State of Osun has taken refuge in technology to nip potential farmers/herders clash that has claimed millions of lives in some parts of the country in the bud.
Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Oluremi Omowaye, who spoke in an interview with The Nationin Lagos, said the government has put in place an inquiry call centre and invested heavily in unmanned aerial vehicles that would gather data and relay same to the centre which would be analysed for action.
 

 
According to Omowaye, the response of the Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s government to the menace of herder/farmers incessant clashes was to think out of the box for a technological solution that would allow seamless flow of information about the movement of livestocks and their owners across the state.
He said: “We needed to set up an inquiry call centre and we needed a short code so that it will be easy for people to reach us.  We approached the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) which granted us the code after detailed presentation by our team.
“This technology will be deployed this week using unmanned aerial vehicles that would interface with the call centre. We want a scenario whereby all livestock in Osun would have a unique individual identity so that when a livestock strays into your farm, all you need to do is text the first three digits to the short code issued by the NCC and once you do that you will get a response from the call centre to check the owner.

“From the call centre too, the owner would be called. Aside that, we are also going to use it for other services such as ambulance services because in the call centre, you have the security operatives too so, we thank the NCC for quick response.
‘’I know the NCC is trying to establish a call centre at in Osun so we have an agreement that when they come up with their own, we will.’’
On supportive infrastructure on which the technology would ride, he said the state is one of the leading states in the federation in terms of the providing infrastructure.
He said:  “Osun is one of the leading infrastructure states in Nigeria. Governor Aregbesola has opened up a lot of roads, health and educational infrastructure. The government is even working in the area of electricity since it is the major challenge IT has. We are working on boosting power generation in the state but one thing that is unfortunate is that companies do not pay tax.
“There is no government that can function well without paying tax. What is coming from Abuja cannot pay salaries so we enjoin the companies to cooperate with the state government and pay tax. I am sure with the level of investment in infrastructure so far, Osun is the place to be for investors, both local and foreign.
“We are deploying IT solutions to ease tax collection but no matter the solution you deploy, computer is garbage; garbage out, if they do not cooperate, it won’t work. But we have deployed a lot of solutions that will enhance tax collection. There is always this allegation of multiple taxation by state governments too. We have also deployed solution that would end the regime of multiple taxation in the state.”
On the monthly internally generated revenue (IGR) of the state, he said it is less than N1billion while the wage bill for both employees of the state and local governments is above N5billion, stressing that a lot needed to be done in the area of increasing the state’s IGR so that the monthly wait for Abuja would become a thing of the past.
On the state of the art infrastructure put in place in the state, he said: “What Governor Aregbesola has done Osun is a world-class design, world class standard. The government encourages that the two ducts were built so that not only fibre optics would fly. The government is also thinking of building an industrial park so that the infrastructure would not be scattered all over the state. We are working on the industrial park. We are also talking to some Chinese investors for the industrial park and in the park, there will be a segment for IICT park,” Omowaye said.

United States of America-based non-governmental organisation (NGO), DuniaFore Foundation, has screened the popular Afrocentric movie, Black Panther, to children of traditionalists in Osogbo, Osun State capital.
 

 
 
The screening was part of the grand finale of the NGO’s annual month-long programme, tagged: Asalaye Academy, an initiative that enriches traditionalist children with academics while emphasising Pan-African awareness and pride in African culture.
The NGO’s founder, Dr Nzinga Olabisi Metzger, who is an African-America anthropologist with Sierra Leonean origin, told reporters her passion for the emancipation of the African traditional religion made her to set up the annual academy, which holds in classrooms provided by the Araba Awo of Osogbo, Chief Ifayemi Elebuibon.
The Asalaye Academy project, according to Dr Metzger, seeks to give a sense of belonging to children of traditional worshippers, who are condemned to the curriculum of Western education, which centres only on Islam and Christianity.
The academy, in the past four weeks, has trained 125 children, aged seven to 17 in Osogbo.

