The situation we inherited in 2003 is  well known  to the rest of the State and the country. It was an open secret that the government of that period was at logger heads with everybody, the council of Obas, the labour etc. The situation was compounded by some unpleasant policies of that government, mainly the retrenchment of workers.

 

Workers were on strike as at the time we came in. On assumption of office, we took each policy programme one after the other to see how we could amend them to meet the yearnings of the people and the promises we made to them.

 

The workforce was owed about three or four months salary as at the time we came on board, we look for the means of paying the arrears. We reviewed the policy of retrenchment by calling back those that were capable of serving and granted retirement with benefits to those who should go on retirement.

 

We looked at the security situation because the crises that emanated during the last regime was just that as at the conclusion of the administration, the House of Assembly could not sit because there was chaos there which eventually led to the death of one of the Honourable members who was the majority leader, late Hon. Odunayo Olagbaju.

 

We looked at what could have caused the mayhem and we took steps to address it. We first of all looked at the security situation, if the security agents were not in a position to do their duties properly then there would be no meaningful execution of programmes for the people. We therefore asked the security agents about their problems. They told us communication and mobility and we assisted them.

 

We also tried to endear the government to the minds of the people through fairness and equitable distribution of amenities. We went straight to fulfilling the promises we made to the people. Gradually, we were able to get the people along with the administration. That was why we had a smooth running of our programmes for almost four years.

 

 

Shortly before the elections the Lagos gang came in and the peaceful situation has never been the same again. The first indication of what we were to expect was on the day I went for Olojo Festival at Ife. That was the first time I met Rauf Aregbesola. In fact Kabiyesi Ooni asked me whether I knew him or not and I said no. He asked him whether he knew me and he said no too. Kabiyesi then introduced  us to each other. We embraced each other and we greeted. You know Kabiyesi normally ride to one spot outside the palace as part of Olojo celebration. I was to ride in a car behind that of kabiyesi. I asked Rauf  to ride in the same open car with me. His supporters were hailing him on one hand and my supporters were hailing me too. Even at a time we were all joking and throwing banter.

 

You can see the hands of friendship I  extended to him for a while, but that day I noticed something, Rauf came to that function wearing a bulletproof vest. I asked him why are you wearing a bulletproof vest? He looked at me and said how did I know? I told him that I could not be stupid after spending 30 years in the military and I won’t know such a thing.We both laughed. We discussed after the functions and I asked him under which platform he was going to run? He said AD of course and I said which one, Akinfenwa’s own or Akande’s own. We both laughed.

 

The day I was the guest at Oroki day function, I was seated, the programme had commenced. Rauf came in with his thugs ringing bells into the function in which a Governor was seated. I could not imagine such a thing, a commissioner entering a function where an Executive Governor was already seated in such a rude and rowdy manner.

 

Even when we went for Funso William’s burial his Governor, Tinubu, called his ADC to testify to what he told Rauf that he was wrong since I was seated and that he either turned back or sat down quietly. Could he have done that to Bola? Since then, I realized that we were in for turbulent period. Ever since then, it has been importation of thugs from that axis.

 

 

It got to a climax after the announcement of election results. Even where they won were the areas they burnt houses which I cannot still understand till today. The people of Osogbo and Ilesa voted for him yet 15 houses were burnt in Ilesa another 10 in Osogbo.All the houses belonged to PDP chieftains. If I had allowed retaliation, the houses we could have lost in Osun could have been more than 25 because we are in the majority but I ensured that no retaliation took place because I know that the long arm of the law would catch up the culprits. No matter the amount of propaganda those who committed that offence will face the music to the last.

I was getting  conflicting situation reports from Ilesa to the extent that the police Area Commander even said my Deputy was an alarmist. I decided to go and see what was happening there. The GOC of 2nd mechanized division visited me and I said I had been getting conflicting reports from Ilesa, let us go there and see what was happening.

 

I got to Ilesa and they were shooting at me. Jokingly I told my Deputy because she was sitting in the car, “Come out because it is a joint ticket, if your people are going to kill me, they will kill you too.”

 

The GOC took over the situation. 64 people were arrested and the arrested people that were asked to lie down are the picture Rauf is showing as mass execution. How can we do mass execution? Where are the families of the people we massively executed? None of the 64 arrested that day was resident in Ilesa. They were all imported. To the extent that four of them said they were reinforcement from Anambra state. They are there in prison. I can give you access to them to be interviewed.

 

After we had calmed the situation, then came the bomb blast at the secretariat. While we were looking into what could have caused the aspect of bombing, Tinubu went on air to say my antecedents in Lagos suggest that I am the one planting bomb on myself. Even if I am taking cocaine I would not bomb myself out of existence. My antecedents are clear. I know whom my parents are. I know the schools I attended. There are no controversies on any aspect of my life. I only wish he could say the same of himself. That is the only question that I ask Bola that he is now going on media assault. The only bomb incident we could have experienced while I was in Lagos was attributed to Bola himself. Bola was supposed to be my Deputy, the civilian Deputy Administrator and together we formed my cabinet. When the position of Deputy was no longer coming that was the time we arrested some people at Ejigbo who tried to bomb the fuel depot. Bola was implicated. That was how Bola became NADECO. He cannot deny all these facts because I know those he brought into my cabinet. Who brought Prince Olusi? The last time I was on my way to China his boy Rauf went on air to say I had made plans to assassinate him, to make a nonsense of the outcome of the tribunal, and I had traveled to China as an alibi. I petitioned the Inspector General on the two incidents, that there was the need to investigate the allegation properly. I say so because I have a very proud heritage that must be protected. There is no- how anybody will write the history of what has become Osun state today without dedicating one or two lines to the efforts of my father.

