It was with grand style that the people of Osun welcomed the Islamic New Year (Hijrah 1435) as Governor Rauf Aregbesola led a huge crowd of Muslim faithfuls at a colourful display of fireworks to usher in the New Year Midnight Sunday.
The atmosphere was electrifying and carnival like at the Freedom Park, Osogbo as muslim faithfuls, both old and young, men and women, members of the executive council including the Deputy Governor, Otunba Grace Titi Laoye Tomori thronged the park to offer prayers to Allah and thank Him for witnessing another end of the Islamic year.
Governor Aregbesola, who joined the Chief Imam of Osogbo and President, League of Imams and Alfas in South West, Edo and Delta, Alhaji Mustapha Ajisafe, to lead others at a prayer session at the Praying Ground, Osogbo on Monday admonished Islamic adherents in the State to bring to bear moral and spiritual rebirth as the hallmark of lessons of the migration of Prophet Muhammed from Mecca to Medina which is called Hijrah 1,435 years ago.
The governor and other Muslim leaders later proceeded to the Osogbo Township Stadium where the carnival continued amidst songs, lectures and prayers for the state. Governor Aregbesola specifically challenged market men and women, artisans, public servants, professional bodies as well as religious leaders to let uprightness be their watchword in all their dealings with fellow human beings.
He said the Hijrah of Prophet Muhammad is now different as what is required of them today is spiritual migration which entails cleaning and purging of souls of anti-social vices.
“As we commence the Islamic calendar, Hijrah 1435AH, we must imbibe a covenant of peace, tranquility, transparency, honesty and good neighborliness. Let us ask ourselves or humanity that if Prophet Muhammad comes today, are we worthy of being his followers? What Hijrah connotes for us it that we shun all vice and put on the garb of good deeds,” Aregbesola said.
“We therefore, have a duty to live by the dictate of Islam and follow the path of modesty, virtue and righteousness. We have no excuse to do otherwise for Allah has stipulated in the Quran in numerous accounts how best we can live as true believers.” Quoting Qur’an chapter 7 verse 56, Governor Aregbesola lamented that if Islam promotes peace and good neighbourliness, where then do some misguided elements in the name of Islam thrive in promoting cantankerous vices.
“A tiny minority has emerged in Islam, who by their actions, has profaned Allah and portrays Islam as a religion of violence. They are at war with everybody and make no discrimination between Muslims and adherents of other religions.
“Muslims, Christians, men, women, children, aged, young and just anybody within their range is considered a  fair game and they always leave on their trail blood, sorrow and tears,” Governor Aregbesola lamented. According to Governor Aregbesola, the declaration of public holiday in the state heralding Hijrah 1435 AH is aimed at promoting justice and fairness among religious groups.
In his sermon, the President League of Imams and Alias, South West, Edo and Delta States, Sheikh Mustapha Olayiwola Ajisafe, said among other lessons, respect and prayers for leaders , following the path of holiness and godliness remains qualities a good Muslims must imbibe and promote at all times.
Sheikh Ajisafe described killings, maiming, violence, intolerance , promoting discord as behaviours Allah condemns among his creations. The cleric identified peace, security, health, education and youth empowerment as critical on the agenda of a government that truly wants to serve the people. He commended the giant stride of the Aregbesola administration and lauded his government for using development to redefine governance.
In his speech Chairman of the Hijrah 1435 AH celebrations, Alhaji Isaka Nofiu Alani, appealed to all stakeholders in the state to show more understanding and allow the ongoing education reorganisation, restructuring and reclassification to sail through as it is going to raise the standard of education in the state.
“I appeal to all citizens of the state, home and abroad, to show more understanding and allow the ongoing educational reorganisation, restructuring and reclassification to sail through as it is going to raise the standard of education in the state by ensuring adequate provision of educational infrastructural facilities as well as manpower to the effect that our children will have better understanding of their studies,” Alani said.
Also speaking on the significance of the day, Commissioner for Regional Integration and Special Duties, Mr. Bashiru Ajibola said that as the state of Osun is promoting tolerance and equality among all the religions people must take religion as something that should promote and not to hide under religion to cause crisis and chaos in the society.

