THE Governor, State of Osun Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has promised more dividends of democracy for the people, in fulfillment of his administration’s promise to take the state to greater heights. 
It is my great pleasure to be at the Maiden Annual lecture and book presentation of the Osun Development Agenda (ODA). I should like to most lovingly express my deep appreciation to the dogged progressives and untiring democrats who envisioned and brought to reality the idea of this organisation and its clearly defined objectives. It is with such efforts that the democratic culture is deepened and enriched. I commend you for your genuine interest in advancing the course of democracy both in the State of Osun and the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I thank you for the honour of the invitation as Special Guest.
The debut of the ODA Annual Lecture is to my mind a development that will further illumine the mind of progressives and provide political enlightenment for our fellow compatriots. It is a platform on which a new generation of young and dynamic politicians who will work sincerely and tirelessly for the good of all will be nurtured. Depending on the quality of commitment, the tempo of which I trust the capable founders of the organization will keep high each passing day, ODA may yet be an effective furnace that will disinfect Nigeria’s democratic culture of its hugely astounding impurities. And it is my hope that the tree of revolutionary, unprecedented socio-economic and political changes firmly rooted in the soil of Osun will blossom more and more as a result of the nutrient-yielding activities of ODA.
To this end, I would like to encourage the great minds behind this organization to ensure that its light continue to glow undiminished. Because your organization seeks to, among other lofty goals, unwaveringly promote the cause of impactful democratic governance, you must see to it that as leaders and members you maintain unity of purpose. All of your disagreements must be towards the strengthening of the organization to achieve its realizable objectives. Experiences and enlightenments from the chronicles on slavery, slave trade, civil rights movements, segregation, struggle for political and economic emancipation, demilitarization of political spaces, and even retrieval of stolen political mandates, unambiguously show that organizations and movements that seek social justice and wellbeing of a vast number of people do not progress freely without coordinated assaults and insurrectionary opposition from reactionary forces. Therefore, you will need to arm yourselves with courage, persistence, and grit. Maintain focus on your goal.
Distinguished audience, without being immodest, I should like to observe that the riveting story of the unprecedented socio-economic changes my Administration affected in the State of Osun is the stuff of a bestseller. The Osun we met after we retrieved our brazenly stolen mandate was one that had receded deeply into the cesspool of tormenting dysfunction-ality. But when we took over, we wasted no time in activating the engine of transition. And our transition has been with evident transformation. The choking debt, which was going to keep the state comatose, was settled. Within the first 100 days of assuming office we made a titanic dent on the monster of youth unemployment by employing 20,000 youths through the Osun Youths Empowerment Scheme (O’YES). Another set of 20,000 youths are currently on the scheme. We introduced sound financial engineering. This enables us to pay salaries, gratuities and pensions promptly without any negative effect on capital projects. There is now a significant improvement in our Internally Generated Revenue. So expertly organized is our system of finance that we need not rely on Abuja before we fulfill our statutory obligations.
We have achieved may enduring firsts in education, agriculture, health, tourism, community development, infrastructural provision, employment generation, social welfare, and security. Our public schools have benefitted richly from comprehensive restructuring. The revolution in that sector is ensuring the springing up of model schools across the state. The Elementary Free School Feeding Programme, O’MEALS, is not only quality nutritional meals for the pupils, it has also become instrumental to the increase in the enrolment of school-age children. With the recent rating of Osun as the State with the highest figure in primary school enrolment by the Bureau of National Statistics, it goes without saying that our Administration values education as the bedrock of its development agenda. Again we are the first State Government to demonstrate real concern in the way our public school pupils and students dress. Early in the year we distributed 750,000 uniforms to them free. In our quest to make learning enjoyable and get our students and teachers to tap into the vast resources of Information Communications Technology, we achieved another first by coming up with the tablet of knowledge, Opon Imo.
Our farmers are better today than they have ever been at any other time prior to the time we assumed duty. So viable is our policy in this sector that great developments are continually being recorded. Road infrastructure development is unprecedented in the State of Osun. No city or town is unreached. The refrain I hear is that Osun is now a huge construction site. Our urban renewal programme will make our state organised, more liveable and fit for foreign investors.
Moreover, great is the transformation taking place in our health sector. We are investing heavily in drugs, equipment and capacity development. The nine State Hospitals are now undergoing wide-ranging renovations. Tourism is gaining greater heights. Unemployment is continuously disappearing in Osun. All of our programmes are designed to create jobs for all categories of people. We have been rated as the state with the least unemployment index. As government, we do not make light of our responsibilities to our people.
Thus, it is heart-warming that ODA is presenting to the public a book which memorializes the uncommon steps we have taken to enrich the quality of life since we came into office. Personally, I consider the title of the book, Work in Progress, to be apt, for it not only affirms the fact of evident exertions, it equally rightly indicates that we are not resting on our oars. All that we have done, great and substantial as the doubtlessly are, put us in constant reminder that our work is not finished. Our day has just begun. There is still much more to be done. We are equal to the task. With the support of God and the dependable people of Osun, we will continue to give our best.
There is ample room for improvement. Contrary to the opinion that second term is a time to rest and luxuriate in wanton waste of money, the renewal of mandate we seek is to continue on the path of responsible governance. The firm foundation of good works requires a befitting lasting edifice of abundant socio-economic dividends. Until that edifice comes, with the foundation in place it is still work in progress.
I salute the leadership of ODA for their encouraging efforts in chronicling our increasing commitment to democratic governance in the State of Osun. The book is another colourful screen that will give wider visibility to the unparalleled changes our Administration is unalterably affecting in all the vital sectors of the State’s economy. With progressives like you standing with us, we will continue to provide beneficial democratic governances.
I thank you all for your cordial audience.
Governor Rauf Aregbesola delivered this speech as special guest at the maiden annual lecture and book presentation organised by Osun Development Agenda, held at conference hall, National Centre for Technology Management, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.
 

