2017 NEW YEAR BROADCAST
From Recession to Recovery, Growth and Consolidation
My good people of Osun,
It is with much joy and great expectation that I welcome you to the New Year, 2017. The old year, 2016, was a year of huge trials, travails and tests but it was also a year of great victory and accomplishments.
 

 
It was a year we were hardest hit financially, arising from falling oil price and dwindling production. It was also a year we lost a few eminent personalities. This began with the transition of the honourable member of the House of Assembly representing Ife Central State Constituency, Oladejo Samson Makinde. In November we had the passage of the great Yoruba leader, Sir Olaniwun Ajayi. This was followed by the legendary Cuban leader, Fidel Castro. Then in December, death took away from our midst a legal luminary and personal friend, Barrister Deji Sasegbon. They have directly or indirectly touched our lives and world. May their gentle souls rest in peace.
But it was also a year of giant leap and triumphs for us. In the field of education, we commissioned to the glory of God, Anthony Udofia Elementary School, Osogbo, St Michael Elementary School, Ibokun, St Thomas Elementary and Middle School, Iwoye Ijesa, Osogbo Government High School, Osogbo, Adventist Government High School, Ede and AUD Government Elementary School, Sabo, Osogbo.
The commissioning of Osogbo Government High School coincided with the 25th anniversary of the creation of our state which was celebrated with pomp, pageantry and funfair, including breath-taking calisthenics display by 4,000 pupils from Osun’s public schools. We also successfully hosted President Muhammadu Buhari, who commissioned Osogbo Government High School.
Our investment in security yielded good dividends of peace and safety in February as security agencies, using the armoured personnel carriers our administration procured for them, foiled robbery attacks by armed bandits on banks in Ikirun. It was a statement of our administration’s determination to defend you and protect lives and property. We will go to any length to deter criminals and secure the state.
Osun was the cynosure of all eyes as our state provided the template for the national take-off of school feeding programme. This programme was launched by our administration in 2012. Under it, we provide nutritious and healthy meals to Elementary 1-4 pupils in all public schools on every school day. This programme is integrated into our agriculture and poverty eradication programmes and is now a roaring success.
Still under education, we established Osun Education Quality Assurance and Morality Enforcement Agency to address the twin problems of indiscipline and falling standards in education.
The year was also a good one for us in education. Our pupils had 46.3 per cent pass in the last West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), a giant leap of 137 per cent increase over the previous year’s paltry 19.5 per cent pass. Though this is far from satisfactory to us, nevertheless, it is an affirmation of our efforts and investment in education. It has put ashes in the mouths of those who have made a career of running down our efforts in education development.
In the same year, we launched Osuwon Omoluabi. This is not just about measurements. The philosophy behind this is to establish the ethics of justness, fairness, truthfulness and equity in business, commercial activities and interpersonal relations. It is to build trust and satisfaction in business dealings. This is part of our commerce and market development policies aimed at making Osun a regional marketing and commercial hub.
In August, we commissioned the state’s job centre. This agency is established to link job applicants with employers, create a database of job seekers, conduct seminars on how to prepare for interviews, apply for jobs and write curriculum vitae. This is often the missing link between job seeking graduates and prospective employers.
In spite of all the challenges we faced, we ended the year on a good note. Our road infrastructure development gathered pace anew as Osun becomes a gigantic construction site again. Road construction works criss-crossing the length and breadth of the state give new hope of urban renewal and smooth transportation of persons and goods in a boost of economic and social activities.
We have been able to pay workers salaries and pensioners to date. We have also reviewed the modulated salary structure as we received more money from other sources, as we promised. I will like to thank our workers for their understanding, patience, support and sacrifice at the most trying period that we faced dire financial difficulties. Just as you stood by us, we will also not leave you hanging and dry. We will continue to promote your welfare and defend your interests.
However, we shall not neglect our greater constituency, the entire people of Osun who gave us the mandate to govern. We are going to intensify our intervention programmes among the people. This year, we are going to initiate another batch of Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES). We are going to create more opportunities for people in agriculture, commerce and information and communications technology (ICT).
As it is clear to us all since 2014, there is no free money again. No one should be under any illusion about this. Oil price doesn’t look like it will spike up very soon, as we have had in the past. Even if will, we should never find ourselves in a position of dependency again. If oil windfall should come, it should go into special projects and savings for the future
The way to go therefore is that we should work hard and earn our own money. We should develop the capacity to create wealth from which we provide jobs and generate revenue to the government.
Many developments are coming to our world which we should be prepared for and for which new opportunities will arise for the discerning, the bold and the prepared. For instance, there will be a quantum leap in technology in the foreseeable future which will produce self-driving cars, robots and automation in agriculture and construction industries, rendering jobs redundant in these areas. Our academics, researchers and investors should therefore be prepared and provide leadership for this inevitable transition.
This year, 2017, is going to be our year of consolidation. We are going to consolidate on all our programmes, especially in education, agriculture and road infrastructure. We are not going to abandon any of our projects. It is going to be our busiest year so far.
We have great hope and faith that 2017 will be the best year for us and all the people of Osun. It is will great joy and optimism therefore that I welcome us all to 2017.
I will like to thank you all for your support and unflinching faith in us. I thank most immensely the women and their groups, market women and men, traders, artisans, workers, students, transporters, commercial motorcyclists, employers of labour, organised private sector, the business community, non-governmental organisations, community based organisations, youth organisations, security agencies, the media, political parties, traditional rulers, community leaders and religious organisations and their leaders.
It is my earnest prayer that the New Year will be peaceful, successful and usher in fresh opportunities, goodness, prosperity and abundance to all and sundry.
I wish you a happy and blessed new year, 2017
Osun a dara!