 

That is the truth of the matter. The same cannot be said of Bola’s or Rauf’s father whether the Lagos father or Osun father. I am ready to surrender my immunity to face prosecution if I am found culpable in the whole thing and any other person implicated in the cases would face the music no matter their status. The violence in Osun is caused by the people brought from Lagos. We are on top of the situation, those who are involved will face the music. We cannot continue with the culture of burning, burning, burning. The one burnt in 1965,1983 nobody was prosecuted. It is a bad culture.

 

 

Talking about the economic situation, when we came we tried to improve our IGR from N45 million when we came to an average of N200 million now every month. Rauf should come and prove that Akande was earning more than the present IGR. Not all taxable sectors has been brought to the tax net. By the time we came on board there were only five or seven banks operating in Osun.We now have 17. If the economic indices are not going up they would not come to do their business in Osun. That is an indication that things are improving economically in Osun. We are not stopping.

 

The major thing that will engage the attention of the administration this term is the development of the Free Trade Zone. If we are able to do that, it will improve the agricultural sector which is the main economic platform in this state. We are into agreement with the ministry of Agriculture in China as to the development of farms and the establishment of the processing plants in the new Free Trade Zone.

If that is accomplished, the economic situation of Osun will never be the same.

 

 

The security situation is fair. It is ranked better that the security situation in most of the states in the country. We enjoyed over three years of peaceful atmosphere. Osun was ranked among the most peaceful states in the country, until the advent of the election period. I have been in charge of security for almost 30 years and I know exactly what they need to actualize it. We assisted the police though it is a federal police but we need peace to develop what we want to develop in Osun state. Ever since that April 16 no house has been burnt. I have made the people of the state to realise that I am a peace -loving fellow. I came back from Somalia to be made the military administrator of Lagos state. I was in Somalia for a whole year shooting at people and people shooting at me. When I got to Lagos I embarked on a process of ensuring peace in that state without firing a shot even though my first outing to Mushin I was pelted with stones. My boys wanted to take action and I told them that my life was not in danger yet, if it is in danger I know what to do. And they were amazed because what they were expecting then was for my boys to open fire on them and that would have been shown to the rest of the world that they were just massacring everybody. With dialogue, I was able to convince the people that the winner of an election, Abiola, had been denied but let us sit down as a people and discuss what we are going to do.

 

If we are going to fight, let us see the arsenal we have so that you don’t just waste people’s lives. That is our own trade. We can tell you this will sustain the struggle otherwise you would just get people killed for nothing or we go to dialogue and tell people and that was what I was saying to get people to attend the confab as at that period.

 

If I could, with my background embrace the course of dialogue under a military regime, I am not expected to do less in a civilian setting I want any soul to say Olagunsoye Oyinlola has offended me directly because he has done a bad thing to him/her.

 

 

Traditional rulers put in place a reconciliation committee headed by Justice Kayode Esho and I have cause to appear before them to state what has been affecting the peaceful situation in Osun state. That body is working to ensure that peace is sustained in Osun. It was put up before the election and is still on till now.

 

 

 It is still my intention to expand the scope of constituency projects but many unforeseen circumstances have crept in now. You will realize that we have just resolved with the labour over their 15% salary increment. It has affected my budget this year.

 

The second factor is that PDP does not have the monopoly of the House of Assembly again and it depends on the other side if they would subscribe to it. And if they do not subscribe, I will do it the way I want that sector  to be improved.

 

We have been talking to some of them. They must understand one thing, there is a difference between politics and governance. They have been voted in and they have a duty to perform in the House. That is the governance. The issue of party rivalry stops after the elections, it is governance that follows elections. They will disappoint their constituencies if they do not respond to the call for which they were voted for. They must understand that there is a difference between politics and governance. They have won their elections, though we are at the tribunal to contest some of them, but for now they are the elected members of the House they should come and discharge their responsibilities towards their constituencies. Until that tribunal says otherwise they are short changing their constituencies.

 

We have a clear majority already, the work of the House is going on.But I know my speaker has been having some discussions with them, their excuse that until those who were arrested were released on bail they would not come to the House was baseless. The law must take its course.If because somebody has to answer to the crime he was alleged to have committed that is why they would not go, then, they will not be there for four years because as a responsible government I will not shirk any of my responsibilities of ensuring the safety of lives and property.If it is their own houses that were burnt, I would do the same. I will not forgo criminal prosecution for crime committed for them to be in the House. They may not be in for the rest of the term.

 

 

The man that was caught is talking; He has spoken. The police has more than enough leads to get to the people behind it. What I must confirm is that what went off was a bomb, not water engineering substance as some idiots were trying to propound in Lagos. It was a bomb that was supposed to go off here and in Ondo state. That one I can confirm. But the police are working.

 

 

I will not want to pre-empt the outcome of the tribunal. One thing I know is that my people love me. They voted for me and I know the decision of the Tribunal will vindicate us. The will of the people of Osun State that elected me will prevail. That is all. We have served them well. And I can beat my chest that there is no single promise I made that I have not fulfilled.

 

 

The basic infrastructural development must continue -road construction, building of water schemes so that every community could have water, projects in all other sectors will continue. The ones that are gigantic are the University, the Free Trade Zone and the Airport. Our University will be the model and this has already reflected in the number of applicants.  About 90,000 prospective students have applied for admission. Not even Lagos state University has that figure, it has 56,000. So you can see that the people have faith in what we are doing.