OSUN State has launched a civil servants’ smart card aimed at intensifying the use of information communication technology for administrative effectiveness as well as address the issue of ghost workers.
State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, said the smart card would enhance payment of civil servants.
“Through this smart card system, the workers can get their monies paid directly to their accounts instead of through any intermediary points,” he said.
He added that there cannot be mistake of identity in the payment of monies due to the workers.
The Governor said for pensioners, it removed the stress of going through multiple verification steps before they accessed their money.
Pensioners have previously been cheated of their money through the old system.
“The smart card eliminates ghost workers in the system. The card is linked to a credit or debit card and gives the owner access to his or her salary account, which they use to withdraw up to 20 percent of the salary with or without money in their account,” the governor said.
The smart card has unique enhancements and benefits such as biometric features of each user.
“The card carries the fingerprint of the card holder with which they can identify themselves,” Aregbesola said.
It can be used within and outside Nigeria.
The smart card project is a tripartite arrangement between Osun State Government, Chams Plc and First Bank Plc.
CAJ NEWS AFRICA

Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, has called on security agencies in all African countries to rally round their Nigerian counterparts to win the war against the Boko Haram insurgents.
Aregbesola said this in Osogbo on Thursday at the May Day celebration.
He said, “ Whether they  like it or not, we will rescue our children and they (Boko Haram) will die in ignominy. It is disheartening to know that some people are engaged in killing and maiming. There is no justification for all what they are doing. Shame on you Boko Haram!
“I call on security agencies all over Africa to rally round security agents in Nigeria to put an end to this criminality.”
The governor lauded the workers for the support they had given to his administration. He said that he would continue to ensure that they were not denied their entitlements.
Aregbesola lamented the 40 per cent reduction in the fund accruing to the state from the Federation Allocation, saying the reduction had an irregular payment and contributed to the delay in the payment of salaries of workers.
He, however, said that none of the workers would be sacked nor have their salaries cut despite the meager resources available.
The governor explained that the administration   had been struggling to pay salaries on the 22nd of every month up till December 2013 but explained that delay in allocation had caused  the delay in the payment of workers salaries.
He said, “ Forty per cent drop in allocation is a huge one. Salaries are delayed not because we are interested in tormenting anybody. But we are going to pay your full salaries.”
He also debunked the claim that the administration  was planning to sack workers, saying he had no plans to sack any worker.
The governor stated that the former Head of Service, Mr. Segun Akinwusi,  who told the people that the government wanted to retrench some workers, was not being truthful.
He expressed disappointment at the claim of the ex-HOS, who he said, he was under pressure to sack when he came into power in 2010.
Aregebsola stated that he kept Akinwusi to prove to the workers that he was not vindictive, but he was being paid back with lies from him.
The Chairman of the Trade Union Congress in the state, Mr. Francis Adetunji, commended the governor in his speech and condemned the insecurity in the country.
He called on the FG to find a permanent solution to the insecurity in the country.
NIGERIA INTEL

Governor Rauf Aregbesola of the State of Osun has disclosed that, he has signed agreements with two companies that will provide hangers for Helicopters and all categories of Aircrafts at the Osun Airport under construction at Ido-Osun.
Governor Aregbesola stated this on Tuesday April 29, 2014 while declaring open the first Osun Economic Summit tagged “Orisun Aje 2014″ with the theme “Crux of Economic Developmental master plan, Analyzing radical economic paradigm shift”.
The Economic Summit which is the first of its kind since the creation  of the state in 1991, has participants drawn from the academics, financial sector, entrepreneurs and stakeholders in the economic sector within and outside the country.
Aregbesola who identified lack of productivity as the reason for poor economy, enjoined participants at the summit to give their discussion the deserved seriousness and come up with practical solutions on how the state could overcome the challenges of revenue generation.
He stated that the state now has the lowest poverty rate In the country with 3% and promised to make continuous efforts so that the state would depend less on federal allocation.
According to him, the state now generate 1.6 billion naira monthly as IGR as against 300 million Naira he met, the development he attributed to several programmes embarked upon by his administration.
The coordinator of the summit, Mr Abiodun Agboola said the reason for organizing the summit was to enable participants cross-fertilize ideas on how to further improve the state economy.
Some participants who spoke to Bioreports expressed optimism that with several papers presented by stakeholders, the summit would bring a new dawn to the economy of the state.
The two day event is expected to come up with a communiqué.
BIOREPORTS

Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has debunked the claim by a governorship aspirant of the Social Democratic Party, Mr. Segun Akinwusi that the present administration in the state is planning to sack some workers.
The governor said this in a statement by his media aide, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, on Wednesday.
He also described as untrue the allegation by the aspirant, who is the immediate past Head of Service in the state, that the government owed N300bn.
The statement read, “Despite the dwindling allocation by almost 40 per cent since January 2013, this government still keeps its entire work force.
“So, I don’t know where you workers got the news that I will retrench some of you. This is just mere lies being told by our adversaries so that you can hate us.
“I am saying it categorically clear that this government has no intention to retrench workers. Rather, this government is committed to welfare and progress of all of you.
“I will only implore you not to listen to those who are pressurising you to hate us because they can’t do better than what we are doing.”
On the alleged N300bn debt profile, the governor lamented that those who ought to know and educate others were the ones demonstrating crass ignorance about the affairs of the state.
He argued that a state with such an amount as debt would need to pay N3bn monthly, which is the 10 per cent to service such debt. He said that Osun State did not even collect up to N3bn from the Federal Account monthly.
The governor said that he was disappointed in the former HOS, who he said reached the highest pedestal of his career and was now using his former position to confuse the people.
Aregbesola said, “If a state owes N300 bn, 10 percent of that amount is N3b, which is to be paid monthly to service the debt. If Osun is paying N3b as debt servicing every month, where does Adewusi think we will get the money to do all the massive capital projects we are doing?
“Where does he think we will get the money to pay workers’ salaries? With all the pressure mounted on me to remove him as HOS when I assumed office, out of compassion and my friendly posture, I retained him to complete his years in the service before he retired.
“It is therefore absurd and an act of insincerity and dishonesty for Adewusi to be spreading such unsubstantiated news about, saying Osun burrowed N300 bn.”
PUNCH