The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has said the need to make the Osun society emerge a major player within the new knowledge economy and digital world informs his administration’s dogged battle to revamp education.
 

 
Aregbesola stated this when he bagged on the 2016 Governor of Year Award in Education, presented by the African Education Monitor.
The management of the AEM said it arrived at the decision to honour the governor given his tremendous works on the sector.
Presenting the award, the Publisher, African Education Monitor Magazine, Mr. Oludaisi Adetarami, commended Governor Aregbesola for guiding the state towards educational prosperity.
He said the state has distinguished itself among its peers in education sector, thus, making Osun the model and pacesetter for national and international education system.
Adetarami, who described Osun education policy as one of the best in the world, said the impacts of the state in building solid foundation in education sector has been yielding positive results.
He said the huge investment made in education by Osun government was part of reasons for the state to be ranked among the best four states in Nigeria on female child education.
According to him, it is a known fact that the education policy of Osun was designed basically to advance humanity and as well build minds that would not only be productive to themselves but meaningful and impactful to the society at large.
He said, “As this has been the hallmarks of the present administration not only in education but in other sectors that is why we identified ourselves with the state so as to further enhance quality and functional education in line with international best practices.
“We painstakingly studied and analysed the Osun education policy and we found out that the policy adopted by the state is not only in conformity with international best standards but a sine qua non to achieve a sustainable education system.
“As we all know that today, Osun is being ranked among the best four states in Nigeria on female child education, these among others are the outward manifestation of Governor Aregbesola’s contributions to education.
“The successes recorded in education in Osun had showcased the untiring interests of the state towards the provision of educational infrastructure developments which the state viewed as basis for all round transformation, growth and development.
“It is for this noble reason that our organisation felt to celebrate the state and Mr. Governor on this investiture ceremony as a sign of appreciation towards making education the bedrock of development.
“Our organisation’s project has cardinal relations to education system in Africa that is why we do everything to partner with a state like Osun on education development.
“We want to liaise with the state to complement the government’s efforts in repositioning the education sector in the state”, Adetarami stated.
In his remarks, Aregbesola described education as an opportunity for happiness and fulfillment of life deserving ultimate priority.
Describing education as a process of integrating human being into the society, the governor said all hands must be on deck to promote education in Africa.
He added, “Education is the tool required by individual to live a purposeful, productive beneficial and rewarding life through wish life is productively navigated to the benefit of self, society and world at large.
“We must therefore put in our best as governments, individuals, stakeholders and agencies to revamp the education sector by seeing it as the only mechanism to development”.
He promised to continuously earmarking larger chunk of the state’s resources on education, saying, “it is only educated society that would meet the needs of the present digital world”.

The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, has described the palaces of monarchs as a temple of God and somewhere only supreme God should be worshipped.
Oba Akanbi made the disclosure when he visited one of the leaders of Quadiriyah Islamic Movement of Yoruba land, Alhaji Muhammed Imran-Adio, at Imoru Compound, Iwo in Osun State.
 

