The State Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has expressed his grief over the inability of the state government to pay full salary to the workers in the civil service and political appointees.
 

Aregbesola said he was unhappy on the payment of modulated salary to the workers, just as he explained that not all the civil servants in the state are affected by the modulated salary.
He stated this at the weekend while addressing a team of Federal Government on the Digital Switch Over who was on advocacy visit to the state, led to his office by the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Adelani Baderinwa.
According to the governor, economic downturn induced by the brazen corruption, wanton theft of crude oil and mismanagement of the country’s resources by the PDP Democratic Party (PDP) led Federal Government forced the state to what it is witnessing today.
Aregbesola said no reasonable person or government would be happy not being incapacitated to perform his/its required responsibility.
The governor said: “We are not happy paying modulated salary to our workers in the civil service and political appointees, we are compelled by the financial reality; we are constrained.
“Contrary to the lies you are being fed, it is not all our workers that receive half salary. Workers on level 1-7, being the most vulnerable and the largest chunk of the workforce are being paid full salary. Workers on level 8-11 showed understanding with the government to accept 75% of their salary.
“It is only workers on grade level 12 upward that receive 50% of their salary. The workers have shown maturity, support and understanding. We acknowledge and appreciate the sacrifice and support of the workers.”
Aregbesola said the financial burden on the government was incurred to provide massive infrastructure to transform the state and develop it economically, noting that Osogbo desired infrastructure development to have a look of a state capital.
He said: “Before our government, Osogbo roads were very narrow and since there was no development, there was no heavy traffic and the roads accommodated the users. However, there was influx of people to the state since our administration came on board. There was heavy traffic on the Osogbo roads and they could not accommodate the traffic anymore.
“We started construction of new roads and rehabilitation of some existing ones to ease traffic. As a visionary government, we know that by the time our economic plan begins to grow, the Osogbo roads would become busier, so we come up with the construction of Osogbo East Bypass road.
“The Osogbo east bypass road has four big bridges. Anybody that does not have business in Osogbo will take the road to their various destinations. This will reduce traffic on Osogbo township roads. We constructed the road for economic purposes. People that are narrow in thinking do not know that.
“We know that things are hard and the state is passing through financial difficulty. But we are undeterred by the challenges. Our credo is to see that our people explore their freedom for economic prosperity.
“Our joy is in the fact that we will leave a legacy that will transform into economic prosperity for the people and the state. Like the credo of our mentor, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, we want freedom for all, life more abundant.”
In his address, Baderiwa, the commissioner for Information and Strategy, said he was in support of the Digital Switch Over, saying that it will provide for young and talented men and women and as well throw challenges to the lazy and unproductive workers in the media industry

As the billion naira project of Ilesa Government High School was commissioned, Ooni of Ife and Aromolaran have commended the revolution brought by Aregbesola led administration to education sector in Osun state.
 

 
 
