The Government of the State of Osun in collaboration with the Secretary General of the Muslim World League is today (Monday) afternoon organising a symposium with the theme:  “WORLD TERRORISM AND CRIMINALITIES: ISLAM VIEW POINT”.
 
 

 
Venue is Aurora Event Centre, OSOGBO.
This is contained in a press statement issued by the Secretary of the State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare  Board, Mr Sukiru Alao.
The release also disclosed that Sheik Abdul Rosheed Adiatullah, the Deputy President , Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria and Professor Abdul-Ganniy Oladosu of University of Ilorin will deliver lectures, among others.
The release enjoined the general public especially Muslim Umah to be in attendance and be seated by 2.00 0’clock in the afternoon.

The Government of Osun on Friday said it cannot act outside the outcome of a forensic audit of the staff of the Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital Osogbo which has identified cases of irregularities in the recruitment of some staff.
 
 

 
The Government’s statement came in response to a rally embarked upon by some staff of the Teaching Hospital on Wednesday who claimed that government had concluded plans to disengage them.
Signed by the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Office of the Governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, the statement revealed that it was in the cause of the forensice staff audit that the government discovered various illegal recruitments of staff in excess of over 600.
The audit panel, according to the statement, set up in 2015, revealed that about 678 staffers were illegally employed without government approval.
Besides, some of these staffers were just administrative officers not urgently needed for the growth of the hospital.
Government said that available statistics also showed that some of the administrative officers in question with Bachelors Degrees and Higher National Diploma holders were recruited as security and Ward Assistants on Grade Level 02 only to be promoted to Level 07 within three months of their unapproved appointment.
Government thus noted that it discovered over 500 staff that are Executive and Assistant Executive Officers more than triple the number of available doctors and consultants.
According to the statement, “What sense would it make for hospital with 34 administrative officers; 56 consultants and 154 Resident Doctors to employ 426 Administrative Executive Officers?
“Should there be need for recruitment at all, will it not be beneficial for government and the hospital management to recruit officers into strategic area of the state’s healthcare needs?
“With the current statistics available, the Administrative Executive Officers have more than tripled the numbers of doctors, consultants and nurses, who are the special needs of a functional hospital.
“To make matters worse, all the recruitment and undue promotions of workers from Grade Level 2 to that of Grade Level 07 within 3 months were done without the approval of the government.”
Furthermore, the statement noted that some resident doctors, who were asked to go, were those that have exceeded the mandatory six years required to pass residency examination, adding that some of these doctors have spent more that 10 years in the hospital.

The Permanent Secretary for the State Ministry Of Education, Science and Technology, Mr Sunday Festus Olajide has urged Staff in the Ministry of  Education to jettison selfish or egoistic habit that may have negative impact in service delivery in the education sector and form a synergy to move education in the State of Osun to its rightful
position.
 

 
Mr Olajide made the call during a meeting with the officers in the Department of Planning and Statistics, Administration and Supply, Finance and Account, Internal and External Audits unit in the Ministry
of Education.
He maintained that Education remains a focal ministry for the present administration of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s administration. He therefore noted  that implementation of education policy should be a collective responsibility to achieve a desired goal in education.
Mr Olajide pointed out that lack of team work as he observed is a contributory factor that rendered some officers ineffective in their official responsibilities particularly internally generated revenue officers.
He therefore warned that all abnormalities should henceforth stop and no officer should negotiate or compromise the standard of service or materials delivered to the ministry.

The Head of Service of the State of Osun , Mr Sunday Olayinka Owoeye has charged deployed officers from the civil service with relevant teaching qualification into the state teaching service  to see their deployment has a call to service.
 

