogbo-Ikirun-Ila Odo Dualization project, Gbongan Trumpet intersection/ dualization project was from the beginning a scam just to deceive indigenes of the state. All what your administration is notably known for is mere propaganda, deceit and lies. What of your so-called Mega schools? It has now turned to abode for destitute and beggars.

My Distinguished State Governor, I wish to state categorically and unequivocally that you are someone well-known for elevation of corruption, celebration of mediocrity, incompetence, reinforcement of failures, condoning of heinous crimes, tormenting violence and being influenced by enemies of the state in the Nigerian political firmament. That's just the truth because I prefer to say the truth no matter whose ox is gored or whose sacred cow is touched rather than joining the cacophony of Hallelujah boys to adore and praise you.

With undue sufferings, you and your sycophants and apologists "Osun State House of Assembly Lawmakers" yesterday (May 27th, 2015) have approved the creation of thirty-six (36) additional Local Council Development Authorities [LCDAs]. Mr Speaker, whom I expect to have been imbue with political savvy and legislative dexterity still didn't understand the rudimentary knowledge of LCDAs when states are facing debts and owing workers' salaries without no index of development in 'Ipinle Omoluabi'. Local Governments now at the figure of sixty-six (66)! It seems the lawmakers didn't understand the demerits of LGAs being 66 in state like Osun. They have once again displayed that political foolishness and bureaucratic immaturity.

I PRAY that your administration further brings smile and happiness on the face of indigent, poor and downtrodden people in the state. Remember, the state is on the brink of economic collapse and political destruction.

Peter, not Peter the Apostle, but Peter the hero of Hugh in Walpole's novel entitled 'Fortitude', said; "It isn't life that matters but the courage you bring into it'. After life had done terrible things to Peter he heard a voice that said to him, among other things: 'Blessed be all sorrow, hardships and endurances that demand courage. Blessed be those things: for of these things cometh the making of a man'.

In the words of Peter, therefore, you people that you want to do harm (not that I heard a voice): Blessed be your action; and I say unequivocally that you should be weary of your actions.

It is, therefore, with a brave heart, with confident hope, and with faith in my unalterable destiny, that I go from this twilight into the darkness, unshaken in my trust in the providence of God that a glorious dawn will come on the morrow.

Ire o!

OGUNTOLA ADELOWO
08106006057

HON. NAJEEM SALAAM - THE HEAD OF AN ASSEMBLY OF RUBBER STAMPS!

Iwaloye as he is fondly called by his teeming population of lovers is the member representing Ejigbo State Constituency at the Osun State House of Assembly, he is the speaker of the House and he is a grassroots politician. He is a philanthropist to the core and a man who feels he has wealth so he can enrich his people and 'give them fish'.

Personally, I use to be a fan of his style of politics characterized by humility and accessibility, but I recently found a dimension to him that is greatly disturbing. He heads an Assembly of yes-men, a group of rubber-stamps and the most lame House of Assembly that I have experienced since the advent of democratic rule in Osun State.

Yesterday, he announced the Assembly's approval of the creation of 36 Local councils for the state and urged the Governor to expedite actions on the creation so that a committee can be raised to work out modalities for assets and liabilities. Little did he know that he was displaying the ignorance of the assembly he leads to the Nation. How can an Assembly convened as a direct representation of the people to checkmate the excesses of the Executive not see that creation of a whooping 36 Local Councils is not the next thing for our dear State?

He has perfected his ability to give fish to the people, but has he not failed to help them prosper under the present administration so that they can kill fish for themselves? If Osun has failed to pay workers for the past six months, refused to remit pension deductions for two years and has not paid leave bonuses for three years, what common sense does it make to create such a number of Local Councils?

By that single announcement and in failing to consider the ills of such an approval, Hon. Najeem Salam has proved to all watchers of the polity, that he heads a house of rubber stamps and, no matter how prolific his generosity is, he has failed to enthrone discipline, independence and competence in the legislative arm of the Osun State Government. I am glad though, that this current House of Rubber-Stamps will soon be dissolved....but I am yet sad, that majority of these rubber-stamps will still return to the House...including Iwaloye himself!

My apologies!

Namaste!

MAY BUHARI NOT DISAPPOINT NIGERIANS!

The soon-to-become President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, General Muhammadu Buhari sure passes for a man with a lot of inner will and tenacity having contested the highest position in the land four times in a very expensive row!

Now that he has been elected President, a lot of burden appears to have been rested on his shoulders to further uplift the nation above the levels of poverty and under-development. The teeming population of Nigerians who voted him into office are expecting so much from him and except he finds grace to perform exceedingly above the expectations of people like me, he will yet end up as one of the massively supported leaders who would fall out of favour.