 
The frontline monarch, who advised traditional rulers to shun idolatry, stated that God would not help any town whose monarch worships other gods.
Oba Akanbi noted that palaces were known as the abode of God before the existence of Mosques and Churches and urged his colleagues to move various idols in their palaces, saying ‘God hates idolatry’.
The Iwo monarch explained that people should be able to come to palaces and pray to God, maintaining that this would not happen until the monarchs rid their palaces of strange gods, which he said could not help them.
“Our palaces must be clean and devoid of any idol. There is authority in the mouth of any monarch who is clean and who shuns idol worshiping.
“Palaces are the temple of God before the Churches and Mosques came to being, and no one should worship idol in the palace except God almighty, the creator of all mankind. I am a king, but I’m not God and I have vowed to always follow the will of God and that is how I want other traditional rulers to see themselves.
“Oba must not kneel down before anybody to pray. This is a message or a warning to all the kings and let me tell them that their palaces are the habitation of God on earth,” he stressed.
While commenting on why he associates himself with the people of Iwo land, Oba Akanbi said some of his action was to let the youths have the hope that no matter their present situation they could still excel in life.
He said it was incumbent upon monarchs in Yoruba land to associate and offer their subjects various forms of assistance and words of encouragement to give them hope especially in the present economic situation in the country.
Oba Akanbi said the era of monarchs sitting back in their palaces and expecting their subjects to bring tributes to them was long over.
According to him, service to the people is necessary for any monarch to be loved by his subject.
The host, Khalefa Qodiriya, Iwo Land, Sheik Muhammed Imran-Adio, commended Oba Akanbi for his rare progressivism and spirituality just as he described the monarch as a blessing to the entire Yoruba race.
Sheik Adio while eulogising the Oluwo for his leadership style said the frontline monarch had brought unprecedented development to the ancient town through his infrastructural and empowerment programmes.
The Khalifa Qodiriya, who said he was surprised by the visitation to their compound, appealed to Iwo indigenes, both home and overseas to drum their support for the monarch to pilot the sleepy town to constructive point.

The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has charged medical practitioners on the need to always prioritise the safety of lives above other considerations while discharging their duties.
He said healthcare givers must, as a matter of necessity, see the need for them to constantly establish personal/professional sacrifices, standard and quality healthcare delivery in all they do.
 
 

 
 
Aregbesola gave the charge while receiving the management team of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), led by its President, Dr. Mike Ogirima, at the Governor’s office, Osogbo.
Describing medical doctors as the best trained individuals in the world with longest university training and experience, said safety of lives remains unnegotiable to healthcare givers.
Aregbesola, who lamented on the indiscriminate industrial action usually embarked upon by the health practitioners in the country, called on the leadership of NMA to do the needful in reducing the rate of strikes of its members.
According to him, as much as medical practitioners press home their welfares, so they are expected to prioritise the good health of the people in the society.
He appealed to the management of NMA to let their interests in medical practice be inclusive of the physical infrastructure for healthcare delivery.
Aregbesola added, “It is unfortunate that our society has deteriorated. We have lost values in virtually everything especially on the need to prioritise our well-being.
“Doctors and other healthcare professionals are expected to be at the vanguards of lives safety. They are not expected to withdraw their services to the people not to talk of embarking on strikes.
“They are expected to be more concerned about the people’s health than they pursue the welfare of their members.
“Not until this is championed by all medical practitioners, our society remains unsafe.
Commending the Local Government health practitioners in the state, Aregbesola said “if not for them, our society would have collapsed as they have showed extreme understanding to our circumstances”.
“I must commend the local government doctors for being supportive to our administration and for always exhibiting understanding to circumstances. They never shy of saving lives”, he added.
He expressed displeasure over the state of the nation’s economy, saying “for us to appreciate that our economy has declined so badly beyond imagination, Nigeria that has been sharing N1.4trillion monthly between 2011 to June 2013 recently struggled to share N376billion for November.
He said for Osun to clearly operate as government, the state needs N10billion revenue monthly to survive.
Aregbesola said the state has adopted one of the best management strategies to meet with the salary obligations of the state’s workforce.
He said, “The current economic challenges had foisted huge difficulty on us and this has affected government to the extent that we have been receiving deficit allocations, but in spite of this, our government has been struggling to pay workers’ salaries.
“We are literally getting water from stone because I didn’t come to Osun by accident. Nobody has ever done what we have done in Osun. No one has ever attempted what we attempted in all sectors.
“Osun is one of the few states in Nigeria that have been meeting with salary obligations to workforce.”
Recounting his administration’s interventions on quality healthcare services to the people, Aregbesola said, outside Lagos, Osun remains the only state in Nigeria running all round 24/7 ambulance services.
He said Osun outside Lagos also remains the state in the southwestern Nigeria that has been so committed to workers’ welfare.
“We have over 1000 primary healthcare centres in the state. We have a good number of healthcare givers in all our centres as our state-of-the-art healthcare facilities remain superb.
“What we have done in the last 6 years equivalent to what was done in 19 years preceding our administration”, Aregbesola added.
Earlier, the NMA President, Dr. Mike Ozovehe Ogirima, commended Governor Aregbesola’s humility and high sense of commitment to human and capital developments.
He assured the state of the association’s supports just as he called on the state not to relent in its effort in prioritising the welfare of the association.
Also present at the event was the former Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. Rafiu Isamotu.