 
 
Mr Owoeye stated this while declaring open a 2-day refresher course organised by Teachers Establishment and Pension Office for newly deployed teachers held at ANCOPPS House, OSOGBO.
He equally advised the officers to put in their professional skills to bring about the expected change into the education sector of the state.
The Head of Service also lauded the commitment of the Aregbesola led administration for the rejuvenation of the sector through many innovative programmes such as provision of the state of art physical infrastructural facilities, supply of infrastructural facilities, supply of instructional materials and increase in the quantity and quality of teachers.
Mr Owoeye noted that the steps taken by the government will not only tackle the shortage of qualified teaching personnel in public schools but also afford government the opportunity to reshuffle its human resources  to ensure that officers are moved to areas appropriate to their training and competences.
Earlier in his welcome address,the Chairman, Teachers Establishment and Pensions Office, Hon. Tope Ogunleye appreciated the Governor for his commitment towards the uplift  of the Education sector .
Hon Ogunleye then called on principals, vice principals, Heads of Departments, Headmasters and Headmistresses to endeavor to monitor the new teachers for effective service delivery because they need all the necessary assistance to facilitate their smooth transition from their former schedules to the teaching profession.

The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has directed the management of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, IBEDC to restore electricity in every nook and cranny of Ilesa and its environs without further delay.
 

 
Aregbesola who described electricity as an essential amenity in the society said, the role of power in promoting socio-economic activities in the society can never be waved away.
Governor Aregbesola stated this while playing a host on the management team of IBEDC who was on a peace mission to his office, at Government Secretariat, Osogbo.
Aregbesola expressed displeasure over the misunderstanding which eventually led to the total disconnection of power supply to the ancient town and its environs.
Governor Aregbesola who described Osun as a land of virtue, expressed disappointment on the report that some officials of the company were allegedly beaten up in the course of exercising their duties.
The Governor said it is regrettable that some people believe the only way to express their feelings and as well resolve matters on electricity is to resolve to fight and desecrate the IBEDC authority, which he said was against the social conduct.
Governor Aregbesola condemned in its entirety the way and manner at which some officials of the electricity company were reportedly maltreated in the town while performing their legal duties.
He said” this act must be condemned anywhere in the country because it is illogical, unreasonable and uncultured for anyone in his or her interest to resolve to fight with officials of electricity company.
“We are in a state that preaches “Omoluabi ethos” and as a matter of fact, our administration would not for any reason tolerate any act of indiscipline.
“We shall continue to portray our state in good light, just as we are determined to maintain law and order.
Governor Aregbesola lamented over what he regarded as mere loggerheads which could have been peacefully resolved in time past, just as he directed the authority of the company to jettison its grievances in the interest of peace.
Governor Aregbesola who described the traditional rulers as symbols and mirrors of the society, however called on the monarchs to always intervene in any anomaly and as well continuously foster love, unity, peace and tranquility.
He therefore implored the traditional rulers, stakeholders and the general public to support the government in  strengthening peaceful co-existence between and among the people in the state.
Earlier, the Managing Director, Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), Mr. John Donnachie commended Governor Aregbesola for his prompt intervention, promising to deploy his men on immediate re-connection of the electricity in the town and its environs.
Mr. Donnachie ,who condemned  the action purportedly taken by the residents of the town, said the company would not tolerate any form of gross indiscipline; assault and molestation from any member of the public irrespective of such person’s  position or rank in the society.
He therefore urged people in the country to continuously cooperate with the company just as he promised better services.

The Governor of Osun Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has inaugurated a 9-man Committee to swiftly reposition all the four State Owned Tertiary Institutions for greater performance and productivity.
 

