Sent from my iPad
On May 12, 2014, at 12:09 PM, "Leye Ige ige.leye@yahoo.com [NaijaObserver]"<NaijaObserver@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
"The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out for himself, without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane and intolerable, and so, if he is romantic, he tries to change it. And even if he is not romantic personally he is very apt to spread discontent among those who are"--Henry Louis Meneken.
Relying on aspects of a quote/saying to satisfy some agenda falls FAR SHORT of rationality--it MUST be taken in its totality for it to pass muster, at least if we are supposedly in pursuit of rationality. As Meneken stated, a non-romantic personality is APT TO SPREAD DISCONTENT among those who are(which is the aim of ANY political opposition anyway). So, either way, whether "romantic" or not, rational or not--there is ALWAYS a PURPOSE behind everything. The issue then is the PURPOSE--and what each can identify with.
In the UPN days, at least in Oyo State, the UPN Government was vilified for asking students to carry their school desks, etc And YES, the UPN MADE NOISE about it--IT WAS THEIR CAMPAIGN SLOGAN, among others!!!!!!!!!!!. Jakande was excoriated for building "sheds" as schools etc etc.
Leye Ige
--------------------------------------------
On Mon, 5/12/14, Kolawole Onifade kol_onif@yahoo.com [OmoOdua] <OmoOdua@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
Subject: [OmoOdua] Re: [NaijaPolitics] [isokanyoruba] Re: [NaijaBusiness] O' Lies: the Lies and Deception of Raufu
To: OmoOdua@yahoogroups.com
Cc: "Naija Business"<NaijaBusiness@yahoogroups.com>, "OmoOdua@yahoogroups.com Oodua"<OmoOdua@yahoogroups.com>, "USAAfrica Dialogue"<usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>, "isokanyoruba@yahoogroups.com"<isokanyoruba@yahoogroups.com>, "igboworldforum@yahoogroups.com"<igboworldforum@yahoogroups.com>, "Nigerian World Forum Nigerian World Forum"<nigerianworldforum@yahoogroups.com>, "Edo nationality"<edo-nationality@yahoogroups.com>, "Bring your baseball bat"<NaijaObserver@yahoogroups.com>, "imostate congress"<imostatecongress@yahoogroups.com>, "Egbeodua@yahoogroups.com"<Egbeodua@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Monday, May 12, 2014, 5:39 AM
Baba wa
Professor
Adeboye, Your
response to mine makes an interesting and emotive reading
indeed. Agba ko ni tan lori ile sir. E pe fun wa o.
Amin. I
must quickly note here that my designation of the Raufu
O'Meals program as deceptive is not a blanket
condemnation of that program. I'd rather you paid closer
attention to the newspaper story that called for my
designation. The story made it clear that the program was
initiated by Raufu's predecessor Olagunsoye Oyinlola!
And, to think that Oyinlola, nay all PDP governments in the
SW have been broadly classified as non-performing! So, I
thought to myself, here we go again! The ACN (now APC)
governments have mastered the art of deception. They
appropriate their predecessors'
initiatives and programs, probably fine tune it (as in this
case) or even add nothing (as in the case of Fayemi's
claim of Oni's road projects as his); and present
themselves as original thinkers in the mould of the late
sage Obafemi Awolowo (SAW). In fact, I have read some people
on this forum equate Raufu with Awolowo. Such
blasphemy! Henry
Louis Meneken was quoted as once saying that: "the most
dangerous man, to any government, is the man who is able to
think things out for himself .......... Almost inevitably,
he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives
under is dishonest, INSANE (emphasis
mine) and
intolerable." Wow!
