The Governor of the state of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has approved the appointment of Prince Femi Agunloye as the new Elegboro of Ijebu-ijesa.
 

 

This was contained in a letter dated 27th  September, 2017 signed by the Director of Chieftaincy Affairs, Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr Femi Ogundun.
The appointment is in accordance with section 20,Sub-section 1 of the Chief’s Law of the state of Osun 2002. The letter explained that arrangements are being made to publish the appointment very soon in the Official Gazette of the government.
Mr Femi Ogundun congratulated the new monarch on behalf of the State Government of Osun.

The Nigeria Medical Association, (NMA), Osun State chapter has directed doctors in the state to resume work in their various hospitals as the association suspended its 7-day warning strike.

 

 
In a communiqué signed by the Chairman of the association, Dr. Tokunbo Olajumoke and Secretary, Olalekan Ajayi, Osun NMA said the strike was suspended because of the intervention of well-meaning stakeholders who appealed to the association to suspend the strike with assurance that the state government would address and resolves the lingering issues.
It would be recall that the NMA in the state held an Emergency General Meeting (EGM) on September 18, 2017 and directed all doctors working with Osun State government to commence a seven day warning strike following the expiration of the 21-day ultimatum issued to the state government.
The association said the strike became necessary because of the poor condition of facilities in the hospitals in the state and the demeaning remuneration and poor welfare of medical doctors in the state.
NMA lamented that hospitals owned by Osun State government remained in an appalled state and that unsuspecting citizens of the state who still access these facilities were oblivious of this.
The NMA said there is a dangerous dimension on the doctors’ agitation as there was a threat to leadership of the association and that the Chairman and the Secretary of the association have received threats to their lives in the last two week which is not unconnected with the present agitation and these have been reported to the relevant security operatives.
According to the communiqué, “This has affected the quality of health care services available to the people of Osun state and therefore the health indices of the state had continued to maintain a downward trend.
 
Osun State had experienced an unprecedented brain drain in the health sector as a result of the various unimaginable welfare challenges facing doctors in the employment of the state which had caused an alarming instability in the sector.”
The NMA insisted that the state government must address and resolve issues of selective poor attention to the welfare of doctors ranging from inappropriate and demeaning remuneration, victimization of doctors by continue withholding of their 4–6 month emoluments of 2015/2016, non-complimentary pay slips, burden of huge taxation among others,
NMA added.
 
“We commend the Federal Government for her magnanimity and sincerity as regards release of funds under several initiatives to our dear state to ameliorate the hardship being faced by Osun doctors and workers as a result of the self-created, unprovoked debt profile masterminded by the state government that has led the state into this regrettable situation.
“We appreciate our National President, Professor Mike Ozovehe Ogirima and his team for their support and guidance.
“We appreciate our members for their unprecedented perseverance and consideration in the last couple of months .
“We appreciate the good people of Osun for their continued perseverance.
We appreciate the gentlemen of the press, the men of the state security service and the Nigerian Police Force for their professionalism and dedication.

The Osun State Polytechnic, Iree (OSPO) has announced the postponement of its 2017/2018 Post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (Post-UTME) to a new date of 4^th and 5^th of October, 2017.

 

 
OSPO had earlier announced that the test would hold on 27^th September but however did not give reason for the postponement.
 
It said that only candidates who made the institution their first or second choice in the 2017/2018 UTME, as well as those wishing to change their choice of institution are eligible for the screening.
 
The statement released by the management read: “This is to inform the general public and 2017 Post UTME candidates of the Osun State Polytechnic Iree, that the school management has postponed the Post UTME Screening exercise which was to hold on the 27th of this month, is now postponed to next week, 4TH and 5th of October 2017.
 
“Time, Venue and Seat Number remain the same.
 
“Consequently, candidates who made Osun State Polytechnic Iree their First or Second Choice in the 2017/2018 UTME, as well as those who are still wishing to change to Osun State Polytechnic, Iree and scored 150 and above, can apply for the National Diploma Courses, on or before Tuesday 3rd October, 2017.