 
Governor Aregbesola hinted that the newly inaugurated committee was constituted in a bid to turn around the education system in the state in line with the state policy on education.
Aregbesola who recounted the laudable achievements of his administration said, much had been immensely recorded in the education sector just as the present administration was committed to the provision of quality and quantity education.
Governor Aregbesola who lamented over the state of education prior to his emergence, said the challenges which his administration met in education sector informed him to embark on massive education reclassification and restructuring which according to him had yielded positive results in years past.
He disclosed that his government met poor performance of students in education which informed his government to device several means of revamping and resuscitating the lost glory in basic and tertiary educations in the state.
Governor Aregbesola revealed that the recommendations of the various constituted panels by his administration had it that prior to his inception in office,  public education system had been poorly managed as over 70 percent of students leaving the state High Schools not being matriculable.
He stated further that the matriculable ones among the students prior to his coming were very horrible and challenging as this prompted him to implement and intensify plans to put an end to the disheartening occurrence.
According to him, “For this reason, we came up with initiatives which premised on a clear passion and commitment to provide opportunities for those who for whatever reason have deficiency in their secondary education.
“This informed the need to provide remedial facilities in all our tertiary institutions aside university just as we directed the authorities of both polytectnic, college of technology and colleges of education to provide facilities for basic education which will be largely for remedial studies for those with deficiencies in their secondary education to makeup and be properly equipped with required knowledge while being fully admitted for regular studies”, he added.
He disclosed that initiative was aimed at making tertiary education to be locally made and accessible to the teeming prospective admission seekers, saying the state agitated for skilled-manpower particularly in the area of need, like construction industries, trading, catering, book keeping, carpentry, plumbing, electrical works and several urgently needed vocations.
He said, “We did these to ensure that our youths who have had sound academic knowledge are adequately provided with required technical and vocational skills.
“We equally compelled our tertiary institutions especially polytechnics and colleges of education to admit some trade men and women as well as artisans who are interested on the need to improve their skills and craftsmanship in their various areas of disciplines.
“For the colleges of education, we saw the need for regular training and retraining of our teachers including those teachers at Elementary schools, Middle schools and High schools because we believed that for us to get the best from our teachers we need to motivate them.
“In the need for them to be acquitted with modern techniques of teaching and for refresher programmes, we realized that our colleges of education are short on this, therefore, we organized pedagogy.
Speaking on the responsibilities of the committee, Governor Aregbesola said, “We setup this 9-man Committee on repositioning our tertiary institution so as to be sure that what we charged our tertiary institutions upon are well implemented and properly tracked”.
He added, “Your oversight function is to verify the implementation of all the reforms we have initiated and enunciated in all the four institutions.
“We are clear on our minds. We want polytechnic, college of technology, as well as colleges of education that would be involved in the present and future needs of the society just as we equally want polytechnic that would be well connected to the society and provides its needs at all times”.
Governor Aregbesola noted that it would be glad indeed if the state has colleges of education that are clearly focused on building virile and competent graduates that can compete excellently with their counterparts globally.
He said, “All our ideas are to turn our institutions to pacesetters and models in the country because it is anachronistic if we have a college of education in the state and the teachers in the state could not have facilities for retraining and acquisition of modern knowledge in teaching techniques.
“It would be very sad indeed if we have polytechnic or college of technology that occupied technicians, electricians, technologists, craft people among others but yet could not have facilities for training and retraining.
“For these noble reasons, we have inaugurated this committee to ensuring that our objectives for these institutions are completely achieved.
Aregbesola hinted that the committee was also inaugurated in order to be sure that the resources available in all the institutions are properly and judiciously used.
The Governor said the newly inaugurated committee would be empowered to carry out audit in the course of its exercise, saying the state was keenly interested to know the quality and quantity of every circumstance.
He maintained that the committee needs to bring to its knowledge by ensuring that every naira available for the institutions is being spent judiciously.
“We want to know through this committee, how the staffing is affecting the judicious use of the very limited financial available resources for these institutions in order to equally know how corrections would be made along the line.
“We want to find out and check the indigenous programmes available in all our tertiary institutions, as well as the additional assignments such remedial study, pedagogy, technical and vocational study given to them through this newly inaugurated committee.
“We want our tertiary institutions to be properly set up and targeted at achieving the purpose of which they were being saddled”, Aregbesola opined.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the 9-man committee who doubles as the Acting Vice Chancellor, Bola Ige University, Osogbo, Professor Oguntola Jelili Alamu commended the state government for continuously repositioning education most importantly the basic education in the state.
He also said the current government under the leadership of Governor Rauf Aregbesola has created a wider platform of making education more interesting, attractive and relevant to the people within the state and beyond.
Professor Alamu who pledged the committee’s commitment towards the realization of its aims and objectives, said every member of the committee would not rest on his oars at ensuring total reformation, restructure and transformation of all the state owned tertiary institutions.
Professor Alamu who bemoaned over what he regarded as poor orientation of parents, identified examination fraud as one of the major challenges facing education.
He said parents need to be educated on the need to refrain their wards from writing fraudulent terminal examinations such as West African Examination Council, WAEC, National Examination Council, NECO and so on at what he described as miracle centres where the results were believed to be easily and conveniently manipulated and engineered.
He described the government initiatives as laudable, assuring the committee’s commitment in the actualization of the set goals.
According to him, “this committee which I am chairing would ensure the prompt actualization of the state objectives at restructuring and repositioning the state owned tertiary institutions.
” We will make sure that we embark on initiatives that would impact meaningfully in the lives of the people and our state at large just as we are ready to put in our best as we will continuously support the state government”, he added.
Professor Alamu however promised that the committee would champions all the cardinal objectives of the state as they are ready to ascertain that the graduates of all the state owned tertiary institutions are equipped with requisite knowledge and skills to become employer of labour.
Members of the committee include: Professor Olasupo Ladipo; Professor Layi Fagbemi, Professor Duro Ajeyalemi, Dr. Yemi Adegbite.

