In a bid to boost the revenue base of the government, Osun State Board of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has absorbed 100 of its revenue marshals into the service of the state.
The revenue board; had secured the approval of Governor Rauf Aregbesola in absorbing the revenue marshals into the service of the state government.

 
The newly recruited revenue marshals were selected across the 30 Local Government Councils of the state including the Area office, Modakeke based on their performance in revenue generation in the last year.
It would be recalled that they were recruited as revenue marshals to assist the board in generating revenue for the state for its growth and developmental projects.
Addressing the newly recruited revenue staff at a three day intensive training programme held in Osogbo, yesterday, the Board’s Director of Finance and Strategy, Mr. Oluyemi Oni, said the essence of the training was to give the newly employed tax marshals basic knowledge of revenue generation and tax assessment of the people.
The training he added will brace them up in principles of taxation that will aid them to diligently discharge their duties.
He explained that those recruited were absorbed into grade levels 06 and 08 base on their educational qualifications adding that many of them were NCE, OND, HND, B.SCS and Masters Degree holders.
According to him, “now that 100 trainees have been absorbed into the Board, they would soon be integrated into the state civil service, as another batch of the staff would be recruited from the remaining revenue marshals.
“As part of efforts to improve on the state IGR, the board had to secure the approval of the government to absorb 100 officers into the board as staffs so as to assist the state in its quest to improve on its revenue generation”.
Oni implored the beneficiaries to see the appointment as a call to service by living up to their responsibilities in making the state to realize its objectives on robust revenue generation.
Earlier, Chairman, Osun Board Internal Revenue Service, Mr. Dayo Oyebamiji commended the state government for empowering the youth through jobs creation.
Oyebamiji said Osun has always been atop among its peers in wealth creation and employment generation as the developmental policies of the state had impacted positively in the lives of the citizenry.
He therefore called on the newly recruited tax officers to live to state’s expectations by championing the laid down tax principles and guidelines aimed at improving the status of the state IGR.
He also admonished the residents of the state to cooperate with the newly recruited revenue staff in accomplishing their duties for the growth and development of the state.
The Head of training, Osun Board Internal Revenue Service, Mr. Lawrence Oladapo, called on the trainees to distinguish themselves by making the Board proud as revenue collectors.
Oladapo who sued for transparency and honesty, called on the beneficiaries to be diligent to duties as being dictated by the concept of taxation.

The Government of Osun has described as a blatant lie that a sum of N82bn has been credited into its account by the Federal Government.
The Government, through the Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Office of the Governor, said there was nothing like an N82bn paid to Osun out of an imaginary “$4bn being over-deductions on Paris and London Club Loans on the accounts of State and Local Governments from February 1990 to March 2002”.
 

 
The statement by the Bureau, signed by its Director, Semiu Okanlawon said, “It sounds warped that such information would emanate from an interloper to Nigerians. Should Nigeria receive such funds and such huge amounts are to be credited to respective states, simple logic dictates that the Ministry of  Finance, the Ministry of Information or the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation would be duly involved and communicate such a development to Nigerians through the appropriate quarters.
“It is curious that since the misinformation was released and credited to a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Dino Melaye, who was reported to have manufactured the misinformation has not come out to deny making the statement.
“Much more curious also is the direct reference to the Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who was singled out and asked to pay his state workers from the non-existent N82bn.
“We consider this as a direct incitement of the people of Osun and especially the workers who have shown great understanding due to the transparency the governor has brought into his handling of the affairs of the state.”
The statement advised persons in positions of responsibility to be mindful of information emanating from them to avoid throwing the country into unnecessary turmoil .

The Governor of the state of Osu, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has approved the promotion of six monarchs to part ii status.
 
 

 
The information is contained in the letters of promotion signed by the Director of Chieftaincy, Mr Femi Ogundun issued to the affected monarchs.
The newly promoted monarchs are the Alabere of Abere, Oba Kareem Sanusi, Olu of Owode – Ede, Oba Azeeze Nureni Oyedepo. The two are from Ede Traditional Council.
Others are Alawo of Ilawo , Oba Abdul Azeeze Faronbi Oyewole ll from Ejigbo Traditional Council while Olota of Ilota, Oba Adetunji Ipadeola Akano, Olokesaji of Okesaji, Oba Alade Sabitu Akinade and Awuje of Awuje, Oba Oladosu Ajagbe Akinlawon are from Iwo Traditional Council.
The Governor congratulated them and urged them to work for peace in their domains.