These commendations were made by the frontline monarchs at the commissioning ceremony of what has been described as monumental in the history of education in Nigeria.
Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Owa Obokun Adinmula of Ijesaland, Oba Gabriel Aromolaran were among other dignitaries that graced the occasion.
Ooni who spoke passionately while addressing the audience at the ceremony said the huge investment of the administration would speak for decades particularly as it affects the generation yet unborn.
He said,” No matter how disdainful anyone is to this administration; if such person sees what is dedicated on these structure such person will doff his or her cap for the tenets and dedication employed on Osun education system.”
Oba Aromonlaran posited that many Universities in the Africa can’t match Ilesa Government High School in terms of facilities.
He expressed his appreciation to Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola for painstakingly revamping education sector by making State of Osun to compete with developed world in infrastructure.
He said, “I am impressed with what is built in this community and I must confessed that the honour been given to me to commission this edifice as a landmark to my 80th birthday is so humbling.
In Aregbesola’s speech titled: “The Making of the Educated Person,” the Governor, said the state now has public schools that can compete favourably with the best in the world and are the ones to beat in the country.
Aregbesola said the provision of these new school buildings is in fulfilment of his administration’s promise to provide functional education to the children in the state.
He said, “All these are in fulfilment of our promise to provide functional basic education. This stems from our conviction that every child is owed basic education. It is a fundamental and inalienable right of every child. We have gone to this length and committed such huge amount on education because we are preparing for the future.
“This includes the capacity to observe, understand and make sense out of nature, creation and one’s environment in the most basic form. To write means also that one can graphically reproduce one’s thought, observations, ideas and received knowledge in clear, free flowing prose, in at least one language.
“We are therefore developing the new literate man, a man not just for himself but for the collective, who sees his own existence and value in light of other members of the society.
“We have seen the future. Before our very eyes, advances in science and technology are changing our world and in the foreseeable future, we will see that those who are not well educated will be onlookers and will have no place in it.
“Generally, the world is increasingly being defined and controlled by those who can think and bear their intellect on matter and any situation. The possibilities therefore look infinite for them.”
According to the Governor, the new schools are capable of training the new minds for the new world driven by technology, saying any society without this vision is going to be backward and dependent when this future arrives.
He noted that the 11 high schools, will each graduate 11,000 students every year and in the space of 10 years, they would have turned out 110,000 first set of students and in the next 50 years, it would be 550,000 world beaters, occupying strategic positions nationally and globally. This is our vision.
He made a clarion call to the parents and teacher to do all within their reach to sustain the love of education he has for education.
He said “As a government, we have played our own part very well and we will do more if the need should arise. It is now left for parents and teachers to do their own part. Parents should provide the right examples to their children at home.
“They should let them realise the importance of education and that there is no reliable future outside of it.
“They should therefore prepare their children for school at the right time, help them dress properly and acceptably and prevent them from truancy.”
Similarly, Aregbesola officially unveiled the Citizens Identification Initiative Cards called “Omoluabi Cards” to be distributed to citizens in the State.
Mr. Jayeoba Alagbada who is the Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperative and Empowerment in the state, spoke extensively on the card. He disclosed that the residency smart card initiative popularly known as “Kaadi Omoluabi” is an initiative that will further move government closer to the people.
He noted that the introduction and distribution of “Kaadi Omoluabi” would go a long way to assist the government in the collation of data of the residents for appropriate allocation of resources and implementation of pro-masses policies.
According to him, the Omoluabi Card will serve as a remarkable socio-economic drive as it will in no doubt provide government accurate information on the population of the people residing in the state as well as their needs.
He said about 230,322 from public elementary schools have been captured in the first phase which was completed in 2014 and the registration of students in middle and high school have commenced. He added that more than 409,664 adults had been enrolled, with their validation in progress.
He said, “This card will help to determine the population strength, population density within and outside a demographic composition with the aim of providing the required needs of the populace.
“I have confidence in the fact that the card initiative would further add values to the economy of the state as the socio-economic landscape of the state will be greatly impacted.”
Earlier in his welcome address, the Commissioner for Education, Mr. Wasiu Kolawole Omotunde-Young, described the commissioning of high school as another milestone in the efforts of the government to lay solid and enduring foundation for ‘Functional Education’ in the State.
He said government is proud to commission this newly built world class school, comparable to any of its peers from the best parts of the world.
“Promoting functional education is one of the six–Point Integral Action plans of Aregbesola’s pact with the people of the state of Osun.  Government inherited an appalling Education System, which led to the conveyance of a state Education Summit in February 2011, which provided the Blueprint for repositioning the education sector in Osun.
“This school is the second of its specific types built with most modern prefabricated steel and cladding – after Osogbo Government High School – and the fifth of the world class schools to be commissioned,” Omotunde-Young said.
Omotunde-Young, while enumerating some of the facilities in the new school said the hall has storage for equipments, utility storage, a stage, office space, storage for documents, 4 female toilets and 4 male toilets.
“Sports is not left behind as the school can boast of an Olympic-sized football field, 7-lane sprinting tracks for 100 meters and 400 meters events, a pavilion and an outdoor basketball court that doubles as tennis court.
Also equipped with stand-alone transformer for electricity and a borehole, the school cost N1.3 billion, including the cost of furnishing, landscape and electronic boards.
Also, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Najeem Salam who led other legislators to the ceremony, said, “Some miserable opposition has been saying that we are rubber stamp legislator. I want to put it on record that if building multimillion projects for the society to use is what made us to be rubber stamp, we agreed to be one, if building structures like this for our Elementary, Middle and High schools is what made us to be rubber stamp we also agreed.
He promised the Governor to give him more support as a legislator in achieving his goals as it unfolds.

It is not an hyperbole to say the present administration in Osun under the leadership of Governor Rauf Aregbesola has broken the perpetual yoke being experienced in the education sector prior to its inception.

 