The search for a more robust and sustainable economy continues in the face of the persistent drop in the global prices of oil, which has unequivocally continued to affect revenue generation capacity of the country.
 

 
 
Taking a reactive measure to salvage the current situation seems to be the only logical option.
The state of Osun, southwest Nigeria, is apparently not left out of the financial downturn that hit the Africa’s largest economy,
Most states of the federation are now financially crippled.
As expected, most of these states, including Osun, have started to look inward to see how the current financial crunch plaguing the system can be tackled.
To this end, the need to invest in local businesses and empower the brains behind such enterprises, becomes imperative, to improve the internally generated revenue of the state, to complement the little accrued from the falling federal allocation.
One of such businesses is ‘DODO IKIRE’ a special appetizer /plantain spice made in IKIRE, a community in IREWOLE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA of Osun state.
A gate way to the state, and a close boundary to Oyo state.
Obviously, named after the town ‘DODO IKIRE’ the economic value of this locally made appetizer to the community and the state at large should not be underestimated.
Ajilo compound in Ikire plays host to the major producers of  DODO IKIRE in the community.
Both young and old in this compound, participate in the production of this product that is made from mostly plantain and other suitable bananas.
A 70-year-old woman, Madam Wulemotu Olaniran , has been in the business for a very long time. She speaks on the production of Dodo Ikire and its level of patronage.
” We use plantain, and other suitable bananas. We use Palm oil and vegetable oil to fry it. And we have clients abroad, who usually request for it, from time to time’
She said her children are not fully into the business, but they help while they are around before seeking greener pasture.
“our children help us here, when they are still looking for another job. we use the money realized from the selling of Dodo ikire, to send our children to the school”
Most sellers of Dodo Ikire hawk along Ife-Ibadan express way to sell for the travelers.
Abidogun shayo, is a young able boy, and he’s engaged in the selling of DODO IKIRE alongside other young people, who make their legitimate money from the business.
“We make at least three to four thousand Naira daily as profit, and we often safe the money for our education and new business”
Buyers and lovers of this great spice believe there is need for the producers to extend their scopes of business beyond the shore of ikire and osun at large.
If the state government could empower Dodo Ikire producers in order to attain large production /quantity, this might as well be a hidden treasure which will improve the internally generated revenue of the state.
Since, the state government is already going above and beyond to ensure a better living condition of its citizenry and meet the financial yearnings of all, perhaps diversification of the economy would be a good thing in this trying time.
Empowering the people involved in this business, might be a good start towards enlarging their coast, which may eventually bring about a drastic boost in their earnings, and as such contribute to the economy of the state.
Olawale Jelilat writes from Osogbo, Osun State

The Permanent Secretary, Office of Budget and Economic Planning, Mr Segun Olorunsogo has directed all agencies of government to adjust their 2016 draft budgets  to comply with present realities and submit on or before next week Tuesday.
 

