The Osogbo, the capital of Osun, will be agog on Aug. 21 as devotees of Osun goddess, tourists, cultural enthusiasts and indigenes, celebrate the grand finale of the Osun-Osogbo festival.
The 2015 edition began on Aug. 11 with the clearing of the traditional paths called “Iwo Popo’’.
The grand finale will witness a votary maid (Arugba Osun), going to the river with a calabash filled with antiquities to worship the goddess of the river on Aug. 21.
Osogbo town and the Palace of Ataoja of Osogbo had been bustling with activities in preparation for the grand finale of the Osun-Osogbo festivity.
MTN Nigeria, Alomo Bitters, and Nigerian breweries sponsor of the event were seen putting finishing touches to boast festival.
A trader in Osogbo, Mr Tunde Akinboboye, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that “he makes more money during the period with his colleagues’’.
Akinboboye said he made the money from tourists who come to Osogbo to witness the Arugba Osun as she goes to the groove on Aug. 21.
Mr Victor Remilekun, a staff of Gani Olaoluwa Hotel, told NAN that hotels in Osogbo were fully booked.
Remilekun said tourists from other countries and government officials across the country had booked almost every hotel in the town including theirs.
He said the event would add value to the socio-economy lives of the people as tourists and people from the state and country troop into the Osun.
“I know the activities will create avenue for informal workers to make money during the festival,’’ Remilekun said.
A security operative, Mr Fagboyinbo Abiodun, in Dada Estate in Osogbo told NAN that the police had been on 24 hour surveillance before, during and after the Osun-Osogbo festival.
According to him, everything is in top gear and security personnel will be dispatched to every nook and cranny of the groove and the entire state to fight crime.
He advised criminals to flee the state.
The Ataoja of Osogbo had said that the 2015 festivity would be promising and colourful as well as add more cultural and socio-economic value on the people.
The state government has declared Aug. 20 as public holidays for the traditional festivity of the Isese celebration.
The Ayo Olopon contest (Native ayo contest) comes up Aug. 20, while the final holds on Aug. 21 and Aug. 22.
The Osun-Osogbo Trade Fair will be closed as the festival rolls off for 2015.
THE GUARDIAN

Osogbo is agog with activities as the festival holds. Tourists are flooding the ancient town to witness this 600 hundred year old festival. The fiesta has evolved over the years to become one of the most anticipated celebrations in Nigeria and the world. It is held in August and commemorated to renew the pact Osun people had with their deity.

It is a fun filled and enthralling event that leaves tourists desiring for more. They should be prepared for a two week idyllic adventure as it features key activities. Jovago.com, Africa’s No 1 hotel booking portal highlight some of these joy-springing traditional performances to look forward to.

Procession to Osun River

Natives believe the Osun River has healing and spiritual powers. This mystery adds to the frenzied atmosphere of the festival thus, everyone looks forward to this trek.

The procession starts from the palace of the Ataoja to the Osun Sacred Grove where the river is located. It is led by the Ataoja of Osogbo and Arugba-virgin maiden. The Arugba, a female that has not been deflowered becomes the cynosure of all eyes as she carries out the responsibility of carrying the rituals meant for the Osun goddess. At the river, tourists pour out their desires to the river god and it is believed their wish will be granted.

Oloju-Merindinlogun 

The Atupa Oloju-Merindinlogun, meaning lamp, is a significant feature during the celebration. The lamp is 642 years old and has 16 points. It is  lit on the 6th day of the festival from 7 am to 7 pm with the Ataoja, his wives, Ifa priest, Osun priest, and traditional chiefs walking circles around it thrice while dancing to the admiration of the people and tourists.

Iwopopo

The Iwopopo or street cleansing is one of the early activities of the festival. The people come out in their numbers to pay respect to the Ataoja of Osogbo as well as pray for peaceful co-existence in town. The programme is spiced by musical performances.

Competitions

The festival has a handful of competitions lined up to entertain visitors. These  are mainly traditional games.

Children are also part of the fun as games are organised to encourage them appreciate culture. It is in four divisions namely dancing, drumming, and Yoruba spelling bee.

BLOGPOST

The Controller of Nigerian Prisons Service in Osun, Mr Tajudeen Olalekan, has urged the state government to construct a prison yard in Osogbo.
Olalekan made this remarks when he visited the Speaker of Osun House of Assembly, Mr Najeem Salaam, in Osogbo on Wednesday.
He said it was unfortunate that there was no prison yard in the state capital, stressing that building one in Osogbo would complement and decongest the Ile-Ife and Ilesa prisons.
According to him, it will also assist the command in the improvement on the existing facilities for the use of prison inmates and their trial.
He called on the state government to grant the request as fast as possible.
In his response, Salaam said the government had started work on what it would take to build a prison yard in Osogbo.
He said the construction of the prison was included in the 2013 budget but it could not be done due to paucity of funds.
Salaam said six acres of land had been allocated for the construction of the prison, adding that when the fund was available, the project would begin.
“Although, we are not prisoners in Osun, there is the need for us to have a prison yard in the state capital for the rehabilitation of incarcerated convicts,’’ he said.
(NAN)

The Osun State House of Assembly has said that it was untrue that it received a petition prior to the one sent by a serving judge in the state, Justice Folahanmi Oloyede, against Governor Rauf Aregbesola for alleged financial mismanagement.
Speaker of the Assembly, Najeem Salaam, stated this at the plenary session on Monday, August 17, 2015, in response to the claim made recently by the publicity director of the Civil Coalition for Emancipation of Osun State, Seun Adeoye, on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily that the group had sent a petition to the House earlier and was ignored.
Oloyede sent a petition to the Assembly calling for the impeachment of the governor and his deputy, Titilayo Laoye-Tomori.
Salaam said there was no record showing that any petition was sent before Oloyede’s own, adding that some other petitions came in the form of letters only after the one sent by the judge.
He said: “It is a blatant lie that any petition had been sent earlier. We have the record of what we are doing in the House. The first petition we received on this issue was the one sent by the judge”
According to Salaam, the petition has been treated with fairness, in line with the mandate given to the legislature.
“For that reason I want to implore the people to be careful and say things the way they are, rather than scoring cheap political points,” he said.
He stressed that the House of Assembly would continue to follow the path of justice, in line with the mandate and responsibilities of the legislative arm of government.
DAILY INDEPENDENT

A member of the House of Representatives Alhaja Ayo Omidiran, has predicted that Osun State will soon be out of its economic crisis.
She said with the beginning of implementation of the communiqué of the stakeholders’ conference held on August 10, in Osogbo, the state is set for an economic turnaround.
The conference was organised by the Osun Legislators’ Forum and attended by public office holders and civil servants.
Top players in the organised labour and private sector also attended, the event, where decisions on the way forward were taken.
Mrs. Omidiran, who represents Irewole Federal Constituency, was one of the prime organisers of the conference.
She said Governor Rauf Aregbesola has started to implement the meeting’s outcome.
“The idea behind it was for us to bring the ideas together so that the state can harness its resources to continue to move forward. We were happy the governor supported it and put all the government machinery behind it. We are confident the outcome will positively influence the state,” Mrs. Omