The Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has reconfirmed his decision of not sacking any government worker in the state despite the recommendation at the Forum of Governors to lay off staff in order to meet up on monthly salary payment.
 

 
Similarly, all Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the state are to source for more Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), that whatever amount each council created will be supported with ten percent Matching Grants by the State government, which will be used for the council.
The Chairman, Local Government Service Commission, Elder Peter Babalola made this known while addressing staff of Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) during his tour of some councils.
He charged the council workers to be mindful of their attitudes to work and that they should guard their job seriously in this trying time, by complementing the good gesture of Ogbeni Aregbesola with dedication and hardwork, as there are others still unemployed.
He then commended the council staff  for their punctuality to work . He then informed them of the sharing formula between the former and newly created Local Council Development Areas in the state.
The Commission  Chairman also assured the staff of the plans of Governor Rauf Aregbesola to pay in due time full salaries to affected levels, and that they must ensure effective service delivery to the people at the grassroot.
He then charged  Acting Heads of Departments and others to live up to expectation, protect government properties, keep their office environment clean and also ensure that the community in the council areas stay clean.
Elder Peter Babalola was accompanied on the surprise tour of the councils in the company of his Commissioners, Messrs Olamolu Kehinde and  Omole Sunday, the Permanent Secretary; Mr. Dayo Olaluwoye, the Director; Finance Establishment and Training; Mr. K. Ibrahim and the Director; Appointment, Promotion and Discipline, Mrs. Modupe Irelewuyi among others.
Local Council Developent Areas visited include, Odo-Otin LCDA, Boripe LCDA, Ifelodun LCDA and others.

Following visible massive infrastructural development and resumption of construction works at project sites, in Osun State, the Elders’ Council of the state chapter of  the All Progressives Congress (APC) has lauded Governor Rauf Aregbesola for the transparent and judicious management of state affairs in spite of lean resources.
The elders also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately dissolve and reconstitute all the boards of all federal commissions and parastatals for the full take-off of his administration.
 
 

 
 
In a communiqué issued at the end of its statutory meeting and made available to journalists at the weekend, the APC Elders attributed the economic woes bedevilling the country was indubitably being on alleged 16 years mismanagement by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the federal level.
Governor Aregbesola, the Igbimo Agba noted, has been able to meet the daunting responsibilities of government as well as executing laudable programmes and projects in line with his electioneering campaign promises.
While calling for massive support of the people for the giant strides of the government, the party elders observed that the governor has been executing development projects for the benefit of the people in spite of the hardship being experienced nationwide.
Creation of additional local council development areas by the Aregbesola administration, according to the APC Elders, would not only engender development but also bring government closer to the people at the grassroots level.
At their meeting, the elders called for greater support and co-operation from the APC-led National Assembly for the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari so that the lofty programmes of the party for Nigerians would be delivered without further delay.
The Igbimo Agba called on the national leadership of the APC not to shy away from the task of enforcing party discipline among members.

Construction works have resumed at project sites in Osun States, the Elders’ Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun has said.
Following this, the body lauded Governor Rauf Aregbesola for the transparent and judicious management of state affairs in spite of lean resources.
 
 

 
 
The Elders also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately dissolve and reconstitute all the boards of all federal commissions and parastatals for the full take-off of his administration.
In a communiqué issued at the end of its statutory meeting, and made available to journalist, at the weekend, the APC Elders noted that Nigeria’s economy was indubitably being challenged by sixteen years of alleged mismanagement by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the federal level.
Aregbesola, the Igbimo Agba, as the Elders’ Council is also known, noted, has been able to meet the daunting responsibilities of government, as well as executing laudable programmes and projects in line with his campaign promises.

While calling for massive support of the people, for the giant strides of the government, the Elders observed that Aregbesola had been executing development projects for the benefit of the people in spite of the hardship being experienced nation-wide.
Creation of additional Local Council Development Areas by the Aregbesola administration, according to the APC Elders, would not only engender development, but also bring government closer to the people, especially at the grassroots.
At their meeting, the Elders called for greater support and co-operation from the APC-led National Assembly for the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, so that the lofty programmes of the party for Nigerians would be delivered without further delay.
The Igbimo Agba called on the national leadership of the APC not to shy away from the task of enforcing party discipline among members.

