The Osun State Government has developed structure plans in collaboration with the UN Habitat in nine selected cities in the state to guide their development over a period.
 

 
 
 
According to a statement by the state government, the plans will help guide the orderly growth and coordinated physical development of the cities.

Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, was quoted as saying during the official handing over of the report on the structure plans in Osogbo that the step became necessary to address the problem of urbanisation with its attendant effects of indiscriminate waste disposal, unplanned development, urban sprawl, slums and inadequate infrastructural facilities.
“The structure plan programme was initiated to complement the urban renewal initiative, which is aimed at ridding the cities of shanties and haphazard developments,” he said.
According to him, the land use proposal policy and legislative reform contained in the plans will assist the state to realise sustainable economic development and social growth.
Aregbesola said his administration would continue to design programmes and policies that would enhance healthy living among residents of the state as well as open windows for economic growth.
The UN Habitat Programme Manager, Mallam Kabir Yari, was also quoted as saying that Osun was the only state in the country that had incorporated nine cities in a single project, adding that the cities were divided into three clusters to ensure effective implementation of the structure plans.
He called for legal backing for the plans in order to ensure effective implementation that would help harness all the required resources.
“The policies contained in the structure plans vested the implementation of the plans in the hand of the state and local governments as stakeholders in the physical planning sector. The task of achieving the structure plans within 20 years will be the joint responsibility of all the stakeholders,” Yari said.
The Permanent Secretary, Osun State Ministry of Environment, Sanitation and Physical Planning, Mr. Wale Ojo, stated that the current administration in the state was committed to the urban renewal programme with emphasis on Osogbo, Ilesa, Ile-Ife, Ikirun, Ila-Orangun, Ede, Ikire, Iwo and Ejigbo.

Old friends, like old wine,  are usually better than new ones. The Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola is an old friend.
 
 

 
The state he governs, like most in the country, has been financially challenged to the extent that it took a bail out from the Federal Government to pay salaries.
 
Although almost all states in the country lie financially prostrate like Osun, Aregbesola, perhaps for his vibrancy, oratory and radical views has received the most bashing.
 
There has been a respite, but now, an upsurge is sprouting. I took time to read materials  published about his administration, and decided to call him.
 
Having come a long way back, and sharing some ideals, I thought we owed ourselves some moral duty, at least to discuss. He suggested  I  come over to the state, discuss, verify, move around and make up my mind.
 
The first matter agitating my mind, is why a non-urbanized state, facing financial crisis, will embark on building an airport? First, he explained that the project was initiated by his predecessor whom he had fought a bitter battle to replace; but he saw the merits  and decided to continue.
 
Secondly, that there is a signed agreement between his predecessor and the Federal Government to share equally, the project costs.
 
Thirdly, that contrary to claims that he reviewed the contract sum upwards to N15 billion and shared the money with the  private contractors; the project is actually being executed by a public firm;  the Aeronautical  Engineering  and Technical Service Limited (AETSL) owned and incorporated on February 11, 2001 by the  Nigeria Air Force. He gave reasons for  continuing  the project.
 
It  is partly historical as the site is the first place an aircraft  landed in West Africa. Subsequently, the Control Tower which is still standing, will be the centre of an aviation museum. Essentially, the airport is designed as a maintenance hob to take advantage of the huge number of aircraft in the country,  rather than they having to go to Egypt, Ethiopia, South Africa, America or Europe.
 
This he explains, is  why the runway is as long as 3.6 kilometres with 2.4 kilometres of it already 55 percent completed. When we visited the site which straddles the capital, Oshogbo and the historic city of Ede, I was shown the valley-like depth from which the runway was filled.
 
He also said it would be a cargo terminal  which would make it imperative for firms  like the international courier companies, to use Nigeria – their biggest market in the region – as sorting centre, rather than a neigbouring country.
 
He also argues that the airport  would boost agriculture and tourism which the state, with famous festivals like the Osun-Oshogbo, is already noted for.
 