At least, four states in Nigeria the State of Osun, may soon witness construction of their hinter roads, as both the World Bank and French Development Agency (FDA) have concluded plans to inject about $230million into the projects.
Mostly importantly, the intervention is to ease transportation of agricultural produce in the rural areas within the four states of the federation.
Under the partnership agreement, while the World Bank is providing $170million, $60million, as each state government is expected to counter-fund to the projects to the tune of $12.7million.
Coming under RAMPII project, it was said that it would involve the construction and rehabilitation of 500km of rural roads, including earth roads and the construction, and rehabilitation of about 65 rivers crossing in each of the four states.
Representative of the French Development Agency, Mr. Federic Minaret, pointed out that that the project would be maintained by the community, noting that the road maintenance schemes would involve local population in the design and operation of maintenance works, thus creating employment opportunities for men and women living along the rehabilitated roads.
He said, “Special emphasis would be placed on the sustainability of the road investments through adequate maintenance, in partnership with the states”.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, in his keynote address, maintained that rural access was critical, as it remains the missing link between the urban and the rural areas where majority of the population who are predominantly farmers reside.
He regretted that poor access roads in the rural areas has resulted in low farm-gate prices, post harvest losses put at 15-20 percent annually and lack of access to other socio economic infrastructure which increases unemployment and rural poverty.
“This situation is unacceptable to us, let me reiterate here that for the full benefits of our programs to reach the majority of the poor farmers, we must fix the rural roads, even though, this not as easy as we say it”. He maintained.
Speaking through the Director Rural Development, Mr. Musibow Azeez, the minister appealed to  Osun and other benefiting states to set aside 5-20 percent of the total project cost towards the sustainable maintenance of the roads to be constructed.
The National Project Coordinator, (RAMP II) Ubandoma Ularamu, an engineer, affirmed that all the participating states have paid their counterpart fund.
THE GUARDIAN

State of Osun police command yesterday read the riot act to all registered political parties in the state, warning them to strictly adhere to regulations and guidelines guiding the activities of political parties in the country or face the wrath of the law.

State Police Commissioner, Mrs. Dorothy Gimba, in a statement made available by the state Police Public Relations Officer, (PPRO), Mrs. Folasade Odoro, advised politicians to comply with the warning in the interest of the state, saying failure to do so may cause problem for them.
The police commissioner also warned political thugs to stay off the state for the command is battle ready to go against untoward acts that would disturb and hinder electoral process in the state.
She said; “The command is ready to ensure that political parties comply with the law and order regulating the rules of the game, for the peace of the state is paramount to the command and it will deploy all machineries to ensure peace and protection of lives and property.”
According to statement; “Osun State police command wishes to warn all registered political parties within the state to comply with INEC guidelines on party activities as the command will no longer condone any infraction in the breach of the regulations guiding the activities of register political parties.
NATIONAL MIRROR

