The transformations in the various sectors of the economy of Osun have been described as indices that have shored up the economy of the state in no small measure.
This was the observation of the Assistant Director, Central Bank of Nigeria, Osogbo Branch, Mr. Macduff Efetabore Okoro, who also said the current administration of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is affecting lives in manners never witnessed before in the state.
The apex bank chief spoke at the commissioning of the South-West Zonal Office of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria.
While proposing a toast to the State of Osun, Okoro said the state is currently reaping some enduring dividends of democracy in the past three and half years.
Highlighting the areas of development, the CBN boss identified quality and affordable education, youth empowerment, roads and other infrastructural developments as some of the areas massive impacts have been recorded.
He averred that adding to the changing terrain for doing business, there is a new impetus and momentum to breathe life into the economy which has been dormant before the advent of Aregbesola’s government.
“It is pleasing to note that, in the State of Osun today, there is the Osun Rural Enterprises and Agricultural Programme (O’REAP) which has engaged tens of thousands in food crop cultivation, fisheries, beef production and even cocoyam cultivation.
“Also there is the private partnership participation arrangement with TUNS FARM as the “Scheme Manager” to manage the state’ Broiler Production Scheme and about 200,000 birds are produced on monthly basis.
“In the area of Youth Empowerment, the State is excelling through Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (O’YES) which has engaged over Twenty Thousand (20,000) Youths and won several commendations from institutions like the World Bank and O’YESTECH through which over five thousand (5,000) Youths had been successfully trained for self-empowerment,” he said.
According to him, with the various job schemes, there is hardly any home or family in state that has not felt the impact of government.
He added that the introduction of the Tablet of Knowledge (Opon Imo) into the education sector in the state has impacted positively on the standard of education, ranking the state among the best in the country.
He continued: “The education system had also been impacted upon such that the standard could be said to be among the best in the country.
“The major highlight in this area is the Opon Imo Technology Enhanced Learning System (O’TELS) initiative where computer tablets were distributed to senior secondary pupils in public schools in the state.  It is on record that Opon Imo has won numerous awards in Nigeria and abroad.
He identified other areas where the government has earned the praises of the citizenry as investment in road infrastructure where hundreds of kilometres of urban and rural roads had been repaired and some constructed and investment in security which has made the state of Osun to be reputed to be one of the safest states in Nigeria.
While speaking, Aregbesola said his administration has shown the path to be taken nationally if the problem of unemployment would be solved.
He noted that,‎ through the careful execution of his policy on banishment of unemployment, osun has engaged 40,000 youths in decent ventures through ‎the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (O’YES).
The governor also added that the state is working towards making a huge commercial success of his agricultural programmes, ranking high in the promotion of investment in agro-processing.
‎According to him, “Our initiatives in the education sector of the state drive empowerment and increase economic activities. The Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme (O’MEALS) ensures that about 300,000 children are fed daily.
“The farm produce used to maintain this programme, which is sustained with N3 billion annually, are sourced from farmers in the state. About 3,000 women are employed and empowered to prepare and serve the food.
The governor said the CIBN and his administration have certain goals in common, listing the vision to diversify the economy and establishment of the state as a hub of enterprise, trade and commerce in South-West Nigeria as part of the goals.
 
“As for the Institute, it is positioning the state as a centre of professional banking education in the region”. The governor told the gathering.
He assured that his administration is committed to ensuring the security of life and property in the state, adding that in the last three and half years, it has improved the security condition in the state.
Aregbesola averred that it is not accidental that Osun today is one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria.
He said, “We will continue to consolidate this and see to it that, at all times, banks and other business areas in our state are formidably secure.
“Armed bandits and robbers who dare to test our steely security presence will never live to tell the tales of their misadventure”. The governor assured the audience.
Responding, the President/Chairman of Council of the CIBN, Dr. Segun Aina, described the opening of the zonal office as another landmark achievement in the history of the institute.
Aina expressed optimism that the opening of the office would trigger huge economic activities and commercial benefits in the state.
“I have no doubt in my mind that the opening of the CIBN South-West Zonal Office in Osogbo will bring enormous economic and social benefits to the people of Osun and surrounding states,” Aina said.
In his remarks on behalf of all traditional rulers present at the occasion, the Akinrun of Ikirun, Oba AbdulRauf Olayiwola Adedeji, said the establishment of the coordinating zonal office of the South-West in Osogbo is a great honour to the state.
Akinrun, who is also a patron of the institute said the idea of establishing the zonal office is to enhance professionalism in the practice of banking in Nigeria.