Sheer vision and will power he argues,  transformed Dubai into an internationally viable city and that even in poverty, a state should  invest  for the future. But why should the governor of a poor state  use helicopter for some  travels? He chuckled ”First, the helicopter, unlike fixed wing aircraft, is a bumpy  and even dangerous ride as it is low flying and vibrates a lot.
 
Chief Obafemi Awolowo  used the helicopter to facilitate his work in the 1950s,so what is the big deal? If I have to be in Lagos, why won’t I fly the helicopter, rather than spend seven hours on the road? It is not good to be poor in the mind” On the solution to the salary challenge, he said after using the bailout funds to clear the arrears, government  negotiated with the workers and agreed on how to use the funds accruing; to service the loan and commercial debts, pay workers and pensioners on Grade Levels 1-7, while Level 8 and above will receive salaries based on available funds.
 
To facilitate this, a 16-person Committee  made up equally of workers representatives and management staff under the chairmanship of veteran Labour leader, Alhaji Hassan Sunmonu meet monthly to verify the income of the state and determine the amount that goes to workers and government.
 
Education and youth development can be said to be his main achievement with the  state building and running schools. Some new school structures I visited, compete favourably with the best in the world. There is also the feeding of 250,000 pupils in junior primary school, and the provision of electronic tablets  to students in the final leg of High School.
 
He said when he assumed office “Students were learning  under frighteningly depressing environment” and that the quality investment in education will be better realized when those who began schooling under his administration, begin to graduate.
 
He said most of the  40,000 youths who went  through his administration’s voluntary service have been fully engaged and that the massive road construction which has been a hall mark of his administration will continue apace.
 
Aregbesola said he did not fail to plan: “The state  was not under any distress when we planned these projects; we had enough money and our plans were funded within the resources available to us. We got our contractors to fund our projects with bank loans. But the problem came with the economic problem the country was plunged into” I had read a publication which  claimed that the Governor has become so unpopular that he might be stoned in public.
 
 
From what I witnessed in the streets of Oshogbo, he has a cult-like followership, and would not need to rent a crowd for a rally, in fact, he may not need to give a notice; all he needs do, is walk down the main streets and the people will throng along.
 
I have been to many states with at least five times the monthly Federal allocation of Osun, and they have nothing visible to the eyes to justify their huge expenditure. So why is he subjected to such scurrilous  attacks in the media and on the net? It is easy to conclude that  some opposition is at work, but on the other hand, it could be an internal struggle within the Ashiwaju group in the APC; Africans say, the insect eating up the vegetable, lives inside it.
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/04/walk-aregbesola-osun/

In his bid to rejuvenate the state’s economy, the Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has hinted his administration readiness in partnering with the Nigeria Postal Service, NPS, so as to push-up the state revenue basis.
 
 

 
 
