Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola is seeking the House of Assembly’s approval to create 27 local council development areas (LCDAs).
Presenting an executive bill for the creation of the councils to the Assembly yesterday, Aregbesola said more councils would accelerate development across the state.
He said the bill was to re-engineer the local government system to serve as a pace setter for other states.
The governor said he earlier set up a committee, headed by the former Speaker of the House, Mojeed Alabi, a Professor of Political Science, on the creation of more councils in line with Sections 7 and 8 of the 1999 Constitution.
He said the committee recommended the 27 councils to be created.
Aregbesola urged the House to give the bill positive consideration, adding that the new councils would operate a parliamentary system of government to avoid financial constraints.
The bill also seeks the Assembly’s approval for the creation of the office of council managers for the proposed councils.
Aregbesola said the council managers would be civil servants in the employment of the Local Government Service Commission (LGSC) from Grade Level 14 and above. The Speaker, Rt. Hon. Najeem Salaam, said the House would give special consideration to the bill.
The State Chairman of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Alhaji Abdulhamid Hammed, in a statement, said more councils would bring development closer to the grassroots.
Hammed said: “We have seen what is happening in Lagos State. Lagosians are better for the creation of LCDAs by our great leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. What Aregbesola did today (yesterday) is good.”
He pledged to mobilise the people of his constituency to support the bill.
Youth Leader of the defunct CPC Majeed Yahaya said: “The creation of LCDAs will add value to the life of our people as it did to Lagosians. This is the beginning of a new dawn in our state.”
Secretary of the defunct CPC Garuba Hammed said the bill should be supported by everyone.
THE NATION

As part of efforts to banish poverty, unemployment and hunger in Osun State, the state government has said that it spent N2 billion in the last three years on dredging.
The Commissioner for Environment and Sanitation, Mrs Olubukola Oyawoye who disclosed this to newsmen in Osogbo recently said that the dredging was part of the six-point Integral Action plan of Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s administration.
She said “The aim of the plan is to banish poverty, unemployment and hunger from the state, as well as retore healthy living, enhance communal peace and promote functional education.”
Oyawoye recalled how at the inception of Aregbesola’s administration in 2010, the government introduced measures to curtail flooding in all flood-prone areas, adding that as at 2012, the dredging covered 123 kilometer in more than 100 communities.
She said that the dredging has paved way for better environment, and has enabled people to carry on their businesses without hindrance, stressing that businesses would have been hindered if there was flooding.
According to her, what the government had spent in three years cannot equal what can be lost to flood disaster in one year.
In Osogbo alone, no fewer than 15 rivers, streams and canals which include Okooko Ogbaagba, Akepe, Odigun, Arungbo and Nlekuwodo are being dredged and de-silted on a continuous basis.
THE TIDE

All over the world, organisations in both private and public sectors draw budget to attain specific goals and objectives. While budgeting in the private sector is market driven, and profit oriented, the contrary is the case in the public sector. The public sector is resource constrained as it is funded mostly by taxation.
Hence government at various levels often ensure that budget is well prepared in advance in order to render service to the people particularly in a democratic dispensation where citizens expect so much from elected leaders.
“Budget” as the name implies, “is a plan, quantified in monetary terms, prepared and approved prior to a defined period of time, usually showing planned income to be generated and/or expenditure to be incurred during that period and the capital to be employed to attain a given objective.”
In Osun State, which is a forward looking brand, the art of budget making has been taken to greater heights. Osun State under the leadership of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has not only touched lives, but with the execution and implementation of its six point agenda, it has also turned the economy of the state around.
The Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) under the Aregbesola regime increased by 100 percent. Yet this was achieved without necessarily foisting a higher tax regime on the people.
According to Dr. Wale Bolorunduro, Commissioner for Finance, who spoke at a workshop held for civil servants in the state, “The approach we adopted was to plug loopholes and stop the losses incurred through manual collection and manual processing.
VANGUARD

The Speaker of Osun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Najeem Salaam has charged the contractors handling the 10 kilometre road projects in Egbedore and Ejigbo local government areas of the state to work harder and complete the projects on schedule or face the wrath of the law.

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (3rd left); his Special Adviser on Federal Matters, Honourable Idiat Babalola; Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Research, Planning and Policy Implementation, Prince Olusegun Bada (left); Personal Assistant to State of Osun Governor on Political matters, Alhaji Bisi Oyoosun (right); Engineer Abdulkareem Ojutikun (2nd left) and Mr.S.J Samuel, during the unveiling of late Chief Awolowo’s statue at Osun Lodge, Abuja weekend.