 The Governor, State of Osun – Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola Gold Cup Tournament gets underway  in Osogbo the state capital as trophies to be won was unveiled recently.
The tournament which was an initiative of the Omoluabi Support Group (OSG) in collaboration with  Oranmiyan Campaign Group, will feature  32 football teams across all the local government areas of the state.
Addressing journalists on the motive behind the competition, the Chairman,Omoluabi Support Group (OSG), Pastor Israel Alagbe said the group believes in keeping youths off the streets through positive engagement in sports.
The chairman of OSG added that the competition apart from serving the means of youth empowerment, was also conceived to gather support of the vast youthful populace in the state for the re-election bid of Osun state governor in 2014.
Speaking in similar vein, a member of Lagos state House of Assembly and vice chairman of OSG, Hon. Bisi Yusuf, said organizers of the event believe the competition will afford players of the participating teams the opportunity of pursuing their dreams of professional careers in football.
He added that football scouts  linked with leading African and European football clubs have already signified their intention to be part of the competition with a view to helping talents that will be discovered to play professional football outside the country.
“We have already arranged with these scouts like we did when a similar competition was organized in Lagos to storm Osun state and pick exceptional talent among the participating teams.We are of the opinion that many talents will be unearthed and they will be able to pursue their dreams with the aid of these scouts.”
Shortly before unveiling the trophy, the governor, Aregbesola thanked the organizers for identifying with him at this crucial moment and called on leaders in the country to continue to map out plans that can keep the youths positively engaged to move the country towards development.
Aregbesola maintained that youths in the state have in the past proven they are not bereft of talents,but only needed to be given rooms to exhibit their God-given gift, saying the opportunity the competition will provide will complement various programmes of his government to empower the youths.
NIGERIAN PILOT

 
Since the picture of the Executive Governor of the State of Osun went viral a few days ago, the social media space has gone agog….even display pictures of various profiles have adorned this highly controversial image of the Governor in a pair of School Uniforms addressing the pupils of the State, I could not but write about this!
The social media space is best known for having an extraordinary feature, which is, everyone has an opinion and there is space to share it; so you can only imagine the variance in responses; some too funny you need a tissue to keep your eyes dry; it kept going, from platform to platform, from phone to phone till friends in diaspora who have not called in a while picked the phone to ask if I had seen the picture of ‘Ogbeni in School’ did I know that finally, we had a massive social media trend here, and for a noble cause, driving home a message so strong and so positive.
The decision to wear that uniform must have been so easy to make, given the quest to see how best to make the kids see how much investment has been put into giving them an environment and an educational process to make them succeed. One can spend money on buildings and books and even tablets, but when this spend and sacrifice comes from a heart that understands the reason for the spend and the results it aims to achieve, then it becomes an easy decision to do all that is necessary to drive home the message.
So when I see that picture what I read is…
“Dear Pupils, there is nothing downtrodden about uniformity, can you see how excellent you look in your uniforms, so much I am proud to wear same with you?”
“Can you see how important you are to the state that we all are here today to associate with you as you start a new day at school, you need to stay in School to be successful and have a chance to be where we are too”
“Hey kids, do you know that just like one of you I give you the message of possibility in any future you want, because those who are in great places today are not all from golden uniforms, they also could have worn uniforms just as yours”
“It is always as you see it and as you want it, we have come down to you today so you can take our hands and stand up, be confident in your education and make us proud!”
I celebrate the Ogbeni once again on this laudable difference in the school system, the school of life inclusive as he sends a strong message across the internet and platforms so we are confident in who we are, we derive structures and processes to make our world a better place and in achieving that, we are strong willed to do all that seems necessary to make the message seen and sounded.
I envy the kids of the State of Osun at this time of governance, now the world is before them, success and excellence has been demystified, now as they face a new term, new system of education, they are confident to take it on, and make the best of it
As is usually said…Osun a daara and may God continue to give the State and its Government the wisdom to continuously make a difference.
ADEBOLA OLOMO (@debolaolomo)
LAGOS