“It is a singular honour to us in the State of Osun that the activities of the institute and its branches in six states will be coordinated henceforth from here in Osogbo. This is a great honour done to us in the State of Osun,” the monarch said.

Photos showing the ‘before and after’ images of The Ojuirin, Osogbo Transformation

No fewer than Twenty Five Thousand, Two Hundred and Eighty Three (25,283) students of the Osun origin have benefited from bursary awards with a sum of N521 million.
The state government said the effort is in furtherance of its determination to ensure that education is available to all indigenes irrespective of their financial conditions.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mr. Lawrence Oyeniran, at the weekend, explained that a sum of N275.7 million was paid to final year students of the state origin across Nigerian tertiary institutions for the 2012/2013 academic session.
He added that a special grant to the tune of N17.3 million has also been paid to Law school students of Osun Origin in six campuses of the Nigerian Law School for the 2012/ 2013.
Oyeniran stressed that the sum of N208.6 million was paid to 20,215 final year students from 74 institutions and N18.5 billion to 185 law school students in five campuses last year.
According to him, “What the Rauf Aregbesola-led administration has done with the payment of Bursary to the students is in compliance with one of the six-point integral action plan that focuses on the provision of functional education.‎‎
“We should not forget that N2,000 used to be paid as bursary to final year students in colleges of education, N3,000 to all undergraduates and N10,000 to law students and their counterparts in colleges of medicine.
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“With the coming of Aregbesola, bursary award to student in tertiary institutions is now N10,000 flat, irrespective of the student’s course of study, while N20,000 is being paid to final year students of law and medicine and a generous review of the N10,000 to students of Nigerian law schools to N100,000”. The director noted.
The Bureau of Communications and Strategy in the Office of the Governor, while restating the administration’s commitment to the restoration of functional education, said that all the education initiatives of the administration that are being commended from far and near are aimed at producing students who are well-prepared and who can compete with any student in any part of the world.
“It is less than four years that this revolution started. The results are already showing. The surest way to change the society is to change the way people are educated. This, this government has challenged itself to achieve,” the Bureau’s Director, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon said.
He added that the many recognitions received by the state’s education policies are enough testimonials that Osun has the template for solving many of the disturbing national questions.
“For instance, the Federal Government has now realised the need to introduce the school meal programme. This is one programme that has increased school enrollments in Osun. It alleviates poverty and create jobs for local food vendors and farmers. The ripple effects are just simply tremendous,” Okanlawon added.

Photos showing the reaction of the people of Osun during the Commissioning of  ’23 Road Network for Osogbo

Ajanaku ko ja mo ri nkan firi . Bi a ba re erin a mo pe a re erin
The elephant is not an ordinary animal that can pass unnoticed. This implies that Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola is not a mean governor but a governor whose impact has been felt not only in Osun but in Nigeria as a whole. It is a known fact even by the political candidates jostling for the seat of governor of the state of Osun.
The August 9, 2014 election is no doubt gathering momentum, and the various political gladiators are going about in the state soliciting for the votes of the electorate, so far so good, it appears that the coming election will be between the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate, the incumbent governor, Aregbesola and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Senator Iyiola Omisore.  The bill boards are all over the state, not only adding beauty to the streets, but adding glamour to the political process. A bill board of Omisore reads “ Atari Ajanaku Ki seru omode”, meaning; The head of the elephant is not a load for a kid . It is interesting to note that Omisore claim to be an elephant’s head, while the incumbent governor, Aregbesola political appellation is that of a living and complete elephant. So, which of the two is heavier? The elephant’s head or a whole elephant
Philosophers do not answer questions, but muse; they try to understand the questions as there is no definite answer to philosophical questions. Thinkers trade in questions.
Aregbesola is often saluted as “ Ajanaku koja mori nkan firi bi a ba r’erin ka mo pe a ri erin. This means elephant cannot but be noticed. Aregbesola’s personality, vision and mission have catapulted him far above his contemporaries in the political space, his wealth is the people that passionately love and appreciated his governance everywhere he goes.
Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, the former governor of Abia state that participated in the last edition of “Walk to live” in the state could not hide his feelings when he declared; “I am a member of the PDP but with what I have heard and seen about your governor made me to come out in the open to support good work.
Iyiola Omisore is a personal friend of mine but I will always say the truth. Few days that I have spent here and the way his people talked about him truly showed that Governor Aregbesola deserve another term to complete that good work that the Lord has used him to start during his first term”.