Sir, can you see the rationale in holding the rather
controversial view that the APC government foisted on the SW
is "dishonest, INSANE and
intolerable"? Sir,
you will agree with me that sanity implies rational
thinking. Rational decision making implies an ability to
match resources with programs and projects. Matching
resources implies an ability to gauge the ability of an
entity (in this case a State) to sustain any given program
over time. Gauging the ability of Osun State to sustain a
lot of Raufu's programs implies taking into cognizance
the internally generated revenue of the State (shorn of
Federal Allocation), the capacity of the State to go into
debt, the necessity of such debt given the economic
realities of the State among other
factors. Accepting
that the O'Meals program is necessary and rational sir,
is the implementation sustainable over time? Now, we hear of
contractors cutting corners and the tendency to cut back on
the quality. School realignment program is one that
will blow in our face in a short while. For instance, I
mentioned the issue of location vis-à-vis students'
residence. I also mentioned the fact that we are likely
going to have over stretched students who will be forced to
trek long distances to their schools, fatigued as a result,
unable to concentrate in class, perform poorly as
a consequence and grow up to become frustrated,
unemployable youths with no
future. Then,
I saw an assemblage of buses presented for photo effect as
answers to the problems raised. And, I had a hearty laugh! I
laughed at the insincerity of Raufu and his APC appendages
and town criers. I also laughed at the glaring foolishness
of the poor idea. First, I looked at the number of buses.
Then I asked myself: how many routes can these few buses
cover? Second, for how long will these buses "shining
gbinrin gbinrin" operate before break downs,
operational costs and the
"Nigerian factor" make them inoperable or out
rightly impossible for the State to continue? But then, that
matters only to a government that thinks any policy through.
But for a Raufu who presents himself as a Know All, a modern
day Orunmila or even an Awolowo incarnate what matters
is the end. And, here, the end is the second term election.
Take my word for it, nothing matters after the August
election. The buses might as well be under an hire purchase
agreement to last till
then! Now,
I come to the account you gave of how you muddled through
school through the pangs of hunger and deprivations. Sir,
that resonates with me. I was once there sir. I grew up
without knowing any of my parents who were deceased when I
was just a year and ten months. I grew up with my maternal
grandma who in turn lived with his son (my mum's
brother) in Lagos. As good natured as my uncle is, you will
agree with me sir,
that I knew my limitations. In fact, my innate ability to
perceive human character was developed as an orphan. My
uncle took me to Abeokuta where he worked as a manager in a
multi-national company at Ibara. He enrolled me at age 4 in
the Primary School. However, the entire family (including my
grandma and his wife who had a good job in Lagos) all lived
in his house at Lagos. We travelled to Lagos every Friday
afternoon to return to Abeokuta on Monday morning. I felt
lost and lonely as he most times did not return home from
work until later in the evening. However, I was not hungry.
But, I used to trek from Igbehin (where we first lived) and
later Igbore to Isabo where my school was. Later, he
voluntarily retired from service when he was posted to Lagos
to take on full missionary work with a Church that was not
paying any meaningful salary (the Pastor of that Church had
died and though he had a secular work he was sort of
assisting the man as he was
always going there after work each day. That explains for
his late arrival home). This is where I am
going. When
my Uncle took on the missionary work, my secondary education
was almost terminated. However, that same year (1978), the
Obasanjo Regime adopted the UBE Scheme which rubbed off on
secondary schools somehow. And, in 1979, the late Olabisi
Onabanjo became governor under the UPN. That year, as a Form
Three student, I was given all the textbooks and exercise
books free. Also, there was no tuition
paid. I
noticed that there was no noise made. They just supplied us
all the books which we treated as babies (carefully wrapped)
to avoid stains as we were to return them for the next set.
It afforded me the grace of education. And, the UPN did all
that without putting the States into
debt! It
is instructive to note here, Sir, that the then Oyo State
encompassed the present Osun State while the
present Ekiti State was part of Ondo
State. What
do we see now? A government of adeptly corrupt enemies of
the people. Wolves in sheep skin masquerading as
progressives. People who lack original ideas, appropriating
the predecessors' idea (which is not wrong), but lacking
the moral fiber to acknowledge as
much! I
decided to write this long treatise in order to make
myself
clear. I
only hope that you understand me better now
Sir. Regards. Kola/ On Sunday, May 11,
2014 11:11 PM, "Adeniran Adeboye aadeboye@mac.com
[NaijaPolitics]"<NaijaPolitics@yahoogroups.com>
wrote:
Dear Aburo Peter [or
Peteru],
Many thanks for
sharing your story also. All these stories serve to tell us
that no condition is really permanent.