Osun with its capital at Osogbo  is an inland state in south-western Nigeria.  It is home to several of Nigeria’s most famous landmarks, including the campus of Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria’s pre-eminent institution of higher learning located in the ancient town of Ile-Ifo, an important early centre of political and religious development for Yoruba culture.  Osun State was created from the old Oyo State in 1991 and has an estimated population of 4,137,600 people.
The state shot into international limelight recently when the government’s initiative at providing work to the unemployed youths in the state attracted the attention of the World Bank.
The state government, under the leadership of Rauf Aregbesola, on assumption of office in May 29, 2010 set up the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES), to address the issues of teeming youth unemployment in the state. The scheme was borne out of a realisation that conventional employment approach would hardly make any impact on the jobless situation of youths in the state and  the only way one could bring in a fairly large number of those who do not have anything to do would be engaging them in community, social and public services. Also, “when you engage the segment of the society with the highest potential for mischief, what you have done is simply eliminating threats to lives and property. If you don’t have productive areas to engage the youth, they would engage themselves in all sorts of societal menace,”Aregbesola said.
To start the scheme rolling, the government put up an advertisement in major newspapers calling for volunteers to participate in the project
According to the governor: “ The first advertisement attracted 250,000 applicants and we picked 20,000 without any primordial consideration. We gave the beneficiaries discipline and leadership training.”
The participants were categorised  into Green Gang (for environmental beautification and greenery), Sanitation Czars (for sanitation), Public Works Brigade ( maintenance of roads, public buildings and infrastructure), Paramedics (emergency services and primary health support), Traffic Marshall (maintenance and sanity on the roads), Sheriff Corps (maintenance of communal peace and order) and Teacher Corps (volunteer teaching in public schools).
A major advantage of this initiative is that the participants are engaged in what would benefit their communities and the undertaking was not stressful. A cadet does not have to work for more than two or three hours a day, and they don’t work throughout the day. They have time to do other things for themselves.
According to the governor: “So many of them took advantage of it to get themselves into other things. Some went into trading, some went into cooperative arrangements. Many of them are successful as we made it clear from the beginning that the scheme was not going to be a permanent engagement. If you serve for two years, we expect you, with the training you have received on leadership and training and the time you have to do things for yourself, to put your heart together and get something doing”.
Aregbesola said the World Bank became interested in the scheme after the state government intimated it of   its intention to embark on OYES.  “It interested them and they sent people to come and understudy us,” the elated governor said.
Besides, he said the OYES provided the background and basis for the setting up of the Federal Government’s Youth Employment and Social Support Operation (YESSO) which was launched in Abuja recently.
This is a laudable scheme which every state government desirous to take the jobless youths off the streets, should embark on. The injection of N200 million into the system as allowances to the cadets helps to stimulate the economy and keeps economic activities bubbling.
Besides, the programme is not discriminatory as youths from all parts of the country are eligible to participate.
Perhaps, what the Federal Government should do to make the scheme more effective nation-wide is to match the figures of the trainees in each state with equal  number of support to make it more appealing.
Also, for those who may want to go into other  specialised self-employed schemes, more time could be given for acquisition of the requisite training and skills needed for such self employments.
DAILY INDEPENDENT

The Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, donning public school uniform with a brown fez cap, taught the pupils of the newly commissioned Salvation Army Middle School inside one of the classrooms and also explained the need for the re-classification of school.
He said there was the need to maximise the resources of the state, adding the number of the pupils in the school justified the facilities put in place to enhance qualitative learning.
“Our dream is to make you all renowned scholars in the future, so that you can be pride to Osun State and the entire country,” he said.
Responding to question from a pupil on the source of his motivation, the governor said “the secret of my success is commitment and passion to achieve my set goals and objectives.
“That is why you too must be absolutely committed to your academic pursuit, so that you can be great in the future.”
At the inauguration of Salvation Army Middle school, Aregbesola said the new educational system was borne out of the educational summit organised by his administration when it came on board in 2010.
He disclosed that a sum of N14.67 billion had been earmarked for the construction of elementary, middle and high schools, to provide durable structures for the new educational system.
While describing as unfounded, allegation that the state was heavily indebted to financial institutions, Aregbesola said “in the recent financial reports of the Debt Management Office (DMO), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), NDHS Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC), Osun was not listed among the states with heavy debts.”
He contended that the new educational system was aimed at addressing challenges in the state educational sector, to match up with the dynamic developments in the global community, just as he sued for the cooperation of all stakeholders.
OSUN DEFENDERe

Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola yesterday reiterated his commitment to animal husbandry as part of his agriculture programmes to reduce dependence on the northern part of the country for meat.
Speaking at Oloba Cattle Ranch at Iwo during the official commencement of sales of rams to Muslims for the purpose of Eid-El-Kabir festival, the governor explained that he was committed to promoting ram and cattle feed lot in Osun state.
Aregbesola who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti noted that the ranch has the capacity to accommodate 10,000 animals for fattening.
Aregbesola said if Osun can plug effectively into venture of raising its own animal protein, it will provide at least 5,000 different jobs and five times more indirectly through animal husbandry and allied industries.
He added that the scheme would be managed by private sector operators in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) with the state Government.
“What we are opening is a vista for self sufficiency in meat production and unlimited business opportunities in agro allied industries. The rams that are being offered today are of the highest quality.”
At least, 2,600 big rams were displayed for sale at the farm with price ranging from N30,000 to N70,000 depending on the size of the ram. Buyers were already thronging the farm to buy rams for Ileya festival.
Aregbesola urged people of neighboring states to also take maximum advantage of the ranch and buy rams for the forthcoming Ileya festival.
DAILY TRUST