Ba ba ri erin ka mo pe  a ri erin- Former Inspector General  of Police and Chairman of Police Service Commission Mr. Mike Okiro added his voice to what Aregbesola has achieved in the state when he declared that Osun is saved for investors . The American Ambassador added his voice to those who have seen what elephant looks like, by encouraging investors to come to the state. Comrade Chukwu Merije, a PDP member and Senate Chairman on Education Committee on a working visit to the state urged other states to emulate Aregbesola’s reforms in education.
Historically speaking, every age produces leaders that come to meet the need of the hour. Henry Ford asserted: “The whole secret of a successful life is to find out what it is one’s destiny to do, and then do it”. This hour has produced Aregbesola that has uplifted the state to become the seventh economic developed state in Nigeria. The man has justified the mandate given to him by the people. Under three years, he has provided jobs to over 40,000 youths, through OYES and another 10,000 jobs in the civil service with 54% additional teachers recruited to meet the educational reform. There is no community, or household that has not benefited from this singular initiative. The World Bank has since recommended the project to the federal government.
The Educational sector has become a phenomenon; dilapidated school structures have given ways for new, modern and well equipped schools.  Parents have been relieved of burden for payment of WAEC examination fees, that cost the state over 400 million naira annually.
Opon Imo, the computer device that aids learning, is another fit that nobody can deny. Aregbesola’s score on this learning device has earned him several laurels across the globe. The governor has asserted that “Education offers the best way to produce great individuals that will create great society. This is the trust of our mission in education. It is a mission that should be backed by all, for it is a mission that is in the interest of all”.
When a leader embarked on a mission that benefited all irrespective of the circumstances of birth, that leader will be hard to dislodged, because he is no longer an ordinary leader but a statesman. The other candidates for the coming election will contend with the public scrutiny on many issues which include; ethics, love and transparency. On ethics, George Washington was better illustrating it, when he was asked who cut down the cherry tree, he replied, ‘I cannot tell a lie.”
Some of these gubernatorial aspirants are noted for telling lies quite often to the extent that their names are synonymous with lies. They lied over what is generally known to the public, they lied over their secret weakness, they lied to co party leaders, and they lied about their achievements within and outside the public domain. Ethics are a set of basic working tenets for life and business. The stronger our ethical behavior, the better leaders we become.
Trust – There ought to be trust between leaders and the led. It is the fulcrum that leads to social contract, but where there is no trust between the led and the leader, the right to govern the people is lost.
Love for the people and the passion to bring a positive change to the lives of the people will be tested. Once the people realized they are dealing with selfish and power hungry politicians, they will not hesitate to give their mandate to the trusted, tested and transparent leaders. This is the edge that Aregbesola has over the other contenders.  That is the edge that will make his second term bid a walk-over.
Obaditan  wrote in from Osogbo
DAILY INDEPENDENT

As part of efforts of the present administration of state of Osun  at boosting pig farming in the state, Commissioner for Agric and Food Security, Hon. Wale Adedoyin will tomorrow  (friday)flag off the Piggery Artificial Insemination programme  in the state.
The project ,which is aimed at ensuring improvement in pig farming through the  production of pig progeny in terms of large littars size, hybrid vigour, rapid growth rate, leaness of meat which gets to the consumer is also expected to boost the creation of wealth for unemployed youths.
This is contained in a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Sunday Odediran.
The statement then enjoined all pig farmers in Osun West senatorial District to turn out enmass for the exercise at the following designated farms: Akande farms Iwo, Akintaro farms Ede,and Oladimeji farms Halleluyah, Dada Estate in Egbedore Local Government.
The statement also states that it will be the turn of Osun central and Osun East senatorial Districts immediately after the completion of the exercise at Osun West Senatorial district.
OSUN NEWS

A total of 12 States were considered in the Innovation Award Initiative: two states in each of the six geo-political zones of the country were closely examined over a period of three months. It was from this effort that the State of Osun emerged as the overall winner. Some of the factors that enhanced our decisions are the turn-around projects embarked upon by Aregbesola administration which represent a tremendous improvement on what he met on ground about four years ago. Lets take a look at some of them.