Exciting photos of Fireworks in celebration of New Islamic Calendar Year (Hijrah 1435), held at the Freedom Park, Osogbo, State of Osun on Sunday evening 03-11-2013

From left, Deputy Governor, State of Osun, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori; Gov Rauf Aregbesola; Commissioner for Special Duties and Regional Integration, Barrister Ajibola Bashir; his Home and Affairs
counterpart, Hon. Sikiru Ayedun and Works and House Commissioner, Engr
Sabitu Oladepo Amuda, during the celebration of New Islamic Calendar
Year (Hijrah 1435), held at Freedom Park, Osogbo, State of Osun on
Sunday evening 03-11-2013

Muslim faithfuls witnessing the fireworks organised by Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s administration, during the celebration of New Islamic
Calendar Year (Hijrah 1435), held at Freedom Park, Osogbo, State of
Osun on Sunday evening 03-11-2013

Muslim faithfuls witnessing the fireworks organised by Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s administration, during the celebration of New Islamic
Calendar Year (Hijrah 1435), held at Freedom Park, Osogbo, State of
Osun on Sunday evening 03-11-2013

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; his deputy, Mrs Titi
Laoye-Tomori and other Muslim faithful, watching fireworks, organised
by the State Government, during the celebration of New Islamic Calendar Year (Hijrah 1435), held at Freedom Park, Osogbo, State of
Osun on Sunday evening 03-11-2013

Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme-Technology is a 6-month rolling programme inaugurated on the 24^th day of April, 2011 by Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola in the State of Osun Nigeria. This training programme in collaboration with a private organization is designed to train 5,000 participants (OYES cadets) in various aspect of applied technology. The government hopes to train and empower 40,000 participants in 4 years.
The programme has 10 training centres evenly spread across the state and covers intensive training on areas such as; Basics of Computer system , Computer Software Application, Computer Hardware, Computer Networking, Mobile Phone Software, Basic Electronics, Mobile Phone Hardware, and Entrepreneurship Studies.
At the completion of this training, successful trainees have various engagement opportunities such as; direct employment in private organizations (including the training partner), employment into a various governmental initiatives as well as opportunities to be self-employed through the provision of initial start-up capital by the government.
For more information, contact us via www.osun.gov.ng

Funmilayo Eso Williams (Mrs.) an indigene of Ilesa-West L.G.A, a Christian by religion, a Barrister by profession and a seasoned business administrator with over 24years of experience in the banking industry.  Daughter of an illustrious son of Ijesa Land, one of the most erudite jurists of this country, Late Hon. Justice Kayode Eso.

Started off with her A-levels at Burgess Hills School for girls, Sussex, South-East of England, and then proceeded to the University of London where she graduated with a bachelor of Humanities. Joined Afribank Nigeria Plc a few years ago then known as IBWA, she pushed further and successfully completed another bachelor’s degree in Law at the University of Lagos where she was awarded an LLB and thereafter completed the mandatory year at the Nigerian Law School Lagos where she was called to bar.
She worked at Afribank for about 23years, there she served in various departments ranging from Human Resources to Accounts and then the Legal department. She then consequently became the head of the legal department in the Lagos Area. She voluntarily retired as head of the Private Banking Department, where she led a team that provided services to high-net worth customers bringing banking to their homes. She has over the years undergone various courses/trainings both in  Nigeria and abroad.
After her voluntary retirement she moved to Ibadan and served as the Director of Schools at Bodija International College/School, a 40 year old high profile college in Ibadan, Oyo state where she is still a Board member till date. In August 2011 she answered the clarion call to serve her State of Origin as a Special Adviser to the Governor on Women and Children Affairs.
For more…visit www.osun.gov.ng