 
Aregbesola also commended the officials of the NPS for enhancing their services with the application of modern technological facilities.
Governor Aregbesola gave the hint while playing a host to the management team of NPS who were on a courtesy visit to his office, at Government Secretariat, Abere, Osogbo.
Governor Aregbesola who lauded Nigeria Postal Service for its forthrightness, doggedness and unwavering commitment in the face of mobile technological advancement, saying the thriving trends of NIPOST has demysified the palpable global competition and rivalry in information dissemination.
The Governor who noted that the post office used to be the central meeting point of people in the past, expressed delight in the fact that, in spite the global trends of Information and Communication Technology, NPS was able to maintain it standard.
He said the NPS’s advancement in modern technology has really placed the agency atop which according to him has improved the services rendering to the public.
Aregbesola who promised to partner with the agency said his government has resolved to improve the revenue basis of the state through genuine partnership and collaboration.
According to him, “I commend the management and staff of the Nigeria Postal Service for improving on their products and services in the face of the new communication technology that has taken over almost all forms of communication.
“Though the post office in those days used to be a rallying point for many people across the country until the advent of modern technology that has eroded the communication parlance, but regardless of this, NIPOST has continued to strive and continuously made itself relevant in matching modern communication technology.”
“For this impressive strides, the present administration will continue to look for means to support NPS through the provision of basic things that would fast track smooth operation as we believe that your organization would aid the state in its drive towards an improved Internally Generated Revenue.
He therefore charged the ministry of Lands, Physical Planning and Urban Development to provide land capable of housing Post Offices in the state secretariat as being requested by the officials of the NPS.
Earlier, the Area Manager of Nigeria Postal Service, Mrs. Adedoyin Adeniyi who expressed profound gratitude to the State Government on its prompt support and collaboration in spite the state’s lean resources, thereby promised a continued quality service delivery in the state and beyond.
Mrs. Adeniyi also commended the people of the state for their continuous patronage which she said had encouraged the potential of the organization
Mrs. Adeniyi who implored the state to provide the organization, a parcel of land to build a modern post offices in some major cities in the state, said the level of
infrastructural development going on across the state has distant some post offices from being accessible by the people.
She however urged Governor Aregbesola to approve the implementation of Stamp Duties Act in all ministries, agencies and other institutions of government in the state, saying if being approved, it would go a long way to fast track a sustainable partnership between the state and the agency.
“We salute your enormous work in this state and for us, this has enhanced the patronage of our products and services.
“It is our collective beliefs that despite the new technology of communication that has taken up everywhere today, the Nigeria Postal Service in Osun is doing very well as being manifested in our outward output”, she buttressed.

Alhaji Fatai Kolawole, the Permanent Secretary of the Osun State Universal Basic Education Board, says the board is set to train 2,000 teachers in the state in modern teaching techniques.
 

 
 
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Saturday in Osogbo, Kolawole stated that the paucity of funds in the state would not prevent the board from training and re-training its teachers.
 
He further explained that the state government, irrespective of its financial restraints, placed premium on qualitative education through competent teaching staff.
 
According to him, the more exposed teachers become in diverse fields, the better for pupils and students and the greater the hope for a better future.
 
He reiterated the resolve of the state government in redefining the tenets of education in all ramifications to prepare students for a better future and make them responsible to the nation.
 
He said: “We are exposing more than 2,000 teachers to modern teaching techniques which include money management and information communication technology.
 
“The rationale behind the training is to impact qualitative education in our students and pupils through well trained and competent teachers.
 
“We are making efforts to prepare our students for the future in the advanced global environment to contribute their quota to the development of our state and nation at large.”
 
Kolawole maintained that the development of infrastructure in all schools across the state was to aid the process of learning.
 
He also said more than N6 billion had so far been expended on the construction of schools.

Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has called on the Federal Government to set up a commission of inquiry to investigate crude oil theft amounting to N5.8 trillion under the previous Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration.
 

 
 
The governor stated this when members of The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) presented a letter to the governor for onward transmission to President Muhammadu Buhari at the Governor’s Office in Osogbo.
Aregbesola praised CDHR for joining President Muhammadu Buhari in his commitment to recover the nation’s resources that was stolen by corrupt public officers.
The governor advised CDHR not to overlook the area of the crude oil theft under the watch of PDP administration.
He stated that the present administration will be doing the nation good by setting up an inquiry into how 400,000 barrels of crude oil were stolen daily.

The governor urged CDHR to be vehement as it is in condemning corruption to embark on campaign that will charge Nigerians to be productive.
Aregbesola said: “Besides corruption what is actually affecting the country is low productivity. As we are condemning corruption, we should also charge ourselves to be productive. We should be able to earn our living as a people.
“I promise to deliver this letter to the President when he comes back from China and I will let him know how passionate you are on the war against corruption.”

Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni  Rauf Aregbesola, has said that the state would soon become the hub of cocoa production in Nigeria with the revival of the moribund Osun Cocoa Production Industry.
 

