Osun High School Students recorded a 70% success rate for Mathematics in the just concluded 2018 WAEC School Leaving examination.
 

This was revealed in a detailed FACTSHEET on Osun WAEC results over the last 13 years based on WAEC data; effectively 7 out of very 10 Osun students in the 2018 WAEC examination had A1 – C6 grades for Mathematics.
In a press briefing on Wednesday in Osogbo, the State of Osun Commissioner for Education, Mr Kola Omotunde-Young said in a total number of 36, 107 candidates that sat for May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in 2018 in the State of Osun, 70.7%, 75.2%, 53.56% and 70% of the total number of candidates passed General Mathematics, Further Mathematics, English Language and Financial Accounting with at least credit passes respectively disaggregating the pass rate using subject basis.
Young said “Out of the total number of candidates, 19,496 candidates corresponding to 54.01% of the total number of candidates had at least 5 credit passes (including Mathematics and English Language). This is the best performance the State of Osun has attained within the last 13-year period.”
“The factsheet also presented a 13 year analysis of WAEC results in the state, from 2006 to 2018. The analysis shows a steady improvement in average pass rates of 10.95% in 2006 to 54.01% in the just concluded 2018 WAEC results. The last result being the best showing for the state in the last 13 Years.”
Omotunde-Young posited that before the advent of the current administration of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the best performance recorded in the period analyzed was 15.6% in the year 2010 but within the first term of the current administration between 2011-2014 , an average student performance of 20.82% and best result of 22.24% in the year 2014 was recorded.
The Commissioner for Education explained further that “the state recorded even better performance in the second term of 2014-2018 wherein the average pass rate was 40.89% and best performance was 54.01% in the year 2018. These results as derived from WAEC data, empirically proves the impact of the almost 8 year focus of the current administration on basic education as the foundation for repositioning the state for a better and more productive future.
He urged the conference to duel on fact based analysis that is provable and defensible, demanding that anyone who feel doubtful should reach the WAEC office to demand same data for analysis.
The Commissioner condemned the dubious efforts of the opposition to manipulate the performance of the state in WAEC with the very callous aim of undermining the unprecedented investment the current administration made in Education.
Mr Young also used the opportunity to debunk the claim the administration only focused on the infrastructure side of education reform. He clarified that, through its State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) alone, the State trained 29,695 teachers over 8 years, being an unprecedented feat in the state and arguably in the south west region. The report also provided a breakdown of year on year training from 2011 to 2018.
He revealed that the State sought out the best to deliver its training programs, working with reputable organizations like the National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) , National Teachers Institute , Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU , Osun State University UNIOSUN among others.
The State Government through the commissioner stated that “the report was produced based on WAEC data and it incorporates raw data as supplied by WAEC for transparency. The Commissioner averred the data used can be independently verified from WAEC. The report will be shared with the media, non-governmental organizations and interested parties. It will also be publicly available on the State’s Website.”
“While recognizing that more can be achieved in advancing basic education reform , the State is proud of the bold achievements recorded in the last 8 years and feels grateful to have the improving WAEC results to show for it.
He concluded that the reform efforts in Teacher Training, School Reclassification , School Feeding , Tablet of Knowledge (Opon Imo) for High School Students to prepare for WAEC Exams, School Infrastructure Revamp among others are bearing fruits.
“Osun has set its course right in the area of education and is becoming a shining example in the area of public educational reform for the Nation and beyond”.

A Magistrate Court sitting in Osogbo, State of Osun presided by Magistrate Olusegun Ayilara, has remanded a 35-year-old man, Adeagbo Wasiu in prison over alleged intent to indulge in vote buying.
 

 
Police prosecutor, Felix Okafor, told the court that the accused was arrested with the sum of N116,000 during the September 22nd governorship election at Kolabalogun area in Osogbo.
Okafor who alleged that the accused person with others now at large, had the intent of influencing INEC and other officials at the poll, stated that they also conducted themselves in a disorderly manner.
He added that the offences contravened sections 124(4), 124(5), 130(a) of the Electoral Act, 2010 and section 517 of the Criminal Code Cap 34, volume II, Laws of Osun State of Nigeria 2002.
The accused in his plea, however pleaded not guilty of the charges.
In his ruling, Magistrate Ayilara ordered that the accused be remanded in Ilesa prison custody and adjourned the case till November 21, 2018.

Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun has again called for preservation of Yoruba history and culture.
Aregbesola made the call at the presentation of historical towns and events book to mark the 27th anniversary of the creation of Osun.
 