The Solution
The state government of Osun, along with other government units, started in the early part of the administration to implement plans that aim at developing and modernizing the state, extending the roads, expanding the network of lighting and green spaces and constructing public parks and utilities and decorative monuments. The administration’s responsibility did not stop at just implementing these projects and equipping itself with the latest technology; on the contrary, it continues to maintain the highest level of cleanliness and provide whatever is required to maintain and preserve these important utilities. Thus, Osun became a model and example of beauty and cleanliness dazzling the residents and visitors alike. Specifically, it has adopted measures to ensure a high standard of cleanliness within the key cities in the state including boosting efficiency of its internal operations, staging campaigns to promote awareness in public and individual health, enlisting the support of schools in environmental cleanliness, keeping roads clean, and giving attention to timely collection and disposal of garbage. The subject of cleanliness is the top priority facing those responsible for the cities. This subject takes a special place in view of the cities’ expansion thus attracting the people to live and work therein, forming a phenomenon of our modern time, and transforming the cleaning services into a difficult challenge. The Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme now known as O-MEALS is the one of the few surviving school meal programmes in the country. It was formerly known as the Home Grown School Feeding and Health Programme (HGSFP) . This has now been restructured and enhanced by the administration of the State of Osun, to reach a larger number of  students (254,000) and to empower  over 3000 community caterers. The programme was initiated by the Federal Government in 2004 through the Universal Basic Education (UBE) Act. On assumption of office, the present administration undertook a comprehensive review of the inherited school feeding arrangement and came up with an overhauled and rebranded programme that was officially launched on the 30th April 2012. Implementation in primary schools is ongoing throughout the State. The key areas of improvement undertaken by the current administration are,  inclusion of elementary year 4 , thereby increasing beneficiaries to 254,000, Capacity Development  and Empowerment 3007 Community Caterers , backwards integration to  local markets and  process improvements This scheme has gained international endorsement as well. In November 2012, Partnership for Child Development (PCD) United Kingdom and the Government of the State of Osun signed the Osun Elementary School Feeding Transition Strategy Plan Document to further strengthen the programme. O-MEALS aims to reverse the very low academic performance of pupils noting that good nutrition is necessary for  development of  cognitive skills. The daily feeding allowance for each pupil has also been increased from N50.00 to N250.00. For effective service, a total number of 3,007 food vendors/cooks were trained and are currently employed to serve midday meals for pupils of classes 1, 2 , 3 and 4 in all primary schools in the State of Osun. For easy identification, each of the food vendors was provided with uniforms free of charge. The uniforms provided include gowns, aprons, and caps. The government of the State of Osun also facilitated provision of cooking utensils for each of the caterers at minimal cost. First Bank PLC granted a loan of N124.5 million to 123 cooperative groups of food vendors for purchasing cooking utensils. The government of the State of Osun also agreed to pay the interest accrued on the loan facility and food vendors are to repay the loan within 36 months (3 years).
The Challenge
The past governments have tried to establish effective and quality of dialogue between the citizens and the administration which have not been achieved.
The Solution
The direct dialogue that exists between the state government and the administration has made the government of Ogbeni Aregbesola to become so popular across the state. The project’s aim is to facilitate and improve the relationship between citizens and the government by simplifying the tools that citizens use to obtain information and communicate with public institutions. “Meet the Ogbeni” allows citizens to engage with the state government in an innovative manner. It seeks to advance open government by enabling a more personal channel of enquiry to government. It allows for interaction and the exchange of information with other stakeholders.
The Challenge
The Government faced the challenge of providing social assistance and support to vulnerable sections of society.
The Solution
The state government has demonstrated that it could radically transform public institutions into entities capable of providing quality service at levels comparable to those attained by their private sector counterparts. Its social policy making is aimed at promoting the generation of a new intergenerational culture. It devoted particular attention to specific demands from the different generational population groups. Providing social coverage to most sectors of society is considered as a main target and its aim is to reduce inequalities. The people are the most important asset of a government. A genuine development agenda should therefore have at its core, the welfare of people, and seek to implement a robust human capacity development programme. The Ogbeni administration passionately aligns with this governance approach and is entrenching welfarism at the centre of her development programmes. Apart from the state’s social centric programmes, other programmes like physical infrastructure programmes should also be delivered in such a way as to add social value like public services, local jobs, capacity development to pragmatically improve the socio-economic status of the people. Osun has been implementing its programmes across all society strata in this direction. Through the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme, OYES, the state is pioneering for Nigeria, a grassroots youth empowerment scheme that has won commendations from institutions like the World Bank. For the past three years, the state has undergone a radical change in the coverage of its programmes and the increase in its benefits. This has been possible due to institutional efficacy guided to quality roles. The initiative has resulted in the efficient use of the public resources and increased benefits. The quality has been maintained, a new information system has been introduced and institutional reengineering has taken place. The initiative has resulted in the following changes:
1) Reduction in costs,
2) Transparency in the administration of resources and services,
3) Creation of a client-oriented culture (in substitution for the bureaucratic culture)
The Challenge
Public administration reforms in Osun used to be formal and did not address or respond to the needs of citizens and businesses, especially given the differences at the local level.