I am personally not a fan of Buhari and my disaffection for his candidature is not connected to any grouse with his person, but is connected to the kind of ideologies history have known him to operate by. My grouse with his candidature also includes the backwardness it represents for my generation who are supposed to be edging closer to leadership positions by now. He represents a very old wine in a new bottle...that to me tastes poorer than having a new one in an old bottle! The former holds disappointment while the latter gives solace!

Despite not being a fan, I do not pray he fails because in his failure will my country sink deeper into the abyss of underdevelopment and social pains. We cannot have another four years of this. If he will not fail, there are a few things he must do or not do....these I am writing about in this piece.

First, he must rise above the over-righteous personality he often tends to present himself as. This posture he has always taken pushes him to massively chase after persons he perceives as enemies of himself and his government. In a democracy, such pursuits are signals of government failure as there remains no time for the pursuit of developmental policies.

Second, he must speak the language that Nigerians understand in the pursuit of his policies. I remember vividly the television and radio adverts floated by the Obasanjo administration seeking support from the Nigerian people for the total deregulation of the downstream sector when I was much younger. People paid no attention because most could not come to the full understanding of the complex terms and his (Obasanjo's) government offered no explanation. The same policy Obasanjo was not crucified for was what Goodluck Jonathan pursued as 'Total Removal of Fuel Subsidy' and he almost got nailed to the cross. Though GEJ was hated for it, he at least succeeded in making it clearer to the people what Government was trying to do. We never allowed him not because we did not understand his move, but because we could not cope with the economics attached to the move. Buhari must make governance understandable to the common man!

Third, he must pursue short-term measures as immediate solutions to the problems bedeviling our nation and pursue long-term plans concurrently. In the case of subsidy removal, he must as a matter of urgency and as a quick fix to the corruption in the petroleum sector end the subsidy regime which was started by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo while planning to re-invest the funds thereby available into the resuscitation of the moribund refineries.He must not tell Nigerians that he will not pay subsidy while he is paying; he should not pursue resuscitation of refineries while allowing the corruption in the sector to continue.

Fourth, he must disallow the influence of certain political bigwigs on his policy decisions. The likes of Tinubu, Obasanjo, Akande and their counterparts have a track record of political deceit and insincerity. Allowing such persons influence his policy directions will sabotage the process and further give room to corruption and its allied practices.

Last, he must give the younger generation a chance. If he plans to bring in his old team to do a modern day job, what we will then have is the use of an old economics formula to solve a very modern and extremely complex financial problem. The two will just not work together.

I wish him long life and good health while I sincerely hope he will not disappoint Nigerians. I will keep talking and hoping he does not infringe on our freedom of expression as history records it in his first reign.

Namaste!

BUREAU-CRAZE: OSUN TO HAVE MORE COUNCILS THAN KANO, LAGOS ETC

In a show of political foolishness and bureaucratic immaturity, the Government of OSUN State under Mr. Rauf Aregbesola is set to increase the number of Local Councils in the state to 66 as against the current 30.

May I remind the debtor Governor that Lagos has 57 Local Councils and Kano has 44. If his excuse of wanting to get development closer to the people is indeed tenable, will the excuse justify 66? If development is close to the Lagos people with 57 councils, close to Kano people with 44 councils and close to Oyo people with 32 councils, what will OSUN do with 66?

Is it really about bringing development closer to the people or about finding political offices for his political band members who will be given his illegal 'Executive Secretary' positions?

If OSUN with 30 Councils is wallowing in 6 months salary debts, two years of unremitted pension deductions and leave bonuses, what happens when the number becomes 66 and the staff strength rises to almost double?

We shall continue asking questions from this man who obviously has lost touch with reality!

Namaste!

SHEMA, AMAECHI, JANG, ALIYU AND SOME OTHERS MAY REFUSE TO HAND OVER TO GOVERNORS ELECT

Strong indications have emerged that Governors of Rivers, Plateau, Niger, Katsina and Jigawa States may refuse to hand over to the incoming Governors on May 29 - Friday.

These indications emerged following the departure of some of these sitting Governors for foreign countries and the open declaration of some not to attend their successors' Inauguration.

While Governor Amaechi of Rivers State has stated clearly that he will rather be in Abuja for Buhari's inauguration, the likes of Sule Lamido of Jigawa have left the shores of the country.

Politricks.....we shall keep watching the unfolding drama!

Namaste!

MY BUHARI PROPHECIES PART IV - I SEE TINUBU QUARRELING WITH OSINBAJO

As the nation anxiously anticipates the coming of the Buhari presidency, my series of prophecies concerning issues that may play out during his tenure continues in this part.

I believe based on very obvious and past facts that Bola Ahmed Tinubu will soon have a falling out with Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, the Vice President elect. Why do I seem to strongly believe this?