Best,
Adeniran Adeboye
On
May 11, 2014, at 10:44 PM, peter opara wrote:
Egbon Ade,
I
am intrigued when I read or hear stories such as yours. I
really respect and admire you for laying your life out so
clearly for all to read. You know I call you Egbon for every
right reasons, politics aside. Some have wondered why I
respect and admire you, when they observe that we may, and
do in fact disagree politically, especially regarding the
man who I now know made life a little easier for you. Well,
because my sense never leads me astray; and so it was
reading you for the first time hereabouts that you are a
fine man, and as decent as humanly possible. Now, the story
of your life you narrated that began a couple of years
before I was born is something I cannot relate to. One of my
cousins from my mother's side, once told a similar
story of his life growing up. He attended school in the
village, adorned with a towel-like clothe he used to cover
himself. His life's story was so strange, I had to blurt
out, asking him - were you that poor?! Wow. This man later
rose as high as any could rise in Nigeria's civil
service. We were actually in his house in Victoria Island
when he narrated his life's story. Something about
similar to your story about me that I can tell was a teacher
pocketing the money my father gave him to register me in a
municipal school when we moved from Umukurushe to inner city
in Ph, and the head master having to mark me as one who did
not pay his fees or so, and having to make sure I did not
attend classes. My father quickly took care of the
situation, once I hinted him what was going on. Other than
that, I never knew how and when my school fees were paid. I
did not even know how much my school fees was. This was
early to to mid 60s - my infant days. However, Egbon, to
think that some children llead lives similar to yours in the
early 50s is something that calls for drastic, if not
revolutionary change. And the revolution I think is not
earth shaking. It is just to ensure that children have
breakfast everyday at school, even lunch. Nobody learns a
thing in an empty stomach, worse so children. I tried
establishing a foundation on health and literacy in my parts
in the early 80s to cater just to this simple children's
needs. Health and literacy were in fact my father's
passion that I observed during the Biafra/Nigeria war. That
endeavor took me to Geneva and France meeting with UN
Officials for co-operation. It was then that I discovered
that the reason why no one feels the impact of the UN in a
place like Nigeria for instance is because, the UN does
nothing in any country without going through the home
government. In other words, the UN never goes directly to
places of impact to apply their educational or health
remedies or assists. Any way Egbon, we all have our stories,
interesting and endearing each story is. I recall Abba
telling his as a cattle rearer, and enterprise about which
some of us from the south fin amusing or so to put it
mildly. Then I recalled that I kept watch over a flock of
sheep in the village, some mine, as a child whenever I was
home, in the village on holidays. I recalled also that
General Buhari always says some of the greatest lessons he
learned in life was as a cattle rearer. What I failed to
recall was that I actually considered retiring to a village
in the Swiss Alps once I was done with a phd program to rear
goats. Yes indeed. Think about it, is not easier leading
goats than leading human beings? At this time of his life,
brother Jonathan will certainly agree with me, more so my
Buhari, a supremely decent man, who cannot seem to do right
by certain humans.
Thank
you for sharing, Egbon.
Your
aburo
Peteru
On Sunday, May 11,
2014 9:45 PM, "Adeniran Adeboye aadeboye@mac.com [NaijaPolitics]"
<NaijaPolitics@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
CORRECTIONS and
ADDITION
Dear Dr.
Onifade,
My three years
[January 1951to December 1953] at the St. John's African
Church School, Isale-Oja, GBONGAN introduced me to hunger.
Whereas the school was right next-door to my home, the
teachers did not allow us to leave the school premises
during the mid-day meal period, 11: 00 to 11: 30 am. Hence,
I could not go home for any nourishment until after 2: 00
pm when the school day was over. My parents [May their
souls rest in perfect peace] could not even afford the
tuition of two pounds and five shillings per
year, let alone give me three pence each school day for
school lunch. In those days, many adults did not even need
all of three pence to eat a satisfying meal. Further,
records would show that I was run out of school several
times a year to bring at least some portion of the fees to
the Headmaster or else stay away from school. I got used to
trudging along but unfortunately for me, the school did not
go beyond Standard Two which I completed in December 1953,
in spite of all odds.
