YorubaIse wa fun ile wa |
EnglishThere is work for us to do |
The Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, has pledged to turn the ancient city around to attract tourists and boost its economy.
Oba Ogunwusi, represented by Moses Olafare, his spokesman, made the promise at a news briefing held in his office within the palace in Ile-Ife Osun state.
Mr Olafare said that Ile-Ife was a land of expansion and a sacred town globally known as the source of the Oduduwa race.
“The town is known for its peaceful nature, accommodating to visitors and tourists, and home to 201 Yoruba deities,” he said.
The Ooni’s spokesman further told reporters that there were several historical monuments and sites in the ancient city that when developed into international standard, millions of local and foreign tourists and visitors would like to visit, having read about them in history books in the past.
According to him, the ancient city is endowed with shrines and monuments that include: the Moremi Ajasoro’s statue of liberty reputed as the tallest statue in Nigeria and the third in Africa.
In Osun, there are also the Oranmiyan groove, the Ooni’s palace, Olokun, Osara, Obatala, Orunmila, Oranfe and Oduduwa shrines.
He said that these and many more were the cultural heritages that tourists, visitors and Nigerians in the Diaspora could use to trace Yoruba history, their routes and other descendants of Oduduwa.
The monarch also said that no fewer than 200 tourists and visitors visited the Ooni’s palace daily, saying this was beside the over 500 visitors that visited the various shrines and monuments across the city every day.
“The hotel operators in Ile-Ife and adjoining communities, as well as operators of taxicabs and commercial buses, have been benefiting from the influx of tourists and visitors that throng the town regularly.
“Business men and women in addition to residents of the community have also been benefitting in one way or the other from the visitors and tourists that came into the town,” he said.
The monarch said that these had improved the living standards of the community, maintaining that since his coronation as the monarch, the town has continued to witness tremendous infrastructure development in areas of roads and provision of security for residents and visitors alike.
He lauded the state government for embarking on a holistic development of the state.
“The government has been playing its part by developing the various cultural sites, tourism and monuments across the state.
“I want to complement the state government’s efforts by upgrading the ones around me to international standards.
“It is part of my plans to give splendid facelifts to the several monuments and heritage sites across the city which I have begun to do.
“The idea is for tourists and visitors to have several attractions to see in the ancient city and to also have value for their visits and monies they will be spending there,”he said.
The monarch said that in the last one year of his ascension to the throne as the Ooni of Ife, the ancient town had recorded unprecedented human traffic and economic growth.
Respite has come the way of the government of Osun, as the Federal Government releases N80m to the coffer of the state this week, as part of the grants for Federal Government’s school feeding programme.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande had disclosed in a statement made available to DAILY POST on Monday, stating that five states of Osun, Ogun, Oyo, Ebonyi, and Enugu, would be benefiting states in the second phase of the scheme.
According to him, Anambra state flagged off the feeding programme earlier in 2016, bringing the implementing states of the scheme to six.
Akande disclosed that payment for the Conditional Cash Transfer programme has commenced in all the nine pilot states including Bauchi, Borno, Cross River, Ekiti, Kwara, Kogi, Niger, Osun and Oyo.
Meanwhile, some stakeholders in the educational sector have expressed mixed feelings over the grant.
A retired Principal in one of the Public School in the state, Mr Sunday Anjorin, lauded the federal government’s initiative, as he commended Gov. Rauf Aregbesola for setting the pace for school feeding initiative.
Anjorin added that although, the federal government intervention is commendable, there is still more to be done in order to meet up with the huge financial responsibility Osun government incurred in the course of feeding the pupils at the elementary schools.
He observed that the scheme has enhanced the rate of enrollment in schools, urging the federal government to spread the gesture to all the states of the federation.
However, a member of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Mr Bamidele Idowu has advised the state government to be more transparent and accountable in the finance of the school feeding scheme, saying the figures claimed by O’Meal, the agency in charge of the school feeding system in Osun is “ambiguous.”
Idowu also charged the agency to use the federal government’s grant judiciously for the benefit of the pupils.
The seven cowries represent the seven grandsons of Olofin Oduduwa. Their military valour, diplomatic dexterity and trade mastery created wealth and resulted in their expansive kingdom.