First, Tinubu is known to be a political dictator who often love to have his way in every situation. To say that Tinubu will attempt to control the actions and inactions of Osinbajo as Vice President will be like saying Jesus is Lord - it is very obvious! His intentions for supporting Osinbajo's candidature I believe, was so he could have a firm grip on Buhari's pulse from outside Aso Rock; Osinbajo might just turn out to be more independent to be a puppet!

Second, Osinbajo is known to be a Minister of the gospel who tries to speak the truth at all times. He may refuse to bend to the schemings of Bola Tinubu in a bid to maintain his unstained reputation.

Third and the most disturbing part is that in a not-too-distant past, Tinubu had a falling out with Fashola over issues not very clear to the public. Keen watchers of the polity believed it was because he (Fashola) refused to bend to his dictatorial desires and Tinubu felt slighted! This might continue happening between Tinubu and all his anointed candidates who decide to have their own conscience! I see it happening again...

Either way, I think Tinubu will have tumultuous experiences in the coming administration....much worse experiences than the affluence he might presently be planning!

Namaste!

NOW THAT AREGBESOLA'S VICTORY HAS BEEN CONFIRMED!

Now that Aregbesola's victory has been confirmed by the Supreme Court, may we now have the following:
1. Payment of six months outstanding salaries to all government workers in Osun State.
2. Remission of two-years pension deductions made from workers accounts and not remitted to their pension accounts since the last two years.
3. Payment of leave bonuses to all state workers outstanding for the past two years.
4. Completion of the Osogbo-Ikirun-Ila Odo dualization project
5. Completion of the Gbongan trumpte intersection/dualization project.
6. Completion of all outstanding projects

Failure to do all these will eventually show him to be the failed governor that I have always believed him to be...I hope I do not get to say hobii to all those Aregbesola supporters who were never futuristic in their analysis and support of the bearded thief!

MY BUHARI PROPHECIES PART III - SENATE PRESIDENCY MAY TEAR APC APART

As the battle heats up between the faction supporting Senator Bukola Saraki and that supporting Senator Ahmed Lawan for the Senate Presidency seat, the All Progressive Congress might yet be thrown into a battle of wits in the coming weeks.
This will be made worse by the fact that General Muhammadu Buhari has refused to be dragged into the drama. He has refused to make clear his preference for any candidate neither has he spoken out on whether the position should be zoned to any of the contending regions.

While the dust raises, my third prophecy has it that the battle for the senate presidency might tear the party apart given the indecisiveness of the party's NWC and the indifference of the incoming President, worsened by the desperate moves of the contending factions.

We shall watch and see....

Namaste!

MY BUHARI PROPHECIES PART II - I SEE MANY APC MEN BEING DISGRACED

While the nation eagerly expects the enthronement of General Muhammadu Buhari as the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic on the 29th day of May 2015, I commenced a series of prophetic (pardon me,I am not a prophet) insights yesterday premised on my thorough watch of the political situation. Today, I see many loyal APC men being disgraced and falling fro their high horses.

Who should be the first on my disgrace list? I will refuse to mention names but I must say categorically, that many APC strong men will be brought down from their high horses and this will be brought about by the incorruptible stand of Muhammadu Buhari...

I sincerely hope Bola Ahmed Tinubu does not eventually have to cough out a good portion of his ill-gotten wealth!

Namaste!

MY BUHARI PROPHECIES PART 1 - I SEE TOTAL REMOVAL OF FUEL SUBSIDY

While we eagerly anticipate the coming of the Buhari administration that will hold sway for at least the next four years, I am constrained to pre-empt certain policy directions that the APC-led government will pursue. This my new-found way of thinking is my series of Buhari prophecies that I am sure a lot Nigerians do not want to hear or experience.

The first I can boldly prophecy is that under the incoming administration, there will be total removal of fuel subsidy i.e. total deregulation of the downstream sector and the pump price of PMS i.e. petrol will move to around #150/litre. How do I know this someone will begin to ask me.

First, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, one of the prime supporters of the Buhari ambition in the twilight of his administration pursued a total deregulation of the downstream sector. This pursuit was aimed at ending the subsidy era and allowing market forces determine the pump price of petroleum products. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in his interview with Punch Correspondents last week again re-iterated the commitment of the Obasanjo government as well as his personal belief in the total deregulation of the downstream sector. This is a major pointer to the policy direction that the Buhari government will tow.

Second, Buhari is known to be a man who does not believe in lining the pocket of a few persons with payments such as the subsidy payments. He might as such opt for total removal of subsidy to end this trend and force the market forces to determine its prices.