 
 
The governor made the remarks in Ede during a facility tour of the resuscitated Cocoa Production Industry in partnership with Chinese Company, Golden Monkey of China.
The partnership between Osun Government and the Chinese Company to revive the cocoa production after 15 years is based on 70 and 30 percent equity respectively.
Mr. Aregbesola said the present production capacity of 20,000 metric tonnes per day was a good development when compared to its 5,000 metric tonnes capacity per day in 2001, after which it was abandoned.
“With this production level, the name of our state will be on the map of the world as a centre of excellence in the processing of cocoa and other products.
The governor said the Cocoa Industry would go a long way to support the state’s agricultural plan to develop cocoa farming in the state.
He commended the partnering company for its commitment to the contractual agreement by hitting the ground running.
Earlier in her remarks, Song Lin, the Assistant General Manager of Skyrun Cocoa Production Industry, said the management had increased the production capacity of the industry four times.

She said the company was presently producing cocoa liquid and soon, the organisation would be producing cocoa powder and cake.‎
In his speech, Adewale Adeeyo, the Chairman, Board of Directors of the Industry, said the state invested a lot of energy to make the project a reality.‎‎
Mr. Adeeyo explained that with the resuscitation of the company, the business of cocoa produce buyers and farmers had been positively rejuvenated. (NAN

Speaker, State of Osun House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Najeem Salaam has commended Governor Rauf Aregbesola for reinvigorating his interest in cocoa produce and other agro-allied businesses saying that Was a smart move for a state desires to boost its internally generated revenue.
 

 
Speaker Salaam made the statement in Ejigbo while addressing supporters of All Progressives Congress (APC), stressing that the only credible alternative now was to rejig agriculture in the state with a view to having a comparative advantage on the national table.
He said the state parliament under his watch would throw its weight behind the governor on his drive to push agriculture as a new frontier for revenue generation, asserting that the strive to put smile on the faces of the people would not be halted by global economic downturn with the new drive on agriculture.
Speaker Salaam then charged the rural dwellers to enhance their capacity on modern farming by engaging the officers of extension office and ministry officials, as he urged the officials of agric ministry to design a scheme that would facilitate a productive engagement between themselves and the farmers.
He further enjoined all adults in the state to fight unemployment with farming and agribusiness, saying the situation of things now has compelled the youth to have a rethink on white collar job, which is getting complicated by the shrinking industries and resources.

The governor, state of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola, yesterday met with the members of the State Farmers Association, at Oke-Osin, Atakumosa West Local Council.
In what was a move like no other, the farmers expressed their gratitude to the governor for honoring his word and paying them such an August visit.
Here are pictures from the one of a kind meeting.
 

Head of the Farmers Feed School welcoming Ogbeni and his team to the farm meeting

Farmers Women leader addressing the gathering as Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and his team listen on

Chairman of the ” Agbedowo” association thanked the government for its support for agriculture

Another Woman holds the floor, appealing to government to do more to aid rural farmers

Some of the various groups present at the meeting with the governor

Mr Governor takes the floor to the applauds of the crowd.

The crowd is held spell bound as Ogbeni addresses them on government’s efforts in the agricultural sector

Some hung on the trees just to be part of this unique meeting

Cocoa is a major export product of the state of Osun

Ogbeni goes to farm

The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has insisted that his administration would spare no effort in making agricultural sector the bedrock of economic sustainability in the state.
 

 
 