 
The programme was organised by Department of Social, Grassroots Mobilisation and Guidance, office of the governor.
Represented by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Adelani Baderinwa, the governor said his administration was not only committed to providing infrastructure and socio-economic development in the state but also dedicated to promotion of Yoruba value and culture.
He said the manifestation of such was the documentation of history of ancient towns and cities in the state.
Aregbesola said that the historical book was a compendium of historical and geographical facts as well as cultural and administrative narratives, both of ancient and contemporary times.
He said the book examines documented history of some major towns like, Ila-Orangun, Erin-Ijesha, Ile-Ife, Iwo, Ilesha, Osogbo, Ikirun, Ejigbo, Ede, Ikire, Orile-Owu, Okuku, Irabiji and Ijebu-Jesa.
“The interesting stories of these towns and cities might have become familiar to us, but the novelty of these stories is most apparent to someone hearing them for the first time.”
“The entire story of mankind has come to us from individual voices from the past.
“Because there was no documentation, our history have been distorted, or even erased, and the younger generations have been detached from their history.
“ And people detached from their history will be completely alienated”, the governor said.
 

The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has said his administration has made a huge success in re-branding Osun and making the people of the state to be productive through hard work and commitment to duty.

He said his government has succeeded in changing the people’s attitude towards hard work and productivity as being reflected in the path of prosperity the state has been trailing.
 

 
Aregbesola held that his government successfully executed meaningful infrastructure projects which could have been difficult to do now if not done at that period with loans that were granted to the state.
Governor Aregbesola made the statement while addressing the people at the ‎‎2018 National Productivity and State of Osun Merit Awards/Public Service Lecture, at Aurora Event Centre, Osogbo.
‎Aregbesola who described hard work and productivity as the bedrock of development said his administration has moved Osun from civil service state to industrial and commercial state through the promotion of hard work and productivity.
He tasked Nigerians on the need to be hardworking and see work as the only means of human survival in life.
For him, “Productivity is the ability to alter any state of matter or service, alone or in combinations into a more desirable form – product or service and the process of bringing about that alteration or the effort we put into achieving this is called work.
‎”The inescapable truth is that our productivity is very low, this is why poverty is prevalent in our land. Even in agriculture which is the main occupation in Africa, productivity has been very low.
“If we can double our food output from cultivating the same land size as we currently do, it is possible to eliminate hunger from the land, but this will require innovation in crop science, agriculture mechanisation, improved inputs and agriculture entrepreneurship.
“We should however develop a template for measuring productivity in the public sector, both corporately and individually. For an organisation, we should be able to measure productivity by relating corporate objectives with the resources deployed.
“For an individual, productivity should be measured by the inputs of salaries, infrastructure and tools available and other emoluments received in light of set goals and job description. ‎
“So, to overcome our plethora of challenges as a people, as a state and as a nation, we must engage in productive activities to satisfy our needs while ensuring that we do not jeopardize the interest of the future generations to come”, Aregbesola added.
In his goodwill message, a foremost international labour leader and Chairman Osun Revenue Apportionment Committee, Comrade Hassan Sunmonu, lauded Governor Aregbesola for always exhibiting rare commitment and high sense of sensitivity to workers’ needs since assumption of office.‎
He said the state government under the leadership of Governor Aregbesola has remained committed to the general well being of the entire workforce in the state.
Sunmonu however commended the workers in the state for being cooperative and collaborative to the state regardless of the present economic realities.
According to him, “the Aregbesola’s administration has shown extra-ordinary leadership quality in the management of the state resources for the betterment of all, particularly the workers in the state.
“Even at a time the state was battling with economic doldrums, Osun government remained dogged and resilient in the financial management of the state’s resources coupled with the needs of the workforce in terms of prompt salary and emoluments‎ payment to both active and passive workers.
“Osun government has demonstrated high sense of commitment to the welfare of workers to the extent that no worker was neither retrenched nor relieved from service even at a time the state was experiencing economic hardship.
“As the Chairman of Revenue Apportionment Committee, a committee set up by the state government to oversee the entire revenue coming to the state on monthly basis, we have been successfully managing salary payment since the committee was constituted.
“We resolved at the modulated salary at a time the state found it extremely difficult to pay full salary and we thank God that we are improving on‎ this because the state took the decision at a right time to the extent that many states came to learn and understudy how Osun managed her workers in terms of salary and pension payment at economic challenging periods’, he added.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Head of Service in the state, Festus Oyebade Olowogboyega, lauded the administration of Governor Aregbesola for prioritizing the general well being of workers in the state.
He lauded the state government for promoting productivity, diligence, steadfastness and wealth creation in public and private sectors in the state.
Olowogboyega expressed gratitude on the state’s determination at raising the bar of good governance with positive rewards on the lives of workers, saying Osun has become a model in the civil and public service management since the inception of the present administration.
The number one civil servant in the state thanked Governor Aregbesola for always showing heart of love and care to the plights of workers in the state, which has made Osun workers to be the most efficient in the country.
‎Some of the awardees includes: the former Governor of the state, Chief Adebisi Akande (Most Outstanding Politician); Osun Deputy Governor, Iyaafin Titilayo Laoye Tomori (Most Loyal Deputy Governor); Speaker Osun House of Assembly, Hon. Najeem Folasayo Salam (Award of Excellence in Effective Parliamentary Practice); Osun Chief Judge, Justice Adepele Ojo (Award of Excellence in Administration of Justice); General Overseer Redeemed Church of God (Father of the State); Akinrun of Ikirun, Oba Rauf Olayiwola Adedeji (Most Distinguished Traditional Ruler).
Others include: Chairman Osun State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress, Prince Gboyega Famodun (Outstanding Party Administrator); Acting Secretary to the Osun State Government, Sen. Mudashir Hussain (Award of Excellence in Humility), Commandante, Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES), Colonel Enibukun Oyewola (rtd) (Award of Excellence for Youth Creativity and Engagement) among others.