Third, majority of the incoming lawmakers on the platform of the APC have begun lending their voices to the total deregulation of the downstream sector. They are claiming the government will then have the chance to use subsidy savings to resuscitate the refineries. One of such persons is Hon. Mojeed Alabi who just publicly said this on his facebook page today.

I foresee a #150/litre pump price of PMS consequent upon the removal of subsidy and this might just lead us into more difficult times. However it turns out, the policy direction of the Jonathan Government would have been justified and I will then wait for the next set of lies the APC will tell to rubbish the man who only tried to take bold steps in the interest of our collective prosperity.

Namaste!

ARE NIGERIANS THIS GULLIBLE OR IS IT JUST ME THINKING SO?

I keep asking myself this question again and again....are Nigerians so gullible, or is it just me thinking they are?

When an APC Governor refuses to pay salaries for six months, fails to remit 5% pension deductions to workers' pension accounts, refuses to pay two years leave bonus to workers, Nigerians are quick to blame it on the PDP-led Federal Government....logical, huh? But when a PDP Governor does the same, he must have embezzled the money...ironic, i think!

When under-age children massively votes for Buhari in Kano State with video and news media evidence, Nigerians see it as wild passion for their tribesman and nothing more....When people of Rivers State decides to triple and quadruple the votes of their own kinsman, Nigerians call it massive rigging which must not be allowed to stand....ironic, wouldn't you say?

When Fayemi loses election and he accepts his fate because all evidences point to the fact that he was sincerely rejected by the people, Nigerians call him a hero who should be celebrated....but when Goodluck Jonathan accepts defeat to avert the repeat of the Nigerian Civil war, even elders like Lai Mohammed see no big deal....funny, huh?

When blog reports and flash news reports allege an arrest of Dame Patience Jonathan in another country based on money laundering charges, Nigerians claim she must have been doing it for a long time and should be prosecuted....but when the son of Aregbesola is reported to have been found with millions of taxpayers' money on his way out of Nigeria, Nigerians quickly say it is untrue.....double standard, huh?

What I keep asking myself is, did this crop of APC persons place Nigerians under a kind of enchantment or are Nigerians just outrightly gullible? We should begin to ask question.....

Before we blame the Federal government for misappropriating our wealth, we should ask the State Governors what they have done with the loans they took, the allocations they collected and the billions of Internally Generated Revenue that has accrued to the State accounts in the course of their tenures....then will Nigerians stop being the gullible blind followers of propaganda that they have proved to be in recent years!

Namaste!

LEARN GRATITUDE FIRST!

I have taken a very odd break from my favorite online presence - my blog! I keep asking myself, how could I have been so absent from a page that has offered me so much in terms of self-expression in the past two years or thereabout? Then, I remembered I had not even had the opportunity to go to Church in the past three months. I had this realization prior to Sunday 24th May, 2015 - coincidentally my Mother's birthday. If some duties of National interest could have held me back from going to the House of the Lord, how much can an online page matter? Not as much as God's presence I bet!

So, I chose the date for my much-needed go-back to the Household of God as 24th May, 2015 in honour of my wonderful mother, who sat and watched my infant head. Happy Birthday mum!

Thank God I went to Church yesterday. The realization I brought back was not from the sermon, neither was it from the choir ministration; it was from the testimony of a man who just bought a new motorcycle! Surprise, isn't it? This man came up looking so radiant with lovely smiles to share his testimony. From his testimony I quote: "I joined this Church sometimes last year and the first challenge that faced me was how to get my family from our house which is very far from the church to this place every Sunday. To my surprise, God provided me with a motorcycle and we have been coming to this church ever since then."

As he continued, he had something more to say concerning God's provisions. I expected, in my carnal mind that he was going to say God just provided him with a car; but against my shallow expectations, he went on: "Yesterday, God said the other motorcycle had become old and he provided a brand new one". To say I was dumb-struck would be an understatement. I mean, here I was complaining about not having a car and here was this man with beautiful smiles thanking God in the presence of a large congregation for a motorcycle! He had learned gratitude before me!

I say to someone reading this piece this moment, think about your situation and then look around; do you not see people whose prayer points are your present condition? You make so much noise about being broke with #900 in your pocket, yet you do not realize that there is a family of four around you who could feed for a week with that same amount? The amount you spend traveling around looking for a dream job is exactly what someone else needs to set up a petty business to feed her children as she has lost her husband! GRATITUDE.....

With the little you have, no matter how poor you think you are, give thanks. The fact that you were able to read this piece tells me you have a phone, at least a daily data subscription and access to electricity...I hope you find a way to realize that the cost of those three combined will feed a certain family somewhere for two months!

Think of how bad your situation...but before you complain, look around! Do you not see people who are seeking YOUR generosity even as broke as you look? Think....think....think....! You are far better than a lot of people...all you need to learn is the art of giving thanks - GRATITUDE!