 
The Aregbesola’s government took over power on November 26th, 2010 from the erstwhile Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola who ruled the state for seven-and-half year.
On assumption of office, Aregbesola summoned leading stars in the education sector, an initiative that witnessed the conveyance and presence of renowned academia led by the African Literature Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka and the host of other revered professors emeritus.
The Education Summit brought about the manifestoes and workable recommendations that helped the state to deal aggressively with the palpable rot in all the economic systems particularly the untreated grey areas in the education sector.
It is however on record that part of the recommendations given by the Summit borne out of the well-thought out conceptualized ideology that didn’t only address squarely the inefficiencies, deficiencies, insensitivity, lackadaisical and weaknesses of the ousted administrations in taking the bull by the horn to redeem the lost glory in the sector.
The first noble step taken brought about the reclassification and re-categorization of public education sector into elementary, middle and high schools, as this gesture led to the erection of mega schools across the length and breadth of the state.‎
The model schools which possessed all forms of modern facilities with un-arguable architectural design that has been the cynosure of all discerning eyes came to limelight through Osun Education Revolution Initiative and School Infrastructure Development Policy.
However, the initiator of the pace-setting ideology, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on September 1st 2016 brought the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Alhaji Muhammadu Buhari to Osogbo, the state capital where one of the gigantic schools, Osogbo Government High School was commissioned.
Prior to this, Ejigbo Government High School, located in Ejigbo township of Osun West Senatorial District, had been commissioned by Professor Wole Soyinka to whom the school was named after.
In building these edifices and renovating the dilapidated and deplorable school buildings across the nooks and crannies of the state, one can never rule out the consciousness of equity and evenness deployed by the Aregbesola led government at ensuring that no Federal Constituency or Senatorial District fails to benefit from his innovative ideology that culminated the multitude school infrastructure developments in the state.
‎The model schools were built across the nine Federal Constituencies and three Senatorial Districts made up of Osun while other infrastructural developments particularly the widely applauded Osun Social Intervention Initiative followed suit.      ‎
Aside on the fact that the largest chunks of the state’s treasury had been concentrated to re-energize the slumbering education sector in the state, the Aregbesola’s government had in the last six years done justice to all sectors particularly education sector.
The assessment of the investment made so far to repositioning education sector in the state revealed that except Osun, no state had made such move in Nigeria as education is seen as non-negotiable priority of Aregbesola’s administration.
The statistics revealed that ‎‎eight Model Elementary schools were built and commissioned with 200 classrooms in Osun Central Senatorial District whereas 4 out of these schools were built in Osogbo Local Government, 1 in Boripe Local Government, one in Odo-Otin Local Government, 1 in Irepodun Local Government and 1 in Orolu Local Government respectively with sum of N2billion.
It is on records that ‎6 Model Elementary schools were built and commissioned with150 classrooms in Osun East Senatorial District where 1 was built in Ife Central Local Government, 2 in Ilesa East Local Government, 1 in Ilesa West Local Government, 1 in Atakunmosa West Local Government and 1 in Ife North Local Government with sum of N1.5billion.‎
Statistics has it that 8 Model Middle schools were built and commissioned with 200 classrooms in Osun Central Senatorial District as 3 of them were located in Osogbo LG, 1 in Olorunda LG, 1 in Boripe LG, 1 in Ila LG, 1 in Ifelodun LG and 1 in Irepodun LG respectively with sum of N2billion.
However, 7 Model Middle schools were built and commissioned with 175 classrooms in Osun East Senatorial District with which 1 was built in Ife Central LG, 1 in Ife East LG, 2 in Ilesa East LG, 1 in Oriade LG, 1 in Obokun LG and 1 in Ife East Area Office (Modakeke) executed with sum of N1.750billion.
‎Similarly, 7 Model High schools were built at sum of N4.9billion in Osun Central Senatorial District as Osogbo LG has 5, Ila LG has 4 and Ifelodun LG has 1 respectively.
Also in Osun East Senatorial District, 2 Model High Schools were built with which 1 is located in Ife Central LG and the other one in Ilesa East LG with sum of N1.4billion.
The Aregbesola’s administration in conjunction with UBEC also renovated 606 classrooms across 87 Model Schools in Osun Central Senatorial District while more than 605 classrooms were renovated across 90 Models Schools in Osun East Senatorial District.
Likewise, 21,048 sets furniture were supplied to the schools across the ten Local Government Areas in Osun Central Senatorial District and ‎20,900 sets furniture were equally supplied to the schools across the ten Local Government Areas of Osun East Senatorial District.
Statistics further revealed that more than 55,000 students benefited from the free tablets of knowledge popularly called “Opon Imo” in Osun Central Senatorial District while over 45,000 students enjoyed similar gestures in Osun East Senatorial District.
On personnel recruitment, training and promotion, it is on records that over 2,500 Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES) cadets from Osun Central Senatorial District were deployed to different schools as teachers while about 1,150 regular teachers were recruited from same zone as 9,200 teachers were trained in 26 different training programmes and workshops.
Also, more than 6,057 teaching and non-teaching staff was promoted from Osun Central Senatorial District.
Over 1,500 OYES cadets were deployed to different schools as teachers in Osun East Senatorial District while 1,004 regular teachers were recruited from same district and 8,391 teachers were trained in 26 different training programmes and workshops.
Also, more than 5,000 teaching and non-teaching staff were promoted from Osun East Senatorial District.
The amazing part of the state’s education intervention initiatives is the uncommon School Feeding Programme popularly called “OMEAL” that has become the prototype and model locally and internationally.
This innovative ideology, life-changing and health promoting initiatives also took it impact in the duo Senatorial Districts as more than 85,000 pupils gets fed daily under Osun School Feeding Programmes through which more than 1,000 cooks were employed while close to 68,000,000 plates of meals have been served to pupils in Osun Central Senatorial District since 2012 with N4.760billion.
More than 80,000 pupils gets fed daily under school feeding programmes through which 1,000 cooks were employed since 2012 and over 64,000,000 plates of meals have been served to pupils with N4,480billion in Osun East Senatorial District.
Above all, close to 250,000 school uniforms were distributed free to students across the ten LGAs of Osun Central Senatorial District while more than 200,000 units of school uniforms have been distributed freely to students in Osun East Senatorial District so far.