An  Islamic organisation in Nigeria, Jama’at Ta’awunil Muslimeen, has lauded Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola for his achievements in the last six years.
 

 
 
Speaking at the group’s yearly conference in Iwo, the Founder and National President, of the organization, Sheik Daood Molasan, said that the Aregbesola administration has demonstrated good faith with the people and added meaning to governance.
 
The islamic cleric, who described education as a veritable tool to success, commended the state government under the leadership of Governor Aregbesola for being determined to develop education.
 
He said the state has done a lot in giving a new face to education sector, saying this “has really helped to development basic and high education.”
 
“We are not politicians but we appreciate all what Governor Aregbesola has been doing to liberate our state and develop our economy. Osun government has done so much in education and other sectors as its impacts in all these can never be left unrecognised.”
 
He, therefore, called on muslims who are financially endowed to spend their wealth for the propagation of Islam, saying “man is created by God majorly to serve Him with all his endowments.”
Sheik Molasan said the purpose of the conference is to guide muslims to the path of righteousness, warn them against forbidden acts as being commanded by Allah and His Messengers.
 
Governor Aregbesola who was represented at the event by the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon Najeem Salam, described knowledge as a quintessential mechanism to survival.
 
He said: “it is high time for everyone to seek and pay whatever price to enhance the acquisition of western knowledge.”
 
The Governor who titled his speech, “Towards an Inclusive Good Youruba and Good Muslim,” enjoined religious leaders on the need to dwell more on scientific knowledge, which according to him has redefined the world.
 
According to him, it is only those with sophisticated religious and western knowledge combined would seamlessly scape through the worldly emerging circumstances.

Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola yesterday granted amnesty to four death-row prison inmates in three Southwest prisons.
 

 
Director of Public Prosecutions and Secretary to the State Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy Pomade Adeniji announced this in a statement in Osogbo.
He said the governor’s gesture was in commemoration of the New Year celebration.
“Pursuant to the advice and recommendations of the State Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy, Aregbesola, in exercise of his powers, has granted amnesty to the prison inmates,’’ the statement said.
The statement said the inmates were serving jail terms at federal prisons in Ilesha, Ibara and Abeokuta as well as Maximum Security Prison, Kirikiri in Lagos.

It listed the inmates as Kolawole Adediji and Madelon Adediji, both on the death row.
The statement added that Ekanade Muyiwa and Adewole Olusoji, also on the death row, had their sentences commuted to 20 years imprisonment each.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the governor made a similar gesture last September, when he pardoned six inmates.
The governor was reported then to have granted the amnesty to mark Nigeria’s 56th Independence anniversary.

Workers in Osun on Wednesday returned to work after observing Monday and Tuesday as public holidays to celebrate Christmas and Boxing Day.
 