The Brown Colour represents the colour of the earth and tone of the skin. The Ori Olokun stands for the common origin of the Yoruba and their dexterity in technology.
The Colour Band which is the Pan-African flag consists of official colours of the African race: the colour red represents the blood bond among Africans.
The colour black depicts the existence of the black race; the colour green denotes the abundance of wealth on the continent of Africa; The gold depicts the abundant mineral resources of Africa.
The Oyo and Osun state governments have paid N250 million each to the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) to end the crisis rocking the institution.
The Nation confirmed the development from a very top source in the university yesterday.
The source said: “Yes, both states have paid the amount as promised and the sum is now in the kitty of the university.”
LAUTECH students have been at home for eight months due to the industrial action by all categories of workers in the institution.
The crisis reached a peak last week when LAUTECH students protested to the Office of the Governor of Oyo State in Ibadan, the state capital.
While addressing them, the governor promised that each owner state would contribute a sum of N250 million to get back workers to their duty posts and build on it afterwards.
Governor Abiola Ajimobi said the sum would enable the institution to pay some salaries and reopen for academic activities before the end of this month.
Reacting, the President of the Students’ Union Government of the institution, Olatunde Bakare, commended the two governors, saying it was a way forward.
According to him, the sum, though not up to exactly what is needed to clear salary arrears for two months, would help kick-start the process of implementing the short term solution to the crisis.
Bakare said once the short term solution is implemented, it would pave the way for the
medium and long term solution the financial problem plaguing LAUTECH. He promised to confirm the payment.
The Osun State Police Command has frowned at the use of underage children for cattle rearing business by Fulani herdsmen in the state.
This was made known during a peace meeting organised by the state command of the Nigeria police to iron out issues of disagreement raging between some farmers and herdsmen in the state.
At the meeting, the police said it discovered that asides lack of communications, the use of underage children who can’t handle cattle has led to consequent clash with farmers.
The Commissioner of Police, Fimihan Adeoye who trying to make peace between the farmers and the herdsmen, noted the use of underage children to rear cattle as one of the key causes of cattle tramping upon farms of indigenous people in the state.
He said the police will soon take legal actions on the use of underage children by the Fulani herdsmen in enforcement of the Child Rights Act which protects the children.
While the meeting was ongoing, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Osun State command, paraded three suspected Fulani men believed to be terrorising farmers and residents of Ikoyi in Isokan Local government Area of the state.
Addressing newsmen, the state commandant, Ayodele Phillips said the men were apprehended in possession of several guns, pellets, charms and many other dangerous weapons in the bush.
He called on the public to be open and give relevant information to security agencies when necessary.
Meanwhile, the NSCDC boss says thorough investigation will be carried out to ascertain claims of the men and apprehend the other two, who are presently at large, if found guilty will be brought to book.
As the State Government of Osun continues to make efforts towards getting education on a sound footing in the state, all is now set for the supplementary entrance examination into 4 of the new state of the art high schools across the state. The supplementary entrance exam is being conducted to further give opportunity to candidates who
claimed that they were not aware of the time the first exam was conducted and those who could not take part in the first exam as a result of late submission of their forms.
According to a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Mr. Festus Olajide, the examinations into Osogbo Government High School, Wole Soyinka Government High School, Ejigbo, Adventist Government High School, Ede and Ataoja Government High School, Osogbo will hold at the school
premises tomorrow (Saturday 21st Jan 2017) in each of the high schools.
The statement urges students who have registered for the examination to be on seat at their various centres by 8:30 in the morning as the examination will start by 9 O’clock in the morning.
The Government of the State of Osun has congratulated the Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II and the entire sons and daughters of Ile-Ife on the celebrations of this year annual Obatala Festival.
This is contained in a statement by the Coordinating Director, Ministry of Information, Home Affairs, Tourism and Culture, Mrs Femi Webster-Esho.
According to her, the annual Obatala Festival is celebrated in remembrance and reverence of Obatala, the Yoruba god of purity.
She stated that, the festival which kicked-off on Wednesday (11th January, 2017) will come to a close on Monday (23rd January,2017) in Ile-Ife.
According to her, the festival started with the Oshooshi rites when adherents of Obatala in company of well-wishers circumvolution the Oshooshi Temple while offering prayers for Obatala’s guidance, protection and blessings.