 
 
Similarly, all agencies are expected to come up with policy objectives specific to their new status and arrangements.
The Permanent Secretary pointed out that budget ceiling, new budget heads and subheads as well as organogram  have been included in the call letter issued by the Ministry of Economic planning, Budget and Development.
He therefore enjoined all agencies of government  to clear the soft copies of the adjusted 2016 draft estimates with both the Budget Department and Computer Unit before submitting the soft copy and forty hard copies  of their final draft budgets on or before Tuesday, 15th March , 2016.
It will be recalled that due to the current economic downturn and dwindling of revenue accruable to the state from the Federation Accounts, the State Government took steps to reduce the cost of governance by slashing the number of ministries from eighteen to twelve hence the initial 2016 draft estimates have to be reviewed downwards to reflect the current economic situation of the state.

The newly appointed Council Managers of Local Council  Development Areas in the state of Osun have been advised to be committed to duty and see their new positions as a call to service.
 

 
 
The Chairman, Local Government Service Commission, Elder Peter BABALOLA,stated this on Wednesday during a brief meeting with the out-going Heads of  Local  Government Administration and the newly appointed Council Managers held at the Multi -Purpose Hall of the Commission..
Elder BABALOLA, who was represented by Commissioner 1 of the Commission, Hon. Kehinde Olamolu said all council managers with effect from Thursday morning should report to the Heads of Local Government Administration of the council of the mother Local Council Development Area they are posted while urging all Heads  of Local Government Administration to hand over government properties with them to the new council managers.
According to him, officers on Grade level 15 and above should remain in their various Local Government Areas and await further directives from the Commission.
Speaking earlier, the Commissioner II,Barrister Adebamgbe Omole, who commended the Heads of Local Government Administration for their performance urged the new council managers to take a cue from them saying in a bid to make a change and achieve result,new council managers must do things differently.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Commission, Mr Dayo Olaluwoye stated that  the major task before the new council managers is to generate revenue in the various local council development areas in order to increase their IGR.
While commending the State Governor for creating  local council development areas in accordance to the yearnings and aspirations of the people, he charged the council managers  to be focused and determined in facing the challenges ahead of them.

Assassinated Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Late Chief James Bola Ige, was on Wednesday honoured as the visitor to the Osun State University and Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola named the state-owned university after him.
 
 