The Solution
Although there have been reforms in the past decade, changes in the institutional and administrative system increased the demand for further reform. For example, the state has assumed several important functions, and others have been transferred from the local governments. At the same time, the call for improving the conditions of the private sector and the market has been growing. In response to this call for reform, the State of Osun has gradually been transformed into a facilitator for cooperation and understanding between administrative institutions, as well as coordination centre for administrative innovation for citizens and businesses. Today, the state is committed to modernizing its functions through consensual methods, encouraging various government agencies to work together to reach agreement. The objective is for all stakeholders of any innovation to share goals rather than perceive them as rules imposed on them. The state government sees the development of infrastructure as key to its vision of establishing Osun as a commercial hub for the south west of Nigeria. As such, a physical infrastructure development programme to open up the state as a viable route for the transportation of goods and services between the hinterlands of Nigeria and Lagos State (Nigeria’s Business Capital) is currently being implemented. This programme entails the construction and expansion of  various roads categories. These include, Boundary Highways, Inter City Roads, Township Roads , Local Government Roads and Rural Roads. These developments are currently being implemented in an integrated manner, to provide Osun with a road network system that will position it as a conduit for easy movement of goods and services from the North, (through neighboring Kwara State) towards Lagos (through neighboring Ogun State, Ijebu Igbo Axis). This stretch of Kwara – Osun -Ogun through Osun, covers over 120km road network and offers an alternative route to the very burdened Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. It is the belief of the current administration, that such an integrated road infrastructure will revive the status of Osogbo, and consequently the State , as a commercial hub for the south west region. To complement the road network system, the Ogbeni administration is developing Business Infrastructures that will cater for the opportunities that the emerging road network and commercial hub will bring.  As such, the Osun-Hub(O-Hub) initiative is being implemented.
The Challenge
Reforming the educational structure to respond to the students changing needs by creating conducive Education Centres
The Solution
The state of the art educational facilities across the state has created a new structure based on the principles of clarity, flexibility, and compatibility. The reform increases students’ freedom of choice and facilitates flexibility in changing between areas of interest. The new teaching structure is expected to have positive impact on the educational sector as a whole, including the students and those employed in the field. The vision of the present administration under Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola before coming to government was to radically increase access to Universal Basic Education in our society. This is in furtherance of the vision of the former Western Region Government under the late sage Chief Obafemi Awolowo. This is also in line with Millennium Development Goal Two (MDG 2) of achieving Universal Primary Education, which goes in consonance with Aregbesola’s programme of promoting functional education. Presently, the physical infrastructure component of these reclassification is being carried out systematically with the building of elementary, middle and high schools. The human and social component such as recruitment of teachers, provision of instructional materials, psychological and social support through value re-orientation, revival of ideals of hard work, honesty, discipline, determination, revival of Boys and Girls Clubs, calisthenics activities are simultaneously being introduced. The State Government of Osun, under Aregbesola, in its resolve to champion inspiring innovations from Africa, has undertaken a ground breaking step to utilize ICTs to concisely tackle the learning problem through the Opón Ìmò Initiative. The State, through its Opón Ìmò Technology Enhanced Learning System (OTELS), has developed a learning tool that could revolutionize learning in developing states around the world. This tool is called the Opón Ìmò, “Tablet of Knowledge”. The Opon Imo is a programme to provide senior secondary school students with free tablet computers preloaded with learning materials to prepare for school-leaving exams. These programmes were designed and are being implemented to deliver tangible and radical socio-economic value across the various demographics of the society. The comprehensive multi-sector impact of these programmes has helped Osun record dramatic improvements in human development indices.
The Challenge
How to increase efficiency and improve transparency in the Public Service by managing performance systems and service delivery arrangements to maximize their effectiveness.
The Solution
The administrations emphasized the importance of accountability, capacity building and promotion of excellence in the public sector. The Aregbesola Government has been involved with a “major reconceptualisation of the role of government”. The New Public Management Theory has been a guiding principle in helping the government to reinvent itself in the light of pressures exerted by the rapid pace of technological advances and the resulting economical, social and political impacts. National institutions need to be agile, flexible and innovative to accommodate the changes. The public service in the state took a leading role in a range of supportive initiatives to create a public service system that is robust and sustainable.