Mrs Webster-Esho observed that since the festival draws dignitaries from all walks of life, it is imperative for the
celebrants and well-wishers to be peaceful and law abiding to prevent anarchy and chaos.
She therefore prayed for a successful and fruitful 2017 Obatala Festival on behalf of the State Government.
Gbenga Faturoti – Osogbo — For more than twenty months, most states of the federation had been battling with financial challenges owing to the fall in oil prices at the international market for most part of 2014, 2015 and 2016.
The challenges created serious burden on government at all levels especially in meeting their obligations on payment of salaries and pension to their active workers and retired people.
The situation was at its peak in later part of 2014 when the impact of the economic hardship in the country began to biter harder; forcing Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola in September 2014 to invite labour leaders to crucial meeting to decide on two available options whether to reduce workers or continue paying salaries according to available resources.
The development however necessitated the constitution of the State’s Revenue Apportionment Committee headed by labour veteran; Comrade Hassan Sunmonu where the labour leaders agreed to second option that government should pay them according to the available resources. Since then government had introduced modulated salaries payment approach with workers on grade level 01 to 07 collecting their 100% full salaries while those of grade level 08 and above were paid 50%, half of their salaries. The same modulated structure was also adopted for pensioners in the state.
The administration of Muhammadu Buhari on assumption of office then provided succour through the Central Bank in July 2015 and gave bail out to affected states that are virtually unable to pay salaries and pensions of its workers and retired ones.
The State of Osun was not left out of the arrangements and indeed, had the biggest assistance of N34.9billion. The money was feasibly inadequate to cater for the needs of the state then regarding workers’ salaries and pension, a development that resulted in series of allegations and counter allegations against the state government.
Then the opposition accused the state government of diverting the fund to other use aside from the payment of salaries and pension that was originally meant. The intervention of the state lawmakers probing how the money was spent saved the situation from degenerating further.
The State House of Assembly gave the government a clean bill of health declaring that the money was judiciously spent and that it was used for purposes for which it was meant.
Towards the end of last year, assistance came to most states from the refund on loan sought from Paris Club which serves as big relief to them on salaries and pension palaver. This time around, the modulated structure for payment of salaries was reviewed upward by government with workers on grade levels 01 to 07 still collecting their full salaries; workers on grade levels 08 to 12 now collecting 75% and workers on level 12 and above still collecting 50% of their normal salaries.
The same approach was adopted for pensioners with those collecting N20,000 as pension were paid their full pension; those collecting between N20,000 and N80,000 as pension having 75% and those collecting N80,000 and above still collecting 50%. This was approach used for the payment of salaries and pensions for workers and pensioners for the last four months in the 2016.
From the fresh funds, Osun State acknowledged receipt of sum of N11.7billion of which a sum of N2.5billion was added to it internally to make N14.2billion used for payment of modulated salaries and pension for workers and pensioners for months of September; October; November and December 2016.
Speaking on the development, the State Chapter Chairman of The Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC), and Comrade Jacob Adekomi lauded Governor Aregbesola for the gesture but appealed to him to endeavour and pay the balance of their salaries and pensions since July 2014.
Adekomi in a statement he signed said the state government owed workers on Grade Level 08 and above as well as pensioners for 18 months.
He commended Aregbesola for paying the salaries of workers and urged him to fulfil his promise to pay the balance of the half salaries for the 18 months.
According to Adekomi, “we do not doubt that Mr. Governor is a man of his words and he will attend to the balance of the outstanding amount of the salaries of officers on GL.08 as well as the pensioners”.
But some section of the pensioners took to the street protesting the modulated pensions received and demanded the immediate payment of the balance of the half of their pensions.
Not satisfied by the response and promise from the government on their plights, the pensioners put up canopies at the popular Nelson Mandela Freedom Park claiming that they had been displaced from their different homes into ‘pensioners’ camp’.
The spokesman of the group, Comrade Yemi Lawal said that they put up the idea of the camp in order to put the record straight on their grouse against the insensitivity of the Aregbesola’s government to their plights.
The Internally Displaced Pensioners (IDP) further claimed that between 2008 and 2012, the state government owes them a sum of N22billion as gratuity till today while pension arrears are N4.7billion making N26.7billion.