The Osun government will hold calisthenics competition for primary and secondary school students. The sport was introduced into the state school system by Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
 

 
Briefing reporters in Osogbo, the state capital on the event, Mr. Yaya Ademola, one of the team leaders revealed that the history of engaging Osun State youths in calisthenics display will not be complete without mentioning the immense role played by Governor Rauf Aregbesola who decided to introduce and engaged thousands of students of secondary schools in athletic fitness and youth leadership programmes. The aim was to enable them to cope with various challenges of life as they grow up.
Ademola noted that since the introduction of callisthenics in public schools, performances at various anniversary celebrations had been restricted to about 15,000 pupils from schools in Osogbo and Olorunda local government areas, adding that the approved template gives opportunity to selected public schools in all the nine federal constituencies as well as interested private schools to participate.
According to him, participation is voluntary. “The government will only be responsible for the training and competitions which will hold in two stages, at the senatorial level among teams representing federal constituencies and at the state level between the first-place teams at the senatorial level competition.
“In addition to trophies, plaques, medals and certificates for the participants, prize monies of N1,000,000; N750,000 and N500,000 will be won by the first, second and third place teams respectively at the senatorial level competition.
“By November this year, the 1st team in each of the senatorial level will compete for N2, 000,000; N1, 000,000 and N750, 000 for 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions respectively. The prize monies will be used by the authorities of the combined participating and the host schools for the development of their sporting facilities and activities,” he said.
He further said as the state anniversary is fast approaching, where the students will put up a superlative performance, all hands are on deck to prepare the teams for the celebration.
“Callisthenic is very flexible. It all depends on creativity. At our levels, displays take two levels, field composition and background display. Activities at the federal constituencies to the senatorial competitions are only based on the field compositions.
At the state level on the anniversary day, a background display consisting of rows of pupils seated in a gallery at Osogbo Township Stadium will be forming captions of different words and patterns, speaking to the competing teams in the main bowl.
“The background will not be competing. It will only add flavour and glamour to complement the competing teams and entertain the audience. At another level, the field composition could also play background role to form different words and captions. Display can involve from a few dozen up to thousands of persons exercising in unison.
“Callisthenic takes away pupils from average and below families away from harmful and out-of-school vile engagements into joyful and healthy activities, especially in the absence of other healthy exercises in our schools.
“It teaches discipline, co-operation and teamwork. It conditions the pupils to be physically and mentally sound. It brings participants from various backgrounds and orientation together in a happy atmosphere” he said.
Ademola noted that “the target is to institutionalise callisthenics into our schools curriculum as an integral part of processes to mould a complete new man/woman that is imbibed with tools he or she needs for daily application of life such that he or she will be completely educated in soul, mind and vision.
“Group Calisthenics endow the participants with acute sense of precision and organisational competence. Without unison and accuracy, the outcome of their efforts will not be plausible. Participants imbibe all the elements that make up a disciplined life; promptness and punctuality.
“Should a dozen participants be late to training, not to mention being absent, the entire training for other participants is endangered.
“Co-operation, team-work and unity of purpose is at the heart of the calisthenics arts and is imbibed as healthy, life-changing virtues by participants through the course of their training. Calisthenics is the only single extra-curriculum activity that infuses in participants the desired ethical contents of all-round education,” he said.

Extracts from the Transcript of Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s submission at the One-Day Conference on  Southwest in National Governance Organized By Urban Media Resource Limited, On 15th September, 2017.
 