The National Unity and Peace Corps has offered to monitor the movement of cattle and other animals in the country in order to stop the frequent clashes between herdsmen and farmers.
The Osun State Commandant of NUPEC, Mr. Moses Ayodele, said this in a speech he delivered at the passing-out parade of members of the group in Ede, Osun State, on Saturday.

Ayodele promised that the corps would work hard to ensure national unity and peaceful coexistence in the country.
He added, “NUPEC will undertake animal policing and monitoring to avert incessant conflicts between herdsmen and farmers and also control, regulate, police and monitor other animals and serve as law enforcement body of animals in Nigeria.
“NUPEC will be involved in conflict resolution, total harmony and unity of neighbours and peaceful accommodation and tolerance among communities.”
He added that the corps would teach the youths to accept Nigeria as one nation and as people destined to live together as one family by ensuring that the North-South dichotomy was abolished.
The Osun State commandant of the NUPEC appealed to the Federal Government to ensure the speedy passage of the legislation seeking the establishment of the corps to start its operations without any hindrance.
The Commandant-General of the NUPEC, Dr. Chinedu Nneji, who commended the corps graduates for their commitment and endurance throughout the orientation course, urged them to remain disciplined.
The DG, who was represented by the Assistant Commandant-General, Fredrik Obidigwe, said the legislation to legalise the organisation would soon be completed.
He said the corps was committed to ensuring that Nigerians remained one irrespective of ethnic or religious affiliation.
The Deputy Governor of Osun State, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori, lauded the corps, saying the state government would not relent in supporting the organisation and would assist them to succeed.
However, a chieftain of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev. Testimony Onifade, has said the activities of killer herdsmen in recent time suggested they have godfathers.
Onifade, a Special Assistant to CAN Vice-President, Rev. Supo Ayokunle, said the herdsmen could not be carrying AK-47 rifles and other sophisticated riffles without the backing of highly-placed people.
He stressed that government must ensure the arrest and prosecution of their sponsors to tackle the problem.
Onifade spoke in Igede Ekiti on Saturday during a Baptist Church of Nigeria special programme.
He said, “What the Fulani herdsmen used to carry are sticks and cutlasses, but today, they parade AK 47 rifles. Where did they get them?
“Their actions in recent time are barbaric and wicked. I can read political, tribal and ethnic colourations to the way they act. I want to believe that President Muhammadu Buhari, despite being a Fulaniman, cannot support such madness and he shouldn’t also keep quiet.”
Meanwhile, a socio-cultural organisation, Opiatoha K’Idoma, has expressed dissatisfaction with the way the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, has handled the killing of farmers by suspected herdsmen across the country.
The body believed that the IGP had not been proactive in stemming the tide of the spate of killings.

The Osun State Government has developed structure plans in collaboration with the UN Habitat in nine selected cities in the state to guide their development over a period.
 

 
 
 
According to a statement by the state government, the plans will help guide the orderly growth and coordinated physical development of the cities.

Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, was quoted as saying during the official handing over of the report on the structure plans in Osogbo that the step became necessary to address the problem of urbanisation with its attendant effects of indiscriminate waste disposal, unplanned development, urban sprawl, slums and inadequate infrastructural facilities.
“The structure plan programme was initiated to complement the urban renewal initiative, which is aimed at ridding the cities of shanties and haphazard developments,” he said.
According to him, the land use proposal policy and legislative reform contained in the plans will assist the state to realise sustainable economic development and social growth.
Aregbesola said his administration would continue to design programmes and policies that would enhance healthy living among residents of the state as well as open windows for economic growth.
The UN Habitat Programme Manager, Mallam Kabir Yari, was also quoted as saying that Osun was the only state in the country that had incorporated nine cities in a single project, adding that the cities were divided into three clusters to ensure effective implementation of the structure plans.
He called for legal backing for the plans in order to ensure effective implementation that would help harness all the required resources.
“The policies contained in the structure plans vested the implementation of the plans in the hand of the state and local governments as stakeholders in the physical planning sector. The task of achieving the structure plans within 20 years will be the joint responsibility of all the stakeholders,” Yari said.
The Permanent Secretary, Osun State Ministry of Environment, Sanitation and Physical Planning, Mr. Wale Ojo, stated that the current administration in the state was committed to the urban renewal programme with emphasis on Osogbo, Ilesa, Ile-Ife, Ikirun, Ila-Orangun, Ede, Ikire, Iwo and Ejigbo.