 
This was part of a sweeping renaming of all the tertiary institutions in the state which was announced at the convocation ceremony of the university where oil magnate and founder of the Rose of Sharon Foundation, Mrs, Folorunsho Alakija was unveiled as the new Chancellor of the institution.
Other institutions renamed were: Osun State College of Technology, Esa-Oke will now be Bisi Akande College of Technology; Osun State Polytechnic Iree now, Sunday Afolabi Polytechnic; College Of Education, Ila Orangun now Adeyemi Oyeduntan College of Education and the College of Education Ilesa which will now be Lawrence Omole College of Education.
Others are UNIOSUN C‎ollege of Law, Ifetedo now Kayode Esho College of Law;‎ College of Social Sciences and Management Okuku, now Olagunsoye College of Social Sciences, Okuku; C‎ollege of Agriculture Ejigbo, now Isiaka Adeleke College of Agriculture, Ejigbo; ‎College of Education Ipetu Ijesa, now Ezekiah Oluwasanmi College of Education and C‎ollege of Humanities and Culture, Ikire, now Eniola Atanda College of Humanities and Culture‎
This was even as the new Chancellor, Alakija, described her conferment as the Chancellor of UNIOSUN and the Award of Honorary Doctorate Degree in Business administration as another glass ceiling broken by womanhood.
Aregbesola commended Dr. Alakija who with her investiture becomes the first female Chancellor in any university in Nigeria for counting the University worthy and accepting to serve as the Chancellor of the university when she could have easily turned down top universities in Europe and America with the same request.
‎He enjoined Dr. Alakija to join the state in the desire for an institution that exists for the society and advancement of mankind, saying most Nigerian universities are too withdrawn and unconcerned from the society an its problems.
Aregbesola said, “I therefore want this university at three levels to affect our society.
The first is at the level of teaching which should prepare the students for post graduate life by equipping them with life sustenance skills, especially technical and entrepreneurial education.
“Secondly, the universities should tailor its researches into immediate and prospective challenges of mankind in health, food, housing, infrastructure, societal organisation and the seemingly unknown aspects on nature and so on.
“The essence of the education enterprise is for man to be able to conquer nature and dominate the environment. This should translate into better life for all. An end should come to the idea of research for getting promotion which then gathers dust in a shelf somewhere.
“Thirdly, the universities should also be engaged in society through public service, by bringing their knowledge and research findings to bear directly in needed areas as their counterparts in other parts of the world are wont to do”. The Governor emphasised.
‎Aregbesola advised the university to re-programme itself to be able to raise funds without burdening government and its students.
He stressed ‎that there are lots of firms and individuals who will like to endow chairs, courses, programmes and projects willing to pay any amount to have themselves immortalised in a place like a university, saying not all of them merit it, but people deserving them must be reach out to.
Speaking earlier, the new Chancellor harped on the central role of academic empowerment so as to guarantee economic growth among the people of the country.
According to Mrs Alakija education cannot and can never be over-emphasized because the lack of it could only bring poverty of body, mind and of living.
The Chancellor said being educated would give anyone the opportunity to play significant role and articulate his or her own agenda for change within space such individual occupies.
She called on all stakeholders involved in policies and programmes design for education to be committed education, saying the nation will be the better for it.
She said: “I feel extremely humbled, proud and excited to be receiving this conferment as Chancellor. I also appreciate the Honorary Doctorate Degree in Business Administration (DBA) (Honoris Causa), which came in as a surprise.
“Whatever role you are playing here today, it is obvious we all have a common goal, one that borders on Academic Empowerment for Economic Growth amongst our people for the benefit of Nigeria, Africa and the rest of the world.
“We all have a role to play to articulate our own agenda for for change; to change the world. If we can make a commitment to do something differently from now on, our world will be a better place to live in.
“Nigeria will flourish with the input from all of you gathered here as you embark on this exciting journey called life.”
The Chancellor also admonished the graduands to always be conscious that they form part of the threads with which the story of the university’s woven together, urging them to be good ambassador of the school wherever they find themselves.
In his inaugural speech, the Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Jelil Guntola Alamu, remarked that the University has been sustaining it’s reputation as an institution purposely established to promote academic a excellence and sound moral education.
He revealed that the University has continued to grow in leaps and bounds with the recent accreditation of six more programmes by the National University Commission, bringing the programmes the school is running to 32 mature academic programmes.
Professor Oguntola equally disclosed that the university has become a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) as well as signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN).
According to the Don, the school also excelled both nationally and internationally as students of the state, who participated in debating competition organised by African Regional Inter-University Debate Competition organised by UNESCO, came 3rd overall.
“Osun State University continues to sustain it’s reputation as an institution established to promote academic and moral standard.
“My greatest joy today is the relative peace and high level of academic excellence attained by the institution since I became the Acting Vice Chancellor about a year ago,” he said.
In his valedictory speech, the overall best student of the institution for 2014/ 2015session, Peter Oluwatobiloba Daniel, was full of appreciation to the God, his parents, lecturers and the Government of Osun for the establishment the University.
Daniel, with the best CGPA of 4.81 from Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department, said he achieved the feat by steady and dedicated commitment to his academics.
He encouraged other students to plan well and follow their plans with dogged determination, saying “Whatever you conceive, you can achieve. Just keep on trying and the sky will be the beginning.”