It has been feeding them, providing instructional materials and tutoring them in courses geared towards re-awakening the consciousness of traditionalist values in the religion.
It has also been motivating the children to pursue their futuristic dreams without minding the social stigma on them.
Dr Metzger said: “There is a kind of societal colouration to being a traditionalist. We have discovered that the normal school curriculum in Nigeria does not create a space for the traditional religion to be learnt as we have in the two religions brought by missionaries to Nigeria.
“We are also trying to establish the Pan-Africanism in the values of the traditional religion on them in a bid to change the idea of backwardness and illiteracy associated with the traditional religion and its worshipers. The curriculum also opens the children’s minds to the history of their continent, fusing it with the current trends in the global space.
“So far, some of the students have the full knowledge of the African continent, the countries, cultures and tradition. They have also been taught how to become self-reliant pan-Africanists.
“What has excited me more in all of these is the ability of those participants who have been able to learn more and become better traditionalists and contributors to their society.”

Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has called on the Federal Government and stakeholders in Nigeria to decentralize the Nigeria Police Force in order to enhance growth and productivity in the country.
 

 
Governor Aregbesola made the call in Osogbo at the weekend when he met with the leaders and members of the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) in the South West zone who visited him at Government House.
He noted that the present Police system in Nigeria would never create room for civilization which would enhance growth and productivity in Nigeria.
He stated that in all Federations such as we have in Nigeria, there is none that has centralized police system that Nigeria currently practiced.
“The Nigerian Police as it is already currently overburdened with task of keeping the Federal laws. Therefore any other assignment from the States is just a further burden.
“Let us be sincere with ourselves, there is no way a single man can sit somewhere and effectively control 36 police commands in a way that will bring about effective policing in all the commands.
“Why must each Commissioner of Police in the states take order from the Inspector General when we have the zonal police, which at present is just there as retirement forum. What is the work of the zonal Police now? Nothing.
“For effective policing, you must restructure the Police. The way to go is for the state to have its police.
“There is the question of where will the state get the money to fund the police. It is a good question but that cannot be a reason not to have an effective policing system in the country. The judiciary is a federated system. My high court here in Osun is a federated unit of the Nigerian judiciary system. It draws its funding from the Federation account and in that account, judiciary money is a first line charge. If the state judiciary can be funded from the federation account, state police can also be so funded.
“Nigeria has a federation account and the state police fund should be first line charge too on that account as the state judiciary commissions are funded.”
The governor pointed out that restructuring the Nigerian Police will bring civilization which, he said, was only possible where peace and security existed.

The State of Osun House of Assembly has said that it would continue to focus on its primary assignment, with a view to delivering on its legislative mandate within the remaining period of the current Assembly.
 

 
The speaker of the state parliament, Dr. Najeem Salaam made the remark on Monday while presiding over the plenary of the Assembly at the state House of Assembly complex Osogbo.
At the plenary presided over by the speaker, two items were deliberated upon as contained in the order paper for the day.
The first was the State of Osun Asset Management Agency Establishment Bill 2018 on which the House dissolved into the committee of the whole for further consideration.
Clauses 10-17 of the Bill were debated as the lawmakers engaged in deliberations with expresion of varied opinion while the Clauses were subjected to scrutiny.
The outcome was later reported as corrections and amendments made at the committee level were read out with unanimous decision on what was agreed upon to form part of the Bill.
However, the other item was the report of findings of the House committee on Judiciary, Human right, Justice Public Petition and Legal matters on administration of criminal Justice Bill 2018.
The report as submitted by the committee chairman Hon. Osuolale Bello from Ifelodun State constituency was debated on the floor after which the House suspended further deliberation pending the time the model used by the committee would be made available.
Addressing the plenary, the Speaker commended the committee for a job well done. He stressed the need to move faster in the business of the legislation and stating that the Assembly would focus on its primary assignment assuring that the parliament would delivered on its mandate to the good people of the state.
The speaker, Dr. Salaam also expressed His gratitude to those who keep faith with him during the just concluded All Progressives Congress Governorship Primary Election in the state.
According to him, “my gratitude goes to you all for keeping faith with our bond as one people with common destiny in the last few years, three years to be precise in the life of this Sixth Assembly. I am most grateful to God that makes our relationship uniquely defined”.
He appreciated those who stood by him while the battle lasted, while also thanked those who expressed their democratic right differently.
He then urged his colleagues to focus on their primary assignment to whom they are elected to do and be diligent in their legislative business.
He said “I will like to say that this parliament must strive to deliver on its mandate because in the next few months, this assembly would be winding up and posterity will surely judge us, using our productivity and delivery”.
He advised the parliament to set their binocular lens to all areas of their oversight functions and set up feedback mechanism on laws they have pass and structures they had consented to with a view to ensuring that their labour is not in vain.