The Osun State House of Assembly has affirmed that the Senate has no constitutional power to question how Governor Rauf Aregbesola spent the bailout given to the state government by the Federal Government.
The state lawmakers made the declaration in a statement made available to newsmen by the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Mr. Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, after the plenary of the assembly.
The lawmakers said this following a matter of urgent public importance raised by Chairman, House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Mr. Kamil Oyedele, on the propriety of the Senate’s plan to probe the bailout.

Oyedele said by the provision of Section 128 of the Constitution, the state assembly was the arm of government empowered to carry out such probe, saying, the senate was only attempting to usurp the power of the state parliament.
The speaker, Mr. Najeem Salam, said the state lawmakers were not at war with the Senate but stated that the two must work in accordance with the provisions of the law.

A day after commissioning the gigantic Adventist Government High School Ede, Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on Tuesday commissioned yet another school, A.U.D Government Elementary School in the state capital, Osogbo.
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‎The Governor, dressed in a similar uniform to that of the elementary school pupils stressed that the commissioning of schools and other infrastructures across the state are in fulfilment of his government’s promise to provide functional basic education for the pupils in the state.
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The A.U.D ‎Government Elementary Schoo in Sabo Osogbol‎ is ‎22 full classrooms, each capable of accommodating 50 pupils. It has a multipurpose function hall, a sick bay, computer room, a principal’s office and the secretary’s office.
‎There is a recreation centre, including a small playing field. The conveniences include six blocks of toilets for pupils and staff, each having three squat pans and WC, making a total of 24. The seventh block is designated for staff with four cubicles of WC. The principal’s office also has a private toilet.‎‎
Aregbesola at the commissioning after asking for a minute silence for the repose of the soul of late Cuban former President, Fidel Casto commended him for making sure that almost all citizen of Cuba can read and write, saying Fidel Castro’s welfarist programme shall live after him.‎
Aregbesola stated that elementary school is the basis of the basic education, hence, any child with a good elementary school foundation will have no problem making progress educationally.

He noted that A.U.D school is one of the 100 elementary schools his administration is building, out of which 20 are already completed.
The Governor added that government is also building 50 middle schools from which it has completed 22.
He held that his administration has also carried out renovations on 40 other schools which give a total of 1,694 standard classrooms in the existing elementary, middle and high schools, providing accommodation for nearly 90,000 pupils.
Aregbesola said, “We have provided for them more than 100,000 desks and chairs, toilets and boreholes and made schools decent places to be. We have provided 50,000 eLearning tablets (Opon Imo) for grade 12 final year high school pupils in the state.
“This has benefitted three sets already while the fourth set, i.e. the current final year set are receiving the tablet as we speak. In addition to building schools, we have recruited more than 12,000 teachers to boost manpower in the school system. We are also motivating the teachers.
“We have put in place a policy that makes teachers in elementary and middle schools to rise to grade level 16. We have, in addition, appointed three Tutors General, equivalent of Permanent Secretary, in the three senatorial districts in the state.
“We have established the Osun Education Quality Assurance and Morality Enforcement Agency to assure education quality and enforce morality in our schools.
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“Our overall vision is to develop the new man intellectually, socially and morally. This new man is placed in the centre of society who views his own development as part of and for the development of society”. The Governor told the gathering.
Speaking earlier, Chairman, State Universal Basic Education, SUBEB, Prince Felix Awofisayo commended Governor Aregbesola for prudently managing the scarce resources of the state especially on schools restructuring.
Deputy Governor Mrs Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori who described the new school as one of the series of the state-of-the-arts schools currently being constructed across the state, said efforts have also been put in place to sustain the new education policies and programmes for the betterment of all.
“Aregbesola’s government is committed to changing the face of education, transform eduction sector and as well turn it to a model in Osun, Nigeria, Africa and the entire world.
“Our administration is working assiduously to meet both present and future needs of our children in education sector. That is why we are building edifices as schools that can last for years across the state.
“Our modern education policies and school reclassification policies are second to none because our model schools are well equipped with state-of-the-arts facilities that are incomparable not only in Nigeria or Africa but in the world.
“Our government has put in place a strong and workable financial mechanism and re-engineering policy to stimulate the economy even in the face of the current excruciating economic realities.
Also, the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimon Olanipekun commended the civil servants in the state for being patient with the state government in the face of the current economic realities.
The monarch assured the state workforce of the state commitment to their welfares, saying the state is working round the clocks to bring the much needed succour.
Oba Olanipekun who described the newly commissioned schools across the state by the present government of Governor Aregbesola as unprecedented, said with the emergence of the new schools, Osun has become a model among its peers in the country and beyond.
He appealed to the citizens of the state to further maintain patience with the government as the effects of the current economic situation cut across all levels of government.
In their separate remarks, the Chairman Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, Amuda Wakil; A.U.D School Headmaster, Mrs. Emily Olubunmi Olaniyi and Chairman Association of Primary Schools Headmasters of Nigeria, AOPSHON, Alhaji Oladapo Sadiat, lauded the state government for being the pacesetter in the education sector in Nigeria.
The trio also extolled Governor Aregbesola’s passion and love for education, saying his immense achievements have been felt across the nooks and crannies of the state.
They debunked the rumours making the rounds that the state government has introduced school fees to pupils of public schools, saying at no time has the state taken such a decision.
The trio said what the state introduced was maintenance fees purposely ordered to maintain the facilities installed in all the newly built schools across the state.