Lawal sounded warning that half pension is unacceptable to his group adding that the whole world must be aware that its members were dying while waiting for their statutory emoluments.
The invitation extended to the recently sacked Justice of Osun State High Court, Justice Folahanmi Oloyede who was accused of misconduct in the course of performing her official duties by the Nigeria Judicial Commission (NJC) to address them added political colouration to their claims. Oloyede has not hiding the fact that she is against the administration of Aregbesola in preference of PDP and opposition.
But the Chairman of Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Prince Rotimi Adelugba faulted the claims of IDP pensioners saying they were being sponsored by the opposition. He explained that pensioners in the state were under the same umbrella until when IDP pensioners introduced political sentiments into the agitations and activities of the pensioners.
Adelugba maintained that the political sentiments introduced into the activities and agitations of pensioners polarized the union into four groups including Civil Society Coalition for Emancipation of Osun; Good Governance Initiatives and Triangular Group of Pensioners.
According to Adelugba, “we were surprise when they brought emblem and membership card of Senator Omisore Support group to the meeting of pensioners and they changed our agenda to political.
Adelugba who expressed gratitude to Governor Rauf Aregbesola for his magnanimity in the payment of their pension up till month of December 2016 said the pensioners were immensely grateful to him.
He however cautioned other retired civil servants in the state not to play politics with the issue of the payment of the pension.
He said “The state government set up a committee headed by a veteran labour leader and former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Hassan Sunmonu to fine-tune the issue of salary and pension payment in the state and the committee suggested the best approach to the salary and pension issues in the state”.
“The committee comprised leaders of labour unions in the state and after a comprehensive analysis of the financial situation of the state, the committee proffered a way forward and we all saw reasons to accept the recommendations of the committee in the best interest of the generality of the workers, pensioners and the good people of our dear state”.
“We all agree that the state government should not downsize because we didn’t want any worker in the state to be sacked. Therefore, the only option we had was to agree with the modulated salary scheme in which the junior officers from level 01 to level 07 would get their full salary but the senior staff from level 08 and above would be earning half of their salary and the same thing applicable to the pensioners”.
The challenges created serious burden on government at all levels especially in meeting their obligations on payment of salaries and pension to their active workers and retired people.
The situation was at its peak in later part of 2014 when the impact of the economic hardship in the country began to biter harder; forcing Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola in September 2014 to invite labour leaders to crucial meeting to decide on two available options whether to reduce workers or continue paying salaries according to available resources.
The development however necessitated the constitution of the State’s Revenue Apportionment Committee headed by labour veteran; Comrade Hassan Sunmonu where the labour leaders agreed to second option that government should pay them according to the available resources. Since then government had introduced modulated salaries payment approach with workers on grade level 01 to 07 collecting their 100% full salaries while those of grade level 08 and above were paid 50%, half of their salaries. The same modulated structure was also adopted for pensioners in the state.
The administration of Muhammadu Buhari on assumption of office then provided succour through the Central Bank in July 2015 and gave bail out to affected states that are virtually unable to pay salaries and pensions of its workers and retired ones.
The State of Osun was not left out of the arrangements and indeed, had the biggest assistance of N34.9billion. The money was feasibly inadequate to cater for the needs of the state then regarding workers’ salaries and pension, a development that resulted in series of allegations and counter allegations against the state government.
Then the opposition accused the state government of diverting the fund to other use aside from the payment of salaries and pension that was originally meant. The intervention of the state lawmakers probing how the money was spent saved the situation from degenerating further.
The State House of Assembly gave the government a clean bill of health declaring that the money was judiciously spent and that it was used for purposes for which it was meant.
Towards the end of last year, assistance came to most states from the refund on loan sought from Paris Club which serves as big relief to them on salaries and pension palaver. This time around, the modulated structure for payment of salaries was reviewed upward by government with workers on grade levels 01 to 07 still collecting their full salaries; workers on grade levels 08 to 12 now collecting 75% and workers on level 12 and above still collecting 50% of their normal salaries.
The same approach was adopted for pensioners with those collecting N20,000 as pension were paid their full pension; those collecting between N20,000 and N80,000 as pension having 75% and those collecting N80,000 and above still collecting 50%. This was approach used for the payment of salaries and pensions for workers and pensioners for the last four months in the 2016.