 
Nigeria’s economy is centered on petrol dollar and that is what we all rely on for survival as it
represents 70 per cent of our revenue. While I was ruminating on our
income generation in Nigeria, which centers around oil production, I wondered; how much  can the average man possibly earn from Oil.
Going by OPEC’s production allowance for Nigeria, we can only produce 2.1 million barrels of oil per day, it means we can produce a maximum of  766.5 million barrels annually. With an estimated population of about 170 million, if we divide the barrels of oil per head which we are all entitled to, it means we are all entitled to approximately 5 barrels per head per year. The cost of a barrel of oil as of today is 50 dollars, meaning that each Nigerian is entitled to 250 dollars per year.
The cost of the dollar today in exchange for the Naira is between N366 and N370 per dollar but lets us assume that a dollar is N400 for ease of calculation.  Multiplying 250 Dollars by N400, this amounts to N100,000and that is what each Nigerian is entitled to per head per year from the proceeds of Crude Oil Sales assuming this very simplistic analysis. Now, Let’s divide this into twelve months, it means on a monthly basis, we are entitled to N8,333.33. How much is #8,333,33 to an average Nigerian in a month; does it take care of his basic needs? Lest we forget, our current minimum wage is N19,000, way above our N8,333 earning as a Nation.
As bad as the picture painted above is, it is sad to admit that this is the reality of the everyday Nigerian. This is why as a country, we languish in poverty and wretchedness. The proceeds from oil seem enormous to us because only a few, I would say at most ,  about a million Nigerians of our the entire population benefit immensely from the proceeds, which makes them extremely richer than the average Nigerian.
By the statistics I have given, if the proceeds of crude oil that every Nigerian was entitled to was actually given to him, even at the cost of N8,000 in a month, maybe the situation would not be as dire as it is now, but because about 99 per cent don’t have access to their entitlement, that is why we think we are rich but all this while, this has been the basis of our wretchedness and poverty as a nation.
So what’s the way out, Oil income is definitely not enough to realize the prosperous the Nigeria of our dream, sharing the “National Cake” is not the way out. We need to create New Wealth. We need to move from rent income and earn our way to prosperity. For Nigeria to succeed, We will need to Produce. Produce our Food , our  Clothes,  our House and other Needs. We must move from a Rent Culture to a ProductionCulture.

The Government of the State of Osun is set to re-position the moribund Osun Games village located in Ijebu-Jesa/Ijeda in Oriade Local Government Area of the State in order to tap from its vast potentials.
 

 
The Commissioner for Social Protection, Sports  and Special Needs, Comrade Biyi Odunlade stated this while on an on–the-spot inspection of the multi-million naira Games Village.
Comrade Odunlade,  who was accompanied by his counterpart in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Dr. Obawale Adebisi and officials of the Ministry of Social Protection, Sports and Special Needs and those of the State Sports Council explained that the decision of the State Government to resuscitate the Games village is borne out of
government’s realisation of its potentials in terms of sports development, tourist attractions as well as a veritable venue for income generation.
He stated further that  government will liaise with the host communities in order to check the activities of land speculators from encroaching on the land and put a stop to the activities of some unscrupulous elements who have turned part of the Games village into a quarry site.
The Commissioner explained further that, when completed, the Games village which is at present being occupied by Osun State Technical College, Ijebu-Jesa/Ijeda will have all the facilities of a world Class Games village
The centre, which was devastated by a fire outbreak in 1998, has a total of 173.5 acres of land which had been in use since 1998.

The annual celebrations of Olojo festival has commenced in Ile-Ife with the movement of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi into Iledi, a place of seclusion where he is going to spend the next seven days.

 
The festival is a major event in Ile Ife, meant to celebrate the creation of universe and the week long event will climax with wearing of “Are” crown, a special crown worn once annually by Ooni.
 
According to a press release signed by the Director, Media and Public Affairs of Ooni’s palace, Mr. Moses Olafare, said Ooni’s seclusion began on Sunday and will end on Saturday.
 
The statement which reflected Ooni’s position on the festival read, “Our ancestors will be appeased during the period and by the time I come out on Saturday for the grand finale, the seclusion rites would have been be concluded.
 
“It is a celebration of creation of the universe and many visitors from within the country and the Diaspora will come around to celebrate with us. My duty is specifically to offer prayers and that I will do to the best of my ability.”
 
It would be recalled that when this year’s edition was declared, it was made known that foreigners, the members of the black caucus of Pennsylvania House of Representatives and about 150 other black Americans have already indicated interest to participate in the Festival.