My three years [January 1954 to
December 1956] at the St David's African Church School,
Oke Ola, GBONGAN proved to be even more painful. The school
fees for the senior primary was now three pounds and
eleven shillings. That school was more than a half
mile from
my home and the school day went from 8: 00 am to 2: 00 pm,
as before. Accordingly rushing home to get something to eat
required not passing out
with hunger along the way [passing out actually
happened at least twice in those years]. On January 17,
1955, school became tuition free, thanks to the Obafemi
Awolowo government of the Western Region. Also by May of
that year, my mother changed her activities from petty
trading to buying and hauling farm products, cocoa, palm
oil, oro, obi etc according to their seasons, from the
villages to the town. Thus I was able to eat heavier
breakfast before going to school. I also took on the
"business" of selling FAMORIYO BREAD about that
time. I would hawk it between 6: 30 and 7: 30 am each school
day, targeting some alakowes like you at their
homes and travelers at the motor
stops and motor parks. After school and on weekends I was
on the street till at least 10: 00 pm. I even performed
exactly the same routine on 10 October, 1956 around the
examination centre for my Primary School Leaving Certificate
Examination.
In early
January 1956, my father gave me only one pound and ten
shillings to go to Ile-Ife to buy my school supplies for my
last year. There was a CMS bookshop not far from the
Ooni's palace. Whereas I was wise enough to first choose
the Oxford English Reader for the English, the Lacombe Upper
Standard for the Arithmetic, Round Africa by J. M.
Winterbottom and West African Atlas Notebook by
Trelevyn for geography, money was running. I had to buy
exercise books, some 2A and 2B. I did. However, the list of
required books included Irinkerindo Ninu Igbo Elegbeje by D.
O. Fagunwa, the which I hoped to borrow from some older
relative, Olorun Esan by G. Akin Ojo
and All Over the World. I actually fell in love with the
last book as I read through it in the bookstore. I included
it in my "basket". After paying for all the books
I chose, I had only three pence left. It would cost a
shilling to get back to GBONGAN CITY [15 miles] and I was
hungry. I promptly spent the three pence to feed my face at
Akarabata and then started visiting relatives in Ife and
Modakeke. I knew that if I told them that I did not need to
eat, each would give me some monetary gift. By 7: 00 pm, I
had raised enough to catch a transport lorry back home to
GBONGAN CITY. I must confess that having to go down memory
lane this way always brings tears [paradoxically, of both
sorrow and joy] to my face.
Dear Dr. Onifade, I have written
this much to show what Aregbesola's O'meal and Opon
Imo would have done for me when added to Awolowo's FPE.
As I travel through the state and the country these days, I
see boys
and girls whose economic conditions are not radically
different from what mine had been. Indeed, I see them as
later day editions of myself, mercilessly deprived but
amazingly optimistic. I am grateful that Aregbesola and
Laoye-Tomori are there for those of them in Osun. I eagerly
await being educated about such effective
people-oriented/children-centered programs in other states.
Whereas I try to stay away from purely partisan discussions,
it would be irresponsible of me to fail to bring to our
attention, from a longitudinal viewpoint, the good
that Aregbesola's government has so eminently
represented.
Adeniran
Adeboye
It was
from money saved selling FAMORIYO BREAD in the year
1957, after Primary VI, that I paid my tuition and fees for
the first term in 1958 at Government College,
Ibadan. Bola Ige's UPN government was to later make
secondary education tuition free in the old Oyo State
simultaneously with the rest of the old Western
Region.
On
May 8, 2014, at 8:42 PM, Kolawole Onifade kol_onif@yahoo.com [NaijaBusiness]
wrote:
Two years on,
controversy still surrounds Osun O'meal
initiativeMay 9, 2014 by
Femi Makinde Leave a
Comment
A cross section of
Osun State pupilsCriticisms still trail the
two-year-old Osun State school feeding programme, FEMI
MAKINDE reports Two years after the Osun State
Government under the superintendence of Rauf Aregbesola
inaugurated the school feeding programme, controversy still
seems to be the second name of the scheme.While the protagonists of the
initiative hail the exercise, which became operational on
April 30 2012, as a worthy venture; those on the other side
of the divide say it is a conduit for reckless spending of
public funds.For
instance, the Peoples Democratic Party in the state says
that a substantial part of the money for the programme goes
into the hands of a few government surrogates. The party's
Chairman, Alhaji Gani Olaoluwa said, the Aregbesola-led
administration has created holes in the purse of the state
in the name of school feeding.He notes, "The governor ensures that
a meager amount of money is made available to provide the
meals for the pupils, while the government spends so much
for the policy. In truth, a chunk of the money goes into
individual pockets."Olaoluwa, who argues that the
initiative did not even start with the Aregbesola
administration, notes that the PDP under the leadership of
former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola mooted the concept in
the state.The policy
then, he insists, was devoid of politics. At present, the
surrogates of Aregbesola, Olaoluwa says, have hijacked the
project and turned it into a jamboree.He adds, "Most of the time,
when the governor goes to any public function, you will see
these food vendors dancing and singing Aregbesola's
praises. They are members of the All Progressives Congress
and how do you expect the
administration to sanction any of them who is not serving
the pupils the expected quality and quantity of
food?"Olaoluwa is
not alone in finding fault with the initiative. The PDP's
governorship candidate in the forthcoming poll in the state,
Senator Iyiola Omisore, says the present arrangement has
made it possible for some persons to enrich themselves via
the initiative.Like
Olaoluwa, Omisore, speaking through his media aide, Mr.
