Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Saturday lauded Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, for saying a certain word which ex-president said confirmed the governor’s neutrality in the conflict over the use of hijab by female Muslim students in public schools in the state.
The word, according to the ex-president, doused the tension generated by the court verdict which approved the use of hijab in public schools.
Obasanjo noted this in Odeomu, Ayedaade Local Government Area of Osun State at the handover of a multipurpose hall and a library donated by Senator Yinka Omilani to the community.
Omilani, who was elected to the Senate on the platform of the then Social Democratic Party, made the donation to mark his 80th birthday.
The former President’s message was delivered by one of his allies, Dr. Femi Majekodunmi, at a ceremony which had Aregbesola, Chief Shuaib Oyedokun, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, Senator Olasunkanmi Akinlabi; former Minister of Police Affairs, Jelili Adesiyan; and others dignitaries in attendance.
Majekodunmi said Obasanjo, who was presently in China, asked him to tell Aregbesola that certain things he said during the crisis doused the tension but he did not say what the governor said exactly.
He said, “He (Obasanjo) is in China now. He said the governor (Aregbesola) said something which confirmed his neutrality in the matter; that word went a long way in dousing the tension which recently heightened in the state.”
Obasanjo described Omilani, a former Vice Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in the South West, as a great philanthropist, a great leader and a very dependable ally whose business acumen could not be rubbished.
Omilani said the multipurpose hall could seat 1000 persons and the library could accommodate 100 persons said he made the decision having studied what the town lacked.
He said there was the need to revive the reading culture among the youths and the old ones as well.
He said, “The library can conveniently accommodate up to 100 persons at a time. It has several shelves for the display of books and also has a section reserved as virtual library when fully utilised.
“It has been moderately kitted with books for a start and I wish to seize this opportunity to call on my fellow educated indigenes of Ode Omu to continuously seek ways of improving the library.”
Aregbesola lauded the donor and appealed to Nigerians to always seek ways of assisting their towns.
Reacting to some students, who demanded the payment of their bursaries, the governor said bursary payment and other responsibilities of the government was badly affected by the poor economic situation in Nigeria.
He said the present economic situation was worse than what Nigeria experienced during the Civil War.
He said workers from Grade Level 08 and above in the state had been receiving between 50 and 60 per cent of their salaries since July 2015.