 
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that civil servants had reported at the state secretariat in Abere and seen carrying out their routine duties.
NAN also reports that federal civil servants in the state returned to their duty posts and reopened the Federal Agencies and Establishments for business.
Similarly, commercial banks in Osogbo opened for the usual transactions with their customers going into the banks.
NAN’s visit to the local government secretariats in Osogbo revealed that workers resumed their duties in their various offices after cleaning up.
A staff member of Olorunda Local Government Council, Osogbo, Mrs. Bukola Olapoju, who spoke with NAN, described the holiday as “a blissful holiday” given the fact that the government paid workers three months salaries ahead of the Christmas.
Olapoju said: “The payment was a real blessing, because, for a long time, we were able to celebrate the Christmas without fear of how to get money to prepare food for Christmas or even afraid to have guests come over.”
She said it was a thing of joy that she was alive to witness this year’s Christmas and prayed that the economic situation in the country improves so that next year’s celebration will be marked “with more peace of mind and financial security”.
NAN recalls that the Federal Government on Thursday declared Dec. 26 and 27 as public holidays for to mark the Christmas and Boxing Day, respectively.

Osun State Deputy Governor, Titi Laoye-Tomori, wants politicians and other well to do Nigerians to engage in youth empowerment programmes as a way of giving back to the society.
Mrs Laoye-Tomori is of the opinion that the gesture would go a long way in reducing the level of unemployment and crime rate among Nigerian youths.
 
 

 
The Deputy Governor was speaking at the graduation ceremony of about 200 youths trained in Information Communication Technology (ICT) under a scheme sponsored by the Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Honourable Akinwale Adegboye, in Osogbo, the state’s capital.
 
 
While lauding the gesture, she stressed that the government alone could not do everything and called on the well meaning Nigerians to rise up and lend the government a hand towards making life better for all and sundry.
“It is a way of giving back and I believe it is worthy of emulation by other members of the Assembly and those who are well to do in the community. The government cannot do everything.
“We have quite a lot of our youths roaming about the streets without anything to do. A lot of them are intelligent but they do not have the opportunity to be gainfully employed.
“By empowering them you get the best out of them and this is the way we can keep them from being miscreants within the society. So, I am highly impressed by this programme,” the deputy Governor stressed.
 

 
Honourable Adegboye, said the empowerment scheme was his way of giving his constituents their own dividends of democracy.
“We have promised them during the electioneering campaign that they will enjoy dividends of democracy and we have come back today to fulfil our promises despite the dwindling economy,” he said.
“Widows from across the 15 wards in Osogbo Local Government State Constituency were given rice, drugs to keep them healthy and we also gave monetary help to 73 communities”‎ Honourable Adegboye added.

The wife of the Osun State Governor, Mrs Sherifat Aregbesola, has ‎asked children to endeavour to be close to God Almighty especially at this period of Christmas.
‎Mrs Aregbesola made the appeal on Tuesday at the 2016 end of Year Christmas celebration and fanfare with the children held at the Government House Lawn in Osogbo the Osun State capital.
 

 
The first lady, who advised the children to respect their parents and teachers and their leaders, urged them not to join bad gangs, as this would only lead to the path of destruction.
While wishing the thousands of children drawn from across all the local governments in the state a merry Christmas, Mrs Aregbesola said it was expedient for the children to embrace hard work and shun all forms of immoral behaviour to enable them become great men and women to be reckoned with in the future.
“I give all praises and thanks to the Almighty God for the gift of life and for the opportunity to be among our dear children in the state to celebrate the end of another year. How time flies! It is just like yesterday that we were here on this same ground 12 months ago for the 2015 end of the year party.
“Another season is now over after so many activities during the year and I have no doubt that this year was filled with its successes as well as challenges for you as children.
“May I at this point appreciate all parents and guardians for the care of these children. I implore all children in the state to obey lawful instructions of your parents, guardians and teachers if you are to succeed in life.
“I thank the governor of our state for his passion and endless support for holistic development of women and children in the state,” she said‎.
The governor’s wife believes that the O’Meal Programme and the infrastructural development of schools among others have contributed greatly to the wellbeing of children and she prayed that Osun State would continue to grow.
‎ Governor Rauf Aregbesola, who joined in the celebration with the children, said: “We celebrate the season with them. We want them to concentrate on their studies, as we equally urge them to take the advantage of this season for relaxation and enjoyment within limit.
“They must not be excessive in their participation in activities to mark the festive period. They should be good children and keep to the instructions of their parents and guardians.
“We also pray that God will make them good and successful children and in future be great men and women in the society”.