NGF crisis was planned - Aregbesola

Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun
State has said that the crisis in the
Nigeria Governors' Forum was
orchestrated.
Aregbesola spoke while responding to
questions during his visit to PUNCH
Place, headquarters of PUNCH Nigeria
Limited, on Friday.
He said the scenario that played out
after the NGF election was
premeditated.
He said, "Some people deliberately
wanted to discredit a process that had
been proven to be very organised,
peaceful and without rancour.
"It takes two to tango and the best
position is not neutrality. Look, let's
call a spade what it is. I won't say
more because I am a principal actor in
the entire thing.
"We all know what was wrong but I
think we are timid to say it. We cannot
use an orchestrated and deliberate
smear to castigate all governors. We all
know the interest behind what
happened. If we are not courageous
enough to apportion blame, let's be
quiet. I rest my case."
The governor said the South-West had
not reneged on its pursuit for
federalism.
He, however, regretted that he had
been accused of infringing on the
constitution in his campaign of
federalism, adding, "I am a strong
advocate of federalism."
He also reiterated his call for regional
integration in the South-West,
especially in addressing issues of
common interest.
He said, "A lot of things would be non-
issues if addressed on a regional basis.
For instance, the issue of crime control
and security is so paramount that all of
us are investing in security surveillance,
aerial space surveillance to eliminate
opportunistic attacks.
"These people know that they can
move easily within a region but with
such joint effort, it will not be possible.
Besides, it will cost a lesser amount."
On the issue of the state government
owning a helicopter despite its meagre
resources, Aregbesola said he did not
see anything frivolous about it.
He explained that although the idea
was dropped after it could not sail
through, the state had opted for it to
boost its response to emergencies and
security-related issues.
"We expected that with this, we should
be able to rescue, support and
intervene if there is an emergency.
"We began by investing in an alert
system that notifies the appropriate
quarters in seconds when there is an
emergency or a threat. We thought
that the helicopter service would
complement this by providing
immediate help instead of going
through the roads and taking hours to
reach the point where help is needed,"
he said.
Aregbesola said the Osun N4bn cargo
airport project was in keeping with his
administration's goal of grooming its
economy to become a key commercial
hub.
He said, "We are still building an
economy that will be privately owned.
We need to banish poverty by
empowering Nigerians to earn their
sustenance.
"Having the cargo airport in Osun is
important because it will be an
incentive to investors instead of the
unattractive roads and the danger they
portend.
"Osun is the heartland of 33million
Yoruba people in the world. Imagine
200,000 visitors coming to Osun in a
year and spending $I,000 each, that is
$200m. It will amortise the
investment on the airport.
"We said at the outset that we will run
an unusual government. Having an
airport in Osun should not even be a
problem because it had the first
airstrip in Nigeria according to history."
He also said that the state had boosted
its agricultural sector through its
periodic feeding of pupils.
Source: punch