The State of Osun recorded another first in the deployment of technology for administrative efficiency with the launch of State of Osun civil servant smart identity card and biometric automation tagged ‘I am Alive.’
The smart card launch, which is another first of its kind in the country, carries the data base of all civil servants in the state and will also serve as credit card, debit card and also serves as staff identification, carrying their profiles.
During the launch, the Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, in his speech titled: ‘Identifying the Living’, said the civil servant smart card is to further intensify the state’s use of information technology for administrative efficiency.
Aregbesola said the introduction of the smart card will be highly beneficial to both government and the workers in the state. According to the governor, the smart ID card is electronically personalised with biometric features to each of its users.
This, the governor stated that It will add immense values to the activities of workers and will equally improve the capacity and cost of administration by government. He said: “To be sure, it was through the application ICT to our tax administration and revenue collection that enabled us to increase our internally generated revenue by 100 per cent within the first few months of our administration. “We have since intensified our effort to make ICT an inherent part of our public administrative system.
The introduction of this new smart electronic identity card is another component of that overall effort. “It will expectedly bring about many benefits to all of us; the individual civil servants and the government. It will be given to all workers across all Ministries, Departments and Agencies, including Local Government Council workers.
“The smart ID card is electronically personalised, with biometric features, to each of its users. It will add immense values to the workaday functioning of workers and will equally improve the capacity and cost of administration by government.”
Identifying the numerous benefits of the smart card, Aregbesola revealed that the card will help eliminate many sources of financial waste and leakage employed to deprive government of needed funds as well as helps create an accurate and reliable database for payroll administration and salaries’ payment.
Besides, he averred that possibility of defrauding any workers of the payments due to them is now difficult with the introduction of the card. Again, through this smart card system, the workers can get their monies paid directly to their accounts instead of through any intermediary points.
Aregbesola continued: “Leave bonuses for example are now tied to each worker’s birthday and paid to their accounts automatically on that day. “With this smart ID cards, there cannot be mistaking identity in the payment of monies due to the workers. In this system, identity is completely individualised and electronically personalised. “For the pensioners, it removes the stress of going through multiple verification to get their payment and also blocks the means for cheating them out of their money.
“By clearly identifying the living from the dead, this system ensures that ghost will no longer mingle with our workers or have access to our payroll in Osun. It keeps them where they belong – in the grave. It stops the dead from coming to steal money from the living. It makes certain that only retirees who are ‘ALIVE’ receive payment. This affirms the sense in the project’s title, ‘I AM ALIVE’
One very interesting feature of this card is that it is linked to a credit or debit card and gives the owner access to his or her salary account, which he use to withdraw up to 20 per cent of the salary with or without money in their account. The smart card is a tripartite arrangement among the Osun Government, Charms Plc and the First Bank Plc.
The governor also promised that by June this year, all school pupils from age 1 – 6 years will have personalised card that contains all their bio data .
In his reaction, the Director of ICT, State of Osun, Mr. Bambo Bashorun, said the smart card came at a time of security challenges and dwindling resources in the country.
He said that the issuance of the card will guarantee proper accountability and plug holes through which resources are wasted. “Creating a data base of all civil servants in the state is so important especially at this time of our challenging national life from increased level of insecurity to dwindling resources. “With the data base created, the ID card issued and I AM ALIVE process automated, the state had ensured that no single kobo is wrongly allocated to undeserved person in the state,” Bashorun said.
In his own remark, the Group Managing Director of Charms, Mr. Ademola Aladekomo, said the state of Osun has broken another ground in the ICT word in Nigeria. Aladekomo said the smart card will be given to all civil servants in the state.
According to him, the smart card can be used not only in Osun but also within and outside Nigeria and anywhere in the world. He noted that the card also carries the fingerprint of card holder with which he can identify him or herself. For the representative of the Managing Director of First Bank, Mr.M utairu Akinfolarin, said the idea of the card could only be a product of hard thinking.
He commended the governor for successful pioneering of the card, saying First Bank is very proud to be part of Osun technological success.
OSUN DEFENDER

The National Coordinator of Peoples’ Welfare League (PWL), Mr. Abiodun Agboola, yesterday, said available economic indices in Osun State have clearly shown that the state has moved up the ladder of development.
He also stated that the recent classification of the state by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) as the seventh largest economy in Nigeria and the rating by Renaissance Capital, an international financial rating agency, were indications that the state was in the “first row of developed economies” in the country.
The NBS and Renaissance Capital had, in 2012, rated the economy of the state as the seventh largest and fastest growing in Nigeria, while they also rated it as the second best in the country in terms of Gross Domestic Products (GDP) after Lagos.
Agboola made the observation in Osogbo at a two-day economic summit entitled: Orisun Aje 2014: Crux of Economic Developmental Masterplan, which was put together by the league to critique the economic activities in the state and the radical development of the state under Governor Rauf Aregbesola. He said the summit would afford stakeholders drawn from different segments of the society, the opportunity to examine the state’s  economy critically.
According to him, the useful indices emanating from the state were responsible for the decision of the league to do a thorough critique of the economy with a view to finding out the veracity of NBS’ rating as well as the impact of the economy on the people of the state.
In his speech, Governor Aregbesola said no Nigerian had any reason to be poor in view of the enormous resources available in the country.
He emphasised the importance of developmental economics, adding that his administration had performed excellently in this regard by impacting the people of the state through thoughtful programmes of his government.
He, however, decried the reduction in federal allocation to the state, noting that federal allocation accruable to the state had reduced by 40 per cent in recent times.
THE SUN

Many reasons why we celebrate the government of Osun on a day as this….