The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has on Monday predicted a brighter future for the state.

Aregbesola hinged the future rosy future prediction on the fact that his administration has laid a solid infrastructural foundation upon which the future of this state could be erected.
 

 
The Governor gave this assurance in his address to the people of the state on the occasion of the anniversary of the state creation.
Osun was created in 1991 from the parent Oyo State.
Aregbesola said his administration has laid the foundation for prosperity and enduring development in eight years.
According to him, his government has also reawakened in the people of the state the Omoluabi consciousness, which he described as an infrastructure of the mind that prepares people for greatness through hard work and goodly disposition to fellow humans
Aregbesola said eight years under his watch, the economy of Osun received a huge boost.
However, the governor, sounding optimistic, noted that the best is yet to come for the state, adding that the path before Osun and its people is very bright like the northern star.
The Governor also reiterated the importance of education, one of the cardinal programmes of his administration, as central to growth, development and the path to greatness.
“The path to greatness remains a good and qualitative education. We must all strive to provide it for our children and those in need of it around us. We must remain creative and use our God-given talent to solve problems around us. We must all work hard and love and have peaceful disposition towards our neighbours.
“In our own way, we have contributed significantly to the growth and development of Osun and in spite of the daunting financial challenges we faced in the second term of our administration, we are leaving Osun far better than we met it.
“Osun has recorded political, economic and physical development in the last eight years, more than at any point in its history. From the 30 local government areas and one area office, Osun now boasts of additional 31 Local Council Development Areas, three Area Councils and two Administrative Offices.
“Elections were conducted into them under the parliamentary system of government and the councils have since been inaugurated and are providing democratic governance to our people at the local level.
“Under our watch, the economy of Osun has received a big boost. We engaged over 40,000 youths in social work, empowered more than 150,000 artisans and traders with more than N20 billion soft and interest free loans.
“We have transformed education with reforms in all areas which include the building of brand new 21 Elementary Schools with 531 classrooms; 30 Middle Schools with 770 classrooms; and 11 High Schools with 792 classrooms, in addition to refurbishing old ones. The fortunes of secondary school leavers who wrote external examinations have improved tremendously under our watch. From the 15 per cent matriculable pass archived in WAEC by the administration before us, the figure has shot to 54 per cent under our administration,” he said.
Aregbesola stated that his government provided security for our people, took care of the aged in a way that has never been done before.
He noted that with constructions of intra and inter-states roads as well as rural roads within the state, Osun has been opened up and every nooks and crannies are now accessible with little efforts.
He also disclosed that his administration’s emphasis on sanitation and healthy environment has left the state clean and neat than it was eight years ago.
He called on the people of the state to vote the candidate of All Progressive Congress in the governorship election on 22nd September so as to guarantee continuity of the progress and achievement recorded in the past eight years.
The Governor continued: “More importantly, we have transformed the physical environment of Osun. We did this through the construction of more than 2,000 kilometres of roads, including 10 kilometres in each local government area. We have taken care of the environment and curbed flooding. Osun, particularly the capital city, Osogbo, is neater and more beautiful than we met it.
“On September 22, less than a month from now, there will be Governorship election, preparatory to our disengagement. It is a historic point in the annals of Osun.
“I can only implore you to build on the foundation we have laid by ushering in a progressive government that have served you these past eight years by way of continuity.
“We should display the Omoluabi ethos during the election, conduct ourselves peacefully, avoid violence and manipulation of the electoral process and think of what is best for the state, all our people, our children and the future of our state.
“I must thank and express my deepest appreciation to all those who have taken this state to where it is, beginning from all former administrators in the state – military and civilians – and the pioneer civil servants.”