Osun, Kano and Niger states have declared today, Monday 4th Nov. 2013 a work free day to commemorate the new Islamic calendar as the first day of Muharam 1435 AH.
In a statement released by the Head of Service, Barrister Abbas Bello, Niger State Governor Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu urged the Muslim Ummah and the entire citizens of the state to pray for peace and sustainable development of the state.
He also urged Civil Servants to reflect on their commitment to duty while reiterating on his administration resolve to the promotion of religious peace and social harmony.
Osun State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Sunday Akere, in a statement said Governor Rauf Aregbesola enjoined Muslims to pray for peace and development of the state during the celebration of the Islamic Lunar year.
He congratulated Muslim faithfuls for witnessing the beginning of another year, urging them to celebrate it with moderation and live in harmony with one another.
Last year, Governor Aregbesola declared a  Hijrah Day as public holiday with a promise to institutionalise the holiday.
Hijrah according to Islamic teaching is the beginning of a new year marking the movement of the Holy Prophet from Makkah to Medinah.
In celebrating this year’s Hijirah Day, an Islamic cleric, who is the President of the Muslim Community in Osun State, Sheikh Salahudeen Olayiwola, has preached peace and harmony among religious bodies in the state.
Speaking at a press conference in Osogbo, he commended Governor Aregbesola for recognizing the peoples’ rights of association and worship.
Olayiwola said that the state could only record progress in an atmosphere of unity and oneness, calling on all religious bodies to work together to make the state socio-economically viable and investment attractive.
He said: “What Islamic religion preaches is peace and those practising it are always for peace. I know also that the same thing goes for Christianity. If we can now live in peace and harmony, remarkable achievements will be achieved in the state.”
WORLDSTAGE

The Commissioner for Health in Osun, Dr Temitope Ilori, on Saturday, urged parents and caregivers to make their children available for immunisation against measles and other child killer diseases.
Ilori made the call in an interview. She said “people should avoid the antics and sentiments that vaccines kill; they should join in the crusade against the killer diseases.
“The Integrated Measles Campaign embarked upon by the Osun State Government is to vaccinate children between the ages of nine and 59 months against measles. The Oral Polio Vaccine and other antigens will also be available during the integrated campaign and they are purposefully for children under the age of five years. I, therefore, want to urge traditional rulers, religious leaders and community leaders to encourage their wives to bring their children for the immunisation at various designated centres”. She urged.
The commissioner charged immunisation officers in the 30 local government areas of the state to put in their best and ensure the success of the programme. She said the state had taken delivery of 856,200 doses of the measles vaccine and 1,019,480 doses of polio vaccine.
The state would, therefore, vaccinate no fewer than 725,574 children against measles, while 853,616 children would be administered the polio vaccine.
Gov. Rauf Aregbesola of Osun had on Friday in Osogbo launched the campaign against measles. The governor said at the launch that the state government was committed to protect the lives of children.
He urged women to also do the same for their children by making them available for the vaccination at the designated centres. 

NIGERIAN PILOT

The Chairman, Osun State Independent Electoral Commission, Mr. Segun Oladitan says the Commission is fully committed to the conduct of free, fair and transparent local government election in the state.
Mr. Oladitan stated this during the maiden meeting of the Newly Inaugurated Board of the Commission in Osogbo, Osun state.
The Chairman, who noted that the Commission would operate within the limit of the State electoral Law, also charged members proactive in the discharge of their duties.
He maintained that the commission would not serve the interest of any person or group no matter the pressure from either politicians or any self seeking individual.
Mr. Oladitan also solicited for the support of media, noting that media had important roles to play in promoting principle of democratic governance in the state.
RADIO NIGERIA

Governor Rauf Aregbesola takes the lead by administering drugs during the flag off of the integrated measles campaign, held at the freedom park, Osogbo, State of Osun on Friday 01-11-2013