From the fresh funds, Osun State acknowledged receipt of sum of N11.7billion of which a sum of N2.5billion was added to it internally to make N14.2billion used for payment of modulated salaries and pension for workers and pensioners for months of September; October; November and December 2016.
Speaking on the development, the State Chapter Chairman of The Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC), and Comrade Jacob Adekomi lauded Governor Aregbesola for the gesture but appealed to him to endeavour and pay the balance of their salaries and pensions since July 2014.
Adekomi in a statement he signed said the state government owed workers on Grade Level 08 and above as well as pensioners for 18 months.
He commended Aregbesola for paying the salaries of workers and urged him to fulfil his promise to pay the balance of the half salaries for the 18 months.
According to Adekomi, “we do not doubt that Mr. Governor is a man of his words and he will attend to the balance of the outstanding amount of the salaries of officers on GL.08 as well as the pensioners”.
But some section of the pensioners took to the street protesting the modulated pensions received and demanded the immediate payment of the balance of the half of their pensions.
Not satisfied by the response and promise from the government on their plights, the pensioners put up canopies at the popular Nelson Mandela Freedom Park claiming that they had been displaced from their different homes into ‘pensioners’ camp’.
The spokesman of the group, Comrade Yemi Lawal said that they put up the idea of the camp in order to put the record straight on their grouse against the insensitivity of the Aregbesola’s government to their plights.
The Internally Displaced Pensioners (IDP) further claimed that between 2008 and 2012, the state government owes them a sum of N22billion as gratuity till today while pension arrears are N4.7billion making N26.7billion.
Lawal sounded warning that half pension is unacceptable to his group adding that the whole world must be aware that its members were dying while waiting for their statutory emoluments.
The invitation extended to the recently sacked Justice of Osun State High Court, Justice Folahanmi Oloyede who was accused of misconduct in the course of performing her official duties by the Nigeria Judicial Commission (NJC) to address them added political colouration to their claims. Oloyede has not hiding the fact that she is against the administration of Aregbesola in preference of PDP and opposition.
But the Chairman of Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Prince Rotimi Adelugba faulted the claims of IDP pensioners saying they were being sponsored by the opposition. He explained that pensioners in the state were under the same umbrella until when IDP pensioners introduced political sentiments into the agitations and activities of the pensioners.
Adelugba maintained that the political sentiments introduced into the activities and agitations of pensioners polarized the union into four groups including Civil Society Coalition for Emancipation of Osun; Good Governance Initiatives and Triangular Group of Pensioners.
According to Adelugba, “we were surprise when they brought emblem and membership card of Senator Omisore Support group to the meeting of pensioners and they changed our agenda to political.
Adelugba who expressed gratitude to Governor Rauf Aregbesola for his magnanimity in the payment of their pension up till month of December 2016 said the pensioners were immensely grateful to him.
He however cautioned other retired civil servants in the state not to play politics with the issue of the payment of the pension.
He said “The state government set up a committee headed by a veteran labour leader and former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Hassan Sunmonu to fine-tune the issue of salary and pension payment in the state and the committee suggested the best approach to the salary and pension issues in the state”.
“The committee comprised leaders of labour unions in the state and after a comprehensive analysis of the financial situation of the state, the committee proffered a way forward and we all saw reasons to accept the recommendations of the committee in the best interest of the generality of the workers, pensioners and the good people of our dear state”.
“We all agree that the state government should not downsize because we didn’t want any worker in the state to be sacked. Therefore, the only option we had was to agree with the modulated salary scheme in which the junior officers from level 01 to level 07 would get their full salary but the senior staff from level 08 and above would be earning half of their salary and the same thing applicable to the pensioners”.
The name ‘’Osun’’ comes from a river that flows through the state. It is symbolic because it serves both spiritual and tourist purposes in the state.
The river is worshipped annually by devotees. It is also a tourist spot as people from different parts of the country visit the Osun Groove in Osogbo. The river also provides water for irrigation for the agriculturally rich state.
The Osun-Osogbo Grove is among the last of the sacred forests which usually adjoined the edges of most Yoruba cities before extensive urbanization