Osun Head of Service,Mr Olayinka Owoeye will on Monday morning (16th December,2013) declare open a 3-day orientation workshop for the newly recruited 337 officers in the state civil service.
Venue is Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding,Abere.
A release from the office of the Head of Service explains that the workshop will explore topics which include Basic Communication Techniques in the Public Service,Civil Service Rules and Regulations as well as Principles of Human Relations.
The release then enjoined all Heads of Government Agencies to release the affected officers to attend the workshop dutifully.
 

Nigerians from all works of life have been advised to engage themselves in regular exercise and other sporting activities so as to be develop completely.
Deputy Governor of the state of Osun, Mrs. Grace Titilayo Laoye-Tomori, gave this advice while laying the foundation stone of the Sports Complex at the Achievers’ University, Owo, Ondo State.
In her speech titled: Towards The Development of a Complete Man, Mrs. Laoye-Tomori said education system that neglects human development through their kinetic body and regular physical exercise has moved away from attaining its expected level.
Applauding the decision of the Senate and Management of the institution for the building of the sports complex, state of Osun Deputy Governor urged them to put the sports complex to use saying foundation determines social relevance of any structure but its proper usage determines its importance.
She however said the importance placed on human development propelled governor of the state of Osun, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, to introduce the monthly Walk to Live in the state.
In his remark, Pro-Chancellor of the Achievers’ University, Senator Bode Olajumoke, said any institution of learning without complementing sporting facilities is not complete in its quest of building a complete person.
Also speaking, a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), urged governments at all levels to invest more on sports most especially at the school level so as to develop Nigerian youths to an appreciable level.
OSUN DEFENDER

Subject: LETTER OF APPRECIATION
Mr. Governor,
 

 
We herein use this opportunity to personally thank you for sending us to Germany for a 3-month agricultural training programme.
We sincerely appreciate this kind gesture of yours and must note that this is indeed the first time an African head of government would invest so much in the human capacity development of youths in the area of agriculture and that it would never be an understatement each time you are addressed as the “first among your equals”.
During our 3-month sojourn in Germany, we learnt quite a lot of innovative and useful things in the field of modern agriculture which we believe if given a chance to replicate would greatly assist your Government in its passionate drive to banish hunger, eradicate poverty and banish unemployment.
We assure you that with our newly acquired knowledge and skills being put into practice we can:
1. Drastically reduce the percentage which an average Osun citizen spends on food to approximately 5% and;
2. also help in massively increasing the Internally Generated Revenue of the State of Osun.
3. These and many more are we ready to do in order to uplift and develop the state to the level that you passionately and compassionately wish to take her and its citizens to through agriculture.
We seek to achieve all these and many more through ”a platform of an independent, innovative and enterprising agricultural agency”.
We would like to seek your assistance” in terms of some upkeep money starting from this month of December while we patiently wait on your graciousness to grant us this productive platform”.
Once again, we want to appreciate you for this opportunity you have given us and also assure you that we will always be at your disposal to help develop the agricultural sector of the State of Osun.
Thank you in anticipation of your favourable response.
Best,
SIGNED:
Your German trained Osun youths
(Batch A)
1. BELLO A. T.
2. ALADESANMI A. Y.
3. FADARE T.
4. ADEWOLE A.
5. KEHINDE T.J.
6. ADEJUWON A.J.
7. AKILAPA O. E.
8. OLUWAFEMI B. O.
9. JIMOH W. A.
10. ADEGOKE N. A.
11. AKINGBADE M. O.
12. WILLIAMS I. V.
13. OLUFESO M. O.
14. IDOWU S. O.
15. MAKINDE I. O.
16. BABATUNDE O. T.
17. OMOBOYEJE O. O.
18. MAKANJU M. O.
19. ADETUNJI K. A.
20. OJO O.
 
