Federal Govt, Osun State's Rift Deepens

THE face off between the Federal Government and Osun State may have deepened following the stoppage of a programme where Governor Rauf Aregbesola was expected to feature yesterday on the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) allegedly on the order of federal authorities.The two hour-live broadcast tagged: 'Radio Link' had been paid for by the Osun State government as part of activities commemorating one year anniversary of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the state.The reason behind the sudden stoppage could not be immediately ascertained but The Guardian learnt that the Minister of Information, Mr. Labara Maku, allegedly instructed the management of the radio station to cancel the programme.The order came to the notice of the Osun State Government about 30 minutes to commencement of the programme.Officials of the FRCN had set up their equipment at the Banquet Hall, Government House, Osogbo when the directive came.It would be recalled that Aregbesola recently complained openly to Vice President, Namadi Sambo about the arrest and detention, by the police, of some ACN leaders in Lokoja, Kogi State, when the Vice President came to Osun to commission the Federal High Court in Osogbo.The Osun State governor had demanded an apology from the police over the arrest of the leaders who were travelling to Abuja to witness the trial of the national leader of the party and former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, by the Code of Conduct Bureau Tribunal.The minister was said to have asked the management of the FRCN to suspend the radio programme on the excuse that he wanted to personally feature on the station the same hours paid for by the Osun State government.The live programme was scheduled to air between 8am and 10am yesterday.There was no official reaction from the Osun State government on the matter as at the time of filing this report.
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