Old friends, like old wine,  are usually better than new ones. The Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola is an old friend.
 
 

 
The state he governs, like most in the country, has been financially challenged to the extent that it took a bail out from the Federal Government to pay salaries.
 
Although almost all states in the country lie financially prostrate like Osun, Aregbesola, perhaps for his vibrancy, oratory and radical views has received the most bashing.
 
There has been a respite, but now, an upsurge is sprouting. I took time to read materials  published about his administration, and decided to call him.
 
Having come a long way back, and sharing some ideals, I thought we owed ourselves some moral duty, at least to discuss. He suggested  I  come over to the state, discuss, verify, move around and make up my mind.
 
The first matter agitating my mind, is why a non-urbanized state, facing financial crisis, will embark on building an airport? First, he explained that the project was initiated by his predecessor whom he had fought a bitter battle to replace; but he saw the merits  and decided to continue.
 
Secondly, that there is a signed agreement between his predecessor and the Federal Government to share equally, the project costs.
 
Thirdly, that contrary to claims that he reviewed the contract sum upwards to N15 billion and shared the money with the  private contractors; the project is actually being executed by a public firm;  the Aeronautical  Engineering  and Technical Service Limited (AETSL) owned and incorporated on February 11, 2001 by the  Nigeria Air Force. He gave reasons for  continuing  the project.
 
It  is partly historical as the site is the first place an aircraft  landed in West Africa. Subsequently, the Control Tower which is still standing, will be the centre of an aviation museum. Essentially, the airport is designed as a maintenance hob to take advantage of the huge number of aircraft in the country,  rather than they having to go to Egypt, Ethiopia, South Africa, America or Europe.
 
This he explains, is  why the runway is as long as 3.6 kilometres with 2.4 kilometres of it already 55 percent completed. When we visited the site which straddles the capital, Oshogbo and the historic city of Ede, I was shown the valley-like depth from which the runway was filled.
 
He also said it would be a cargo terminal  which would make it imperative for firms  like the international courier companies, to use Nigeria – their biggest market in the region – as sorting centre, rather than a neigbouring country.
 
He also argues that the airport  would boost agriculture and tourism which the state, with famous festivals like the Osun-Oshogbo, is already noted for.
 
Sheer vision and will power he argues,  transformed Dubai into an internationally viable city and that even in poverty, a state should  invest  for the future. But why should the governor of a poor state  use helicopter for some  travels? He chuckled ”First, the helicopter, unlike fixed wing aircraft, is a bumpy  and even dangerous ride as it is low flying and vibrates a lot.
 
Chief Obafemi Awolowo  used the helicopter to facilitate his work in the 1950s,so what is the big deal? If I have to be in Lagos, why won’t I fly the helicopter, rather than spend seven hours on the road? It is not good to be poor in the mind” On the solution to the salary challenge, he said after using the bailout funds to clear the arrears, government  negotiated with the workers and agreed on how to use the funds accruing; to service the loan and commercial debts, pay workers and pensioners on Grade Levels 1-7, while Level 8 and above will receive salaries based on available funds.
 
To facilitate this, a 16-person Committee  made up equally of workers representatives and management staff under the chairmanship of veteran Labour leader, Alhaji Hassan Sunmonu meet monthly to verify the income of the state and determine the amount that goes to workers and government.
 
