The last military administrator in Osun state, Col. Theophilus Bamigboye, Tuesday disclosed that he settled Ife/Modakeke crisis with prayer.
He described Osun as a complex society that is not easy to govern because of the level of exposure of people of the state.
Speaking on a private radio station “Rave fm” in Osogbo, in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the state, Bamigboye stated that he solved many problems with prayer that earned him the name “prayer warrior.”
On the legacy he left in Osun, the former administrator said, “I don’t talk about my own personal achievement, I prefer people to speak for me.”
On the method used to settle Ife/Modakeke issue, he said “it is by the grace of God and power of prayer. I thank God that we are able to restore peace. From January 2, 1999, killing, arson and so on, stopped, and I’m happy about it.
“When I was being received on the 12th of August, 1998, I listened to the people of Osun very well. They were talking about ‘help us do something about Ife/Modakeke issue,’ and I said to myself that I’m in for a good administration. I thank God for my little achievement and I pray that peace will continue to reign in Modakeke/Ife in particular.
“They called me a prayer warrior because I pray fervently for God to assist me and put me through because it was a big task. People have been trying their best before me and God lead me. I was able to bring Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade and people of Modakeke together at Lagere where we spoke and prayed. We were able to achieve something and thereafter, we started enjoying peace and good atmosphere in Ife/Modakeke axis.
Commenting on the challenges faced in governing Osun, Bamigboye said “I must confess, it is a complex situation because a lot of things happened. Though, I fixed everything with prayers. To govern Osun is not an easy thing. It’s a complex society because Osun people are very vibrant and intelligent.
“There were so many Permanent Secretaries in Osun and people don’t want to go on retirement. The day we took the decision that those that are due for retirement must go, there were crying and grumbling everywhere.”
Bamigboye who expressed satisfaction with the level of development in the state, commended the Governors that have ruled the state for their contributions.
He noted that the state was getting between N130million and N140million allocation from the federal government, disclosed that the salary of workers jumped to about N240 million when he handed over to Chief Bisi Akande.
He said, “our salary jumped to about N240million when we were earning about N140milion by the time I was handling over to Chief Bisi Akande. I only prayed that God will help him. I was happy when I started hearing billion after we left office.”