Local Government workers in the State of Osun have been charged to reciprocate the good gesture of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola-led administration in the state sequel to the unconditional approval of outstanding promotion and conversion exercises.
 

 
The Chairman, Local Government Service Commission gave the charge recently through the Coordinating Director of the commission, Lekan Babalola while presenting Promotion letters to officers in various departments of the Local Government councils.
According to him, the governor deserves commendations on this giant stride particularly on the welfare of workers, tasking the council workers in the state to understand the plight of the government, as the government is committed and sincere to pay all backlog of salary and pension arrears.
Barrister Babalola who was accompanied by some principal officers of the commission, including, Mrs M.O Irelewuyi, Director of Promotion, Appointment and Discipline and Alhaji Buraimoh, Director of Finance and Establishment assured the council workers a hitch free conversion exercise as experienced during the just concluded promotion exercise.
He added that those who sat for ASCON last January would also have the opportunity to attend the exercise.
Reacting, the Nigeria Labour Congress Chairman, Comrade Jacob Adekomi who is also a Local Government worker, while receiving his promotion letters appreciates the Governor of the state and the management team of the commission for the gesture.
While charging the staffers, Engineer Jacob Adeyeye, the State President of Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees in the state pleaded for more commitments to duties by council workers, saying indolence must not be tolerated in any form in the service.
Also, the beneficiaries of the exercise pleaded with the state Government to backup the promotion with the necessary finances it deserves in time so as to cushion the effects of the current economic hardship.

The State of Osun Commissioner for Education, Mr. Wasiu Omotunde-Young, has said the performance of pupils in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination has improved by 284 per cent.
Omotunde-Young said this at a press conference in Osogbo on Thursday.

He said the state recorded just 15.68 per cent in WASSCE in 2010 just before Governor Rauf Aregbesola assumed office but said the state achieved this feat through the deliberate efforts of his administration to reposition the education sector.
 
 

 
He stated that the administration attached so much importance to the sector while stressing that this was why the administration embarked on massive infrastructural  development in schools across the state and to also reinvigorate the school feeding programme.
He said, “To ensure truth is told and records are straightened for all to know, so that the public will no longer be misled, the Ministry of Education applied to the West Africa Examination Council to officially furnish us with performance results from 2006-2017 in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination.
“The results, official from WAEC , show that the best performance by students in Osun for those with five credits including English and Mathematics in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination in the five years before Aregbesola was 15.68 per cent.
“With the focussed, deliberate and purposeful intervention of the Government led by Aregbesola in the Education Sector, the State has achieved 284 per cent  improvement in the performance of students in same examinations from 15.68 per cent in 2010 to 44.47 per cent  in 2017 examinations.
“Not good enough yet, but it is a pointer to a better future based on the foundation laid by Aregbesola which should beallowed to germinate to fruition with continuity, by those who share his vision.”
The commissioner said that Aregbesola was working to ensure that the sector in the state produced educated persons who were honest, courageous and rational. Such, he said, must be fluent in their mother tongue and at least one international language.
The Aregbesola administration, he said, set up Quality  Assurance  and the Morality  Enforcement  Agency and deployed education marshals which he added had led to a substantial reduction in moral decadence and indiscipline  among pupils.