The “Green Book” is the manifesto of the current administration of the State of Osun. It contains the plans and programs of the administration as defined before assuming office. These are categorized into the relevant sectors of the Osun economy.
The Green Book is the reference resource that the current leadership follows. It provides a peek into the development direction envisioned by Ogbeni Aregbesola and his team. The piece was produced in English and the Yoruba local language for the benefit of the Osun community.
  My Pact With the People of Osun State (English Version).pdf (135.6 KiB, 483 hits)
  My Pact With the People of Osun State (Yoruba Version).pdf (109.4 KiB, 265 hits)

No fewer than 135 youths have undergone entrepreneurship development training through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)-Entrepreneurship Development Centre, Southwest on wealth creation which is implemented by the Africa Leadership Forum (ALF).
For four weeks, the participants were exposed to modules such as mindset re-engineering to help them rethink business, money, and livelihood, enterprise development and idea generation, business and financial management, marketing and interpersonal relationship and writing individual business plans.
 

 
 
At the graduation ceremony held at the Teachers’ Co-operative House in Oshogbo were the Osun State Deputy Governor and Commissioner for Education, Chief Otunba Grace Titi Laoye Tomori, CBN represented by Mrs. Oluyemisi Adebayo of the Development Finance Office; the Africa Leadership Forum was led by Dr. Olumide Ajayi, the Programme Director of the Centre, Special Adviser to the Governor on Technical and Vocational Education; Acting Head of Board for Technical Education, Mr. Owolabi; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mr. Julius Olajide; General Manager/CEO of the Osun Micro-credit Agency, Mr. Dayo Babaranti; and Mr. Young, Head of Youth Empowerment.
In his address, Mr. Olajide, stated that the training was one of the integral plans of the state government and all the participants that underwent the training had said it was a life-changing experience.
“A second batch of the training will commence soon and other young people that heard about the training had been registering for it. This will develop the human resources of the state. It is meant to teach the people how to fish and not to give them fish,” he said.

Dr. Ajayi, the Programme Director of the CBN-EDC Southwest, commended the state for being enterprising and for being the first state in Southwest to sponsor individuals and create avenue for the training since its commencement in March last year.
Dr. Ajayi further said that of the 135 people that had undergone the training, 125 had submitted their business plans; hence, the State Micro-Credit Agency will start interacting with them henceforth.
He urged the participants not to waste the money they would receive for their businesses but to ensure that they create enterprises, employ other people in order to create more jobs.
Contributing, Mr. Babaranti also encouraged the trainees to persevere their ventures, noting that people can only take risks against waste but not uncertainty.
He revealed that the available interventions for funding of businesses included the Microcredit agency: N1, 000 to N1, 000,000; Bank of Industry (BOI) Fund, minimum of N5, 000,000; and commercial banks N10 million to N50 million, all at maximum 9 per cent interest rates. He urged the trainees to engage in businesses they are passionate about.
Mrs. Adebayo said the CBN is leveraging on research that has shown that economies thrive on the MSMEs, hence the CBN’s MSMSE’s development fund, YIEDP, Agric Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund, Financial Inclusion Programme. She added that the apex bank is looking forward to producing Osun rice in lieu of the current importation of rice.
In her remark, Otunba Laoye-Tomori, gave a wakeup call to the youth.

She emphasised that it is not right that artisans from neighbouring countries would be preferred to their Nigerian counterparts.
She said: “This should change and the CBN-EDC is one of the means of putting an end to this aberration. All the graduating trainees are expected to go and start businesses in order to end poverty and enhance employment rate. The era of oil boom is gone and we have to work with our hands.”
She further said that some of the business plans that were presented at the event indicate that things have changed to the better.
“This is not the first time that the CBN-EDC Southwest has partnered with the people of Osun State to provide entrepreneurship training and business development services. Seventy-five SMEs were trained through Co-operative groups that organised entrepreneurship training for her members in July this year.”