OSUN DEFENDER

Photos from the 6th edition of an interactive programme tagged, “Gban-gba Dekun” in Ijesha South Federal Constituency consisting of Ilesa West, Ilesa East, Atakumosa East and Atakumosa West Local Governments at Ilesa High School, Ilesa, State of Osun last week

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola acknowledging cheers
from Ijesha people while rejoicing with prayer of supports for his
Second Term in office immediately after the 6th edition of an interactive programme tagged, “Gban-gba Dekun” in Ijesha South Federal
Constituency consisting of Ilesa West, Ilesa East, Atakumosa East and
Atakumosa West Local Governments at Ilesa High School, Ilesa, State of
Osun last week

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola acknowledging cheers
from Ijesha people while rejoicing with prayer of supports for his
Second Term in office immediately after the 6th edition of an
interactive programme tagged, “Gban-gba Dekun” in Ijesha South Federal
Constituency consisting of Ilesa West, Ilesa East, Atakumosa East and
Atakumosa West Local Governments at Ilesa High School, Ilesa, State of
Osun last week

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola acknowledging cheers
from Ijesha people while rejoicing with prayer of supports for his
Second Term in office immediately after the 6th edition of an
interactive programme tagged, “Gban-gba Dekun” in Ijesha South Federal
Constituency consisting of Ilesa West, Ilesa East, Atakumosa East and
Atakumosa West Local Governments at Ilesa High School, Ilesa, State of
Osun last week

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (standing) addressing
the people of Ijeshaland after their word of support for his Second Term in office, during the 6th edition of an interactive programme
tagged, “Gban-gba Dekun” in Ijesha South Federal Constituency consisting of Ilesa West, Ilesa East, Atakumosa East and Atakumosa West Local Governments at Ilesa High School, Ilesa, State of Osun last week

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (left) dancing with the State market women and People of Ijeshaland after their word of support for his Second Term in office, during the 6th edition of an
interactive programme tagged, “Gban-gba Dekun” in Ijesha South Federal
Constituency consisting of Ilesa West, Ilesa East, Atakumosa East and
Atakumosa West Local Governments at Ilesa High School, Ilesa, State of
Osun last week

From left, Deputy Governor State of Osun, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori; Winner Arewa Osun, Miss Adiatu Damilola; Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; his wife, Sherifat and Chief Executive Officer, Miss Arewa Beauty Pageant, Mr Oludare Kolade, after words of support for
Aregbesola Second Term in office by people of Ijeshaland, during the
6th edition of an interactive programme tagged, “Gban-gba Dekun” in
Ijesha South Federal Constituency consisting of Ilesa West, Ilesa
East, Atakumosa East and Atakumosa West Local Governments at Ilesa
High School, Ilesa, State of Osun last week

From left, Deputy Governor State of Osun, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori; Wife
of the Governor, Alhaja Sherifat Aregbesola; Governor, Ogbeni Rauf
Aregbesola; Secretary to the State Government of Osun, Alhaji Moshood
Adeoti and Member House of Representatives representing Atakunmosa East/West and Ilesa East/West, Honourable Ajibola Famurewa, after
words of support for Aregbesola Second Term in office by people of
Ijeshaland, during the 6th edition of an interactive programme tagged, “Gban-gba Dekun” in Ijesha South Federal Constituency consisting of Ilesa West, Ilesa East, Atakumosa East and Atakumosa West Local Governments at Ilesa High School, Ilesa, State of Osun last week

From left, Speaker State Assembly of Osun, Honourable Najeem Salam;
Deputy Governor State of Osun, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori; Governor, Ogbeni
Rauf Aregbesola; his Wife, Sherifat; Secretary to the State Government of Osun, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti and Member House of Representatives representing Atakunmosa East/West and Ilesa East/West,
Honourable Ajibola Famurewa, after words of support for Aregbesola
Second Term in office by people of Ijeshaland, during the 6th edition of an interactive programme tagged, “Gban-gba Dekun” in Ijesha South Federal Constituency consisting of Ilesa West, Ilesa East, Atakumosa
East and Atakumosa West Local Governments at Ilesa High School, Ilesa, State of Osun last week

The Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has assured the 157 Landlords whose structures were affected by the on-going road dualisation from Mosalasi=Gaji to Onisekere in Ayetoro, Osogbo road axis, of the payment of their compensation which is worth N750million.
The Commissioner for Lands, Physical Planning and Urban Development, Arc. Muyiwa Ige made this disclosure during a visit by the affected Landlords and Tenants Association to the Minsitry.
Arc. Ige however, warned the Landlords to maintain the approved 6-metres as set back of their structures to the road which had earlier been agreed upon.
One of the Landlords, Elder Moshood Abayomi Oladejo, commended the Government of the State of Osun for the kind gesture and promised that the compensation as well as the special packages to the tenants will be optimally utilized.
Also speaking, Comrade Waheed Lawal, reiterated the commitment of the present administration to alleviating the sufferings of the citizenry.
OSUN DEFENDER