Education and youth development can be said to be his main achievement with the  state building and running schools. Some new school structures I visited, compete favourably with the best in the world. There is also the feeding of 250,000 pupils in junior primary school, and the provision of electronic tablets  to students in the final leg of High School.
 
He said when he assumed office “Students were learning  under frighteningly depressing environment” and that the quality investment in education will be better realized when those who began schooling under his administration, begin to graduate.
 
He said most of the  40,000 youths who went  through his administration’s voluntary service have been fully engaged and that the massive road construction which has been a hall mark of his administration will continue apace.
 
Aregbesola said he did not fail to plan: “The state  was not under any distress when we planned these projects; we had enough money and our plans were funded within the resources available to us. We got our contractors to fund our projects with bank loans. But the problem came with the economic problem the country was plunged into” I had read a publication which  claimed that the Governor has become so unpopular that he might be stoned in public.
 
 
From what I witnessed in the streets of Oshogbo, he has a cult-like followership, and would not need to rent a crowd for a rally, in fact, he may not need to give a notice; all he needs do, is walk down the main streets and the people will throng along.
 
I have been to many states with at least five times the monthly Federal allocation of Osun, and they have nothing visible to the eyes to justify their huge expenditure. So why is he subjected to such scurrilous  attacks in the media and on the net? It is easy to conclude that  some opposition is at work, but on the other hand, it could be an internal struggle within the Ashiwaju group in the APC; Africans say, the insect eating up the vegetable, lives inside it.
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/04/walk-aregbesola-osun/

In his bid to rejuvenate the state’s economy, the Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has hinted his administration readiness in partnering with the Nigeria Postal Service, NPS, so as to push-up the state revenue basis.
 
 

 
 
 
Aregbesola also commended the officials of the NPS for enhancing their services with the application of modern technological facilities.
Governor Aregbesola gave the hint while playing a host to the management team of NPS who were on a courtesy visit to his office, at Government Secretariat, Abere, Osogbo.
Governor Aregbesola who lauded Nigeria Postal Service for its forthrightness, doggedness and unwavering commitment in the face of mobile technological advancement, saying the thriving trends of NIPOST has demysified the palpable global competition and rivalry in information dissemination.
The Governor who noted that the post office used to be the central meeting point of people in the past, expressed delight in the fact that, in spite the global trends of Information and Communication Technology, NPS was able to maintain it standard.
He said the NPS’s advancement in modern technology has really placed the agency atop which according to him has improved the services rendering to the public.
Aregbesola who promised to partner with the agency said his government has resolved to improve the revenue basis of the state through genuine partnership and collaboration.
According to him, “I commend the management and staff of the Nigeria Postal Service for improving on their products and services in the face of the new communication technology that has taken over almost all forms of communication.
“Though the post office in those days used to be a rallying point for many people across the country until the advent of modern technology that has eroded the communication parlance, but regardless of this, NIPOST has continued to strive and continuously made itself relevant in matching modern communication technology.”
“For this impressive strides, the present administration will continue to look for means to support NPS through the provision of basic things that would fast track smooth operation as we believe that your organization would aid the state in its drive towards an improved Internally Generated Revenue.
He therefore charged the ministry of Lands, Physical Planning and Urban Development to provide land capable of housing Post Offices in the state secretariat as being requested by the officials of the NPS.
Earlier, the Area Manager of Nigeria Postal Service, Mrs. Adedoyin Adeniyi who expressed profound gratitude to the State Government on its prompt support and collaboration in spite the state’s lean resources, thereby promised a continued quality service delivery in the state and beyond.
Mrs. Adeniyi also commended the people of the state for their continuous patronage which she said had encouraged the potential of the organization
Mrs. Adeniyi who implored the state to provide the organization, a parcel of land to build a modern post offices in some major cities in the state, said the level of
infrastructural development going on across the state has distant some post offices from being accessible by the people.
She however urged Governor Aregbesola to approve the implementation of Stamp Duties Act in all ministries, agencies and other institutions of government in the state, saying if being approved, it would go a long way to fast track a sustainable partnership between the state and the agency.
“We salute your enormous work in this state and for us, this has enhanced the patronage of our products and services.
“It is our collective beliefs that despite the new technology of communication that has taken up everywhere today, the Nigeria Postal Service in Osun is doing very well as being manifested in our outward output”, she buttressed.