The recognition was given in Colombo, Sri Lanka during a week long United Nations-backed World Summit Award Global Congress on E-Content and creativity last Saturday.
Africa’s leading representative, Nigeria, won two awards in eight categories, at the Grand Finale of the ceremony.
The award ceremony was the climax of the week-long annual assembly of the world’s most innovative e-content initiatives in the following categories: e-Government and Open Data, e-Health and Environment, e-Learning and Science, e-Entertainment and Games, e-Business and Commerce, e-Culture and Tourism, e-Media and Journalism and e-Inclusion and Participation.
The august event was inaugurated by His Excellency, Mahinda Rajapaksa, the President of Sri Lanka.
The winning projects, TRANSPARENT NIGERIA (e-Government and Open Data category), pioneered by Harvard based Mr. Uchechi Iweala (son of Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala), and OPON IMO – Tablet of Knowledge (e-Learning and Science category) from the State of Osun, triumphed over 421 other innovations for the 2013 Awards vetted by the grand jury of global eminent experts.
The World Summit Awards (WSA) is a project of the International Centre for New Media that is organised among 190 UN-member States and runs within the United Nations (UN) framework of the World Summit on the information society. The World Summit Awards has been an on-going activity since 2003 in cooperation with UNIDO, UNESCO, ITU, ISOC, UN GAID and UNDP.
Grand Jury’s evaluation for Osun’s Tablet of Knowledge, Opon Imo 
“The State Government of Osun in Nigeria, as part of its strategic mandate to meet the educational needs of students in Osun, commissioned delivery of 150,000 units custom-based Android tablets (a library of easily navigable text books).
The tablets are packed in bear rugged leather to protect from harsh conditions of various remote areas of Nigeria and its schools. What makes the project attractive is the archival availability of content in terms of questions for the last ten years for the three levels of the Senior Secondary students.
Hoping that the students may not be required to look for physical text books, the tablet is enriched with multimedia contents including video, images, text and reference materials and test questions for practice”.
A statement by the Director, Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Office of the Governor, Osogbo quoted Governor Aregbesola as saying that the Opon Imo is an intelligent solution towards producing smart public school students in the state.
He said: “In the State of Osun in Nigeria, where I am governor, we have taken a giant stride in preparing ourselves for that future.
“This e-learning ‘table of knowledge’ is a practical and radical solution to a very daunting and nagging problem. It is our smart ICT solution to produce smart public school students in the State.
“Like we have made clear, the vision behind Opón-Ìmò is to democratise access to learning, to complement our overall education reform, to help senior secondary school student better prepare for School Leaving Examinations, and to use technology as a silver bullet to the learning problem in Osun”, Aregbesolasaid.
The governor said the introduction of Opón-Ìmò has not only positively redirected education but also laid a solid foundation for children’s ICT future, adding that it had also solved learning problems through ICT.
He noted that the tablet has provided a level playing field for all students from different social and economic backgrounds to learn under a comfortable atmosphere, saying opon imo has saved for the state huge chunk of cash.
Aregbesola continued: “With Opón-Ìmò, we have not only introduced a game-changer into the landscape of learning in public schools, we have also laid a solid foundation for our children’s ICT future.
“Already, the introduction of this device has saved the State Government a stupendous N8billion that would have gone into the purchase of text books for our free education policy.
“This veritable tablet of knowledge will level the learning playing field for all students from different social and economic backgrounds. It would allow them to learn at their own pace, and in any place they choose. Opón-Ìmò also offers robust and uniform learning content for all students, and provides a feedback mechanism for monitoring their performance.
Speaking on the environment friendly learning apparatus, the governor stated that the device the tablet comes with water and fire proof pouch while the charging adaptor also comes with a fuse to protect the device from the very routine power surges that are the bane of electrical and electronic devices in our country.
He added, “Its light weight makes for easy mobility that also enhances the ease of getting it charged”.
 DAILY INDEPENDENT