Diran Odeyemi, also declares that the government of Oyinlola
initiated the move in the state.Omisore notes, "Providing free
meals for students is good, but in the case of Osun State
under Ogbeni Aregbesola, we know that the governor is using
the policy to enrich himself and part of the fund being
mopped up illegally from this is expected to be used in the
forthcoming poll in the state."By the grace of God, this
fraud will soon stop and we shall move the seat of
government from under the bridge in Lagos to Osogbo where it
should be. This must end."If you look at the fraud
perpetrated with the so called opon imo, you will be
shocked. The same thing is going on in the school projects
but we won't allow it to continue like that."But the protagonists of the
initiative say the Aregbesola's administration has
received applause from many quarters because of the
exercise.According to
them, the free feeding programme has impacted positively on
the lives of pupils in the state-owned elementary
schools.For instance,
the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori, who doubles as
the commissioner for education, notes that the programme,
which gulps
about N3.6bn annually, has helped to lift basic education
in the state to greater heights.The exercise, she adds, has also
helped to boost employment in the state.Laoye-Tomori says, "Basic
education should not be handled with levity, considering the
pivotal role it plays in the life of every individual. It is
the first level of exposure available to children outside
their parental homes."The view to catch them young
can only become a reality if primary education gets its
rightful place.The Federal Government should, through
Universal Basic Education Commission, assist states by
increasing fund for the meal from N98m available to states
for it."The meals
cost government of the State of Osun N3.6bn annually. O-Meal
has taken public primary school enrolment in the state from
155,318 in May
2012 to over 380,000 pupils this 2014."Besides, she notes that the
initiative has rubbed off on the farmers and those in supply
business in the state.But even as the APC and the PDP
leaders disagree over the success or otherwise of the
initiative, a retired Headmistress of the AUD Elementary
School, Sabo Eleran, Osogbo, Alhaja Oluremi Adeyemi, says
the O-meal exercise is having a positive impact on the
academic performance of the pupils.According to her, most pupils
now have less worry about hunger, especially during school
hours because they are sure of eating a meal at break time.
This free meal, she adds, has increased the number of
children in the elementary school, which, according to her,
is a good method of increasing enrolment figure in the
state.She,
nonetheless, frowns on the approach
adopted by the food vendors, especially in preparing the
meals. In her thinking, the present arrangement where the
meals are prepared in the vendors' homes gives room for
concern about hygiene.She adds that preparing the
meals in schools will allow teachers and government
officials to monitor the quality and ensure the right
dosage.She further
says that close monitoring will prevent untoward happenings
and ensure safety of the pupils.She notes, "The meals were
prepared at each school when the administration of Prince
Oyinlola was doing it. I think the current administration
could borrow this idea to better this
programme."For the
state Nigerian Union of Teachers Chairman, Mr. Saka
Adesiyan, the initiative is worth applauding.He says, "This is a
laudable idea and it is well thought out. Although the
school feeding started during the Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola
administration, the scope has broadened since the coming to
office of Aregbesola."Those who are comfortable do
not know the importance of the O' meal but to those
children whose parents could not afford to give them N20.00
to buy food, it is the best government policy."However, as
laudable as the project is, it must be strictly supervised
because some of the vendors have started cutting back on the
quality and quantity of the food they are expected to serve.
It must be strictly supervised, otherwise, those vendors
would sabotage the good idea because of
greed."__._,_.___
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