(1) First administration to start paying workers 13 month salary
(2) Conducive office atmosphere with beautification and landscaping of state secretariat, Abeere
(3) Timely payment of salary allowances and leave bonuses
(4) Provision of smart mastercard card with advance salary payment for workers
(5) Approval of backlog of promotion arrears
(6) Increase in subvention on car refurbishing loan
(7) Donation of three brand new buses to the Labour bodies of NLC,JNC and TUC
(8) Reconstitution of osun state staff Housing Loans Board and Local Government Loans Board
(9) Increase in subvention of pension and gratuity
(10) Employment of teaching and non teaching staff
(11) Lifting of embargo on employment and employment of citizens into the civil service commission
(12)Approval of training for staff
Do you have more reasons? Share with us on Facebook or Twitter @StateofOsun
Osun a dara!

Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has described as tissue of lies the allegation by the former Head of Service, Elder Segun Akinwusi, that the state government is indebted to the tune of N300 billion and that government is intending to retrench workers in the state.
A statement by the Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Office of the Governor, quoted Governor Aregbesola as describing as dishonourable for the former HOS whom he retained despite heavy pressure on him to remove him at the onset of his administration, to turn around and become an agent of wicked, naked lies.
Akinwusi was the Head of Service inherited by the Aregbesola administration, who was retained as against usual practice of new administrations retaining such officials.
The statement quoted the governor as speaking during the launch of State of Osun civil servant smart identity card and biometric automation tagged ‘I am Alive.’
Among others, Akinwusi is believed to be manufacturing bogus figures as debts incurred by the state claiming that his former position offered him opportunity to know.
The governor said there was nothing wrong with the former HOS’s ambition, noting however that decorum and sincerity must be considered while seeking the electorate’s support.
Aregbesola, while debunking the lies, said with all the policies initiated by his administration to uplift the standard of living of civil servants in the state, there is no doubt that his government is one of the most compassionate and workers-friendly.
He disclosed that despite drastic reduction in the allocation accruing to the state from the federation account, his government has kept the entire work force in the state and paid their salaries as and when due.
He described the rumoured impending retrenchment as mere figment of the imaginations of Akinwusi and his ilk, affirming that government is not even contemplating sacking any worker.
“Our administration is the most passionate and workers-friendly in the country. All we have done and are still doing is to better the condition of workers.
“Despite the dwindling allocation by almost 40 per cent since January 2013, this government still kept it’s entire work force.
“So, I don’t know where you workers got the news that I will retrench some of you. This is just mere lies being told by our adversaries so that you can hate us.
“I am saying it categorically clear that this government has no intention to retrench workers. Rather, this government is committed to welfare and progress of all of you.
“I will only implore you not to listen to those who are pressurising you to hate us because they can’t do better than what we are doing,” Aregbesola said.”
The governor described the activities of Akinwusi as laughable and dishonest in fabricating lies of such proportion not only about a performing administration but also to cause confusion in the state.
On the alleged N300 billion debt profile of Osun, the governor lamented that those who ought to know and educate others are now the ones demonstrating crass ignorance about the affairs of the state.
He argued that a state with such amount of debt would need to pay N3 billion monthly being 10 percent to service such debt, saying Osun does not even collect up to this amount from federal allocation every month any more.
He said Adewusi, whom he resisted all entreaties to remove as the HOS when he came to power, was just being mischievous spreading such falsehood.
“I am disappointed. This is somebody that reached the highest pedestal of his career and he is now behaving like an illiterate. Does he know the import of what he says?
“If a state owes N300 billion, ten percent of that amount is N3 billion, which is to be paid monthly to service the debt. If Osun is paying N3billion as debt servicing every month, where does Adewusi think we will get the money to do all the massive capital projects we are doing?
“Where does he think we will get the money to pay workers’ salaries? With all the pressure mounted on me to remove him as HOS when I assumed office, out of compassion and my friendly posture, I retained him to complete his years in the service before he retired.
“It is therefore absurd and an act of insincerity and dishonesty for Adewusi to be spreading such unsubstantiated news about, saying Osun burrowed N300 billion.
This is far from the truth. We will leave him to his conscience if he has one. But then, calculated lies like his cannot and will not detract us from the good work we are doing in the state,” Aregbesola said