 
Aregbesola also restated his administration readiness to continuously turn around the fortunes of farmers  in the state for better productivity.
Governor Aregbesola gave the assurance while addressing the members of the State Farmers Association, during a meeting at Oke-Osin, Atakumosa West Local Government area of the state.
Governor Aregbesola who described agriculture as the only sustainable alternative to current economic reality, said his government would do all it could to empower the farmers for an increased productivity.
The Governor who decried  the way and manner in which the nation’s resources had been grossly mismanaged in the past said, the time has come to invest tremendously in agriculture so as to cushion the effects of the present economic situation.
Aregbesola contented that the era of perceiving crude oil as a sustainable economic resources in the country has gradually faded away, hence called for the need to genuinely diversify the economy for better productivity and an enhanced general well being.
Governor Aregbesola further explained that his government since assumption of office has been investing significantly on agriculture having considered it as the everlasting sector for economic sustainability.
He said as part of his six Integral Action Plans for the good people of the state, his government had successfully identified agriculture sector as the only surviving tool for socioeconomic and political integration.
Governor Aregbesola attributed some of the successes recorded in agriculture sector to what he regarded as prompt empowerment and motivation of farmers in the state, stressing that on no account has his administration fail to prioritize the sector in its annual economic planning and appropriation.
Aregbesola said as part of his administration’s commitment to revamp  agriculture, the current government had resolved in moving round the rural areas where it was believed farmers were predominated in order to appropriately articulate the general needs of farmers and enhance greater productivity.
He revealed that the appropriate steps taken by his administration in resuscitating the dearth state of agriculture sector in the state, thus brought about the landmark achievements recorded so far.
Aregbesola who expressed dissatisfaction over the current state of the nation’s economy predicted that unless government at all levels appropriately diversify the economy into agriculture, mining, solid minerals, science and technology among others, the economic survival of the nation was at stake.
He added, “our government having being informed on the need to diversify economic decided to bring the farmers to the limelight of economic sustainability”.
“We have brought dividends of democracy to the grassroots and as a matter of fact today, we have recorded greater benefits on these genuine initiatives”.
“As part of our mission to support subsistence farmers to commercial farmers, we have so far granted loan facilities to our farmers and also disbursed the needed facilities and chemicals across the state’s farmers”.
“To this end, we are projecting further in our resolves to facilitate more benefits and support,  to facilitate more participation in farming”.
Governor Aregbesola therefore encouraged all to develop interest in farming so as to reduce the unemployment rate and as well increase the agricultural productivity in the state.
Earlier, Chairman, Farmers Field School, Mr. Timothy Akingbade commended Governor Aregbesola for keeping the promises made to the people of the state, saying the impacts of the present administration have been greatly felt over the years.
Mr. Akingbade implored the state government not to relent in its efforts at repositioning agriculture sector, just as he assured ultimate support of farmers.
While giving analysis of the loan facilities provided for the farmers in the state, a representative of the Quick Impact Intervention Programme for Farmers, Mr. Eluyemi Arowolo, disclosed that almost N1billion has been given out as loan to farmers across the state.
Mr. Arowolo who confirmed the statement in the report issued out by the organization on the loan facilities being provided by the Bank of Agriculture, said the organization was determined to assist any farmer who is confident of what he does.
He therefore urged those who have benefited from the loans to as a matter of necessity refund it within the agreed period so as to open advantage for others.
In his remarks, the Olosin of Osin, Chief Lawrence Apata lauded Governor Aregbesola for prioritizing farmers’ welfare in all his policies and programmes.
Chief Apata who described Governor Aregbesola as a lover of farmers, said in the history of the state, no government has ever paid adequate attention to farmers as being done by the present administration.
He called on the state government to continuously supporting farmers and provide the needful needs so as to enhance the better participation in farming and as well boost the agricultural sector.
Chief Apata who identified social amenities as the major challenge of rural dwellers, thereby implored Governor Aregbesola to fast track the provision of modern facilities especially mobile networks, motorable roads, portable water, electricity among others.

The government of the state of Osun has directed the closure of all unregistered private hospitals and related health institutions across the state until they are properly updated and registered.
 
 

 
 
This is contained in a statement signed by Dr Akinyinka Esho, the Permanent Secretary, state Ministry of Health.
Esho also directed all registered clinics and convalescent homes to report at the ministry to re-affirm their status within seven days.
 
He said the state government had resolved to review the activities of all private hospitals and other health facilities in order to ensure proper health care service delivery.
 
The permanent secretary, therefore, enjoined all the affected private hospitals and clinics to comply with the directives, warning that failure to do so would attract severe sanctions.