Alhaji Fatai Kolawole, the Permanent Secretary of the Osun State Universal Basic Education Board, says the board is set to train 2,000 teachers in the state in modern teaching techniques.
 

 
 
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Saturday in Osogbo, Kolawole stated that the paucity of funds in the state would not prevent the board from training and re-training its teachers.
 
He further explained that the state government, irrespective of its financial restraints, placed premium on qualitative education through competent teaching staff.
 
According to him, the more exposed teachers become in diverse fields, the better for pupils and students and the greater the hope for a better future.
 
He reiterated the resolve of the state government in redefining the tenets of education in all ramifications to prepare students for a better future and make them responsible to the nation.
 
He said: “We are exposing more than 2,000 teachers to modern teaching techniques which include money management and information communication technology.
 
“The rationale behind the training is to impact qualitative education in our students and pupils through well trained and competent teachers.
 
“We are making efforts to prepare our students for the future in the advanced global environment to contribute their quota to the development of our state and nation at large.”
 
Kolawole maintained that the development of infrastructure in all schools across the state was to aid the process of learning.
 
He also said more than N6 billion had so far been expended on the construction of schools.

Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has called on the Federal Government to set up a commission of inquiry to investigate crude oil theft amounting to N5.8 trillion under the previous Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration.
 

 
 
The governor stated this when members of The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) presented a letter to the governor for onward transmission to President Muhammadu Buhari at the Governor’s Office in Osogbo.
Aregbesola praised CDHR for joining President Muhammadu Buhari in his commitment to recover the nation’s resources that was stolen by corrupt public officers.
The governor advised CDHR not to overlook the area of the crude oil theft under the watch of PDP administration.
He stated that the present administration will be doing the nation good by setting up an inquiry into how 400,000 barrels of crude oil were stolen daily.

The governor urged CDHR to be vehement as it is in condemning corruption to embark on campaign that will charge Nigerians to be productive.
Aregbesola said: “Besides corruption what is actually affecting the country is low productivity. As we are condemning corruption, we should also charge ourselves to be productive. We should be able to earn our living as a people.
“I promise to deliver this letter to the President when he comes back from China and I will let him know how passionate you are on the war against corruption.”

Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni  Rauf Aregbesola, has said that the state would soon become the hub of cocoa production in Nigeria with the revival of the moribund Osun Cocoa Production Industry.
 

 
 
The governor made the remarks in Ede during a facility tour of the resuscitated Cocoa Production Industry in partnership with Chinese Company, Golden Monkey of China.
The partnership between Osun Government and the Chinese Company to revive the cocoa production after 15 years is based on 70 and 30 percent equity respectively.
Mr. Aregbesola said the present production capacity of 20,000 metric tonnes per day was a good development when compared to its 5,000 metric tonnes capacity per day in 2001, after which it was abandoned.
“With this production level, the name of our state will be on the map of the world as a centre of excellence in the processing of cocoa and other products.
The governor said the Cocoa Industry would go a long way to support the state’s agricultural plan to develop cocoa farming in the state.
He commended the partnering company for its commitment to the contractual agreement by hitting the ground running.
Earlier in her remarks, Song Lin, the Assistant General Manager of Skyrun Cocoa Production Industry, said the management had increased the production capacity of the industry four times.

She said the company was presently producing cocoa liquid and soon, the organisation would be producing cocoa powder and cake.‎
In his speech, Adewale Adeeyo, the Chairman, Board of Directors of the Industry, said the state invested a lot of energy to make the project a reality.‎‎
Mr. Adeeyo explained that with the resuscitation of the company, the business of cocoa produce buyers and farmers had been positively rejuvenated. (NAN