The Commandante of Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (O’YES), Colonel Enibunkun Oyewole Rtd, has stated that the State Government of Osun under the leadership of Governor Rauf Aregbesola has changed the lives of thousands of youths in the state through the scheme.
 
 

 
Oyewole said this during a media chat with newsmen in his office in Osogbo on Thursday.
The O’YES Commandante noted that the scheme has helped the state to manage unemployment rate to a considerable manner, adding that the National Bureau of Statistics, in its publication rated Osun State to have the least unemployment rate.
Oyewole who stated that many O’YES cadets have been sent abroad for training in various skill acquisitions, noted that a sum of 3.6 billion naira is expended on the scheme annually.
He explained that the success of the programme attracted the attention of the World Bank, which studied it and certified it to be a viable and sustainable solution to the problem of youth unemployment in Nigeria and consequently recommended it to the Federal Government and other states in the country.
The result, the Commandante said, is the Youth Employment and Social Support Operation (YESSO) and N-Power programme that was launched in Abuja, adding that about 23 states have sent delegates to the state to understudied the programme.
He said the scheme was established in 2010 out of the precarious effects of unemployment in the state while describing it as one the greatest achievements of Aregbesola in office.
“OYES was introduced to effect and affect life by putting an end to unemployment in the state. The youth have had a better life approach and positive attitudes through the job.
“Some of my cadets are landlords who have built their houses through the money earned from the scheme and over 22,000 indigenes of the state are in OYES in all the geographical zone.”
He also noted that over 42,000 youth have benefitted from the scheme, adding that peace, calm and good behavior have been restored in the lives of jobless youth who doesn’t have any job doing and has also served as additional multiple sources of income to those who are into business and other job in the state.
“The scheme has not just taken its roots, it has empowered over 40,000 youths with life changing skills top become better citizens.
“From their rustic pedestrian living, the volunteers have broken free from poverty to become employers of labour.
“With savings from their monthly stipend of ten thousand Naira (N10,000.00) per month per volunteer, it was shocking to discover how they have turned their meagre income into small and cottage scale business concerns with further assistance from their relations.”
“Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (O’YES) cadets which is a revolving volunteer scheme designed to eliminate the frustration and paralysing effect of high and seemingly intractable youth unemployment pervasive in the state and country at large.
“It aims at equipping as many young men and women with positive work ethics and culture, self sustenance, resourcefulness and respect for the environment. It is designed to develop youths with character and competence.”
He however directed those who applied for OYES to go and check their names online, saying the portal had been opened and that the list of qualified applicant has been released.
The Commandante said training will starts in all the local government areas of Osun State on Monday for those whose name is among the successful applicant that came out.
He therefore thanked Governor Aregbesola for creating the scheme to butter the bread of Youths in the state.

Against the build-up to September 22 governorship poll in Osun, Governor Rauf Aregbesola, on Monday cautioned members of the National Youth Service (NYSC), serving in the state against being used by desperate politicians to perpetrate electoral fraud or any form of malpractice.

Aregbesola handed down the warning during the closing ceremony/terminal parade of the orientation course for the 2018 Batch B corps members, at the NYSC permanent orientation camp in Ede, Osun.

He emphasised the need for the corps members not to succumb to monetary inducement from some politicians, who may want to seek favours, capable of eroding the sanctity of the election, stressing that it was imperative for the NYSC members to maintain the oath of neutrality throughout the election exercise.

According to Aregbesola, “you all have been rightly informed during the swearing-in ceremony of your role in the forthcoming election in the state.
Ensure to abide by the advice which came to you through seasoned officers of the scheme and its collaborating agencies when you are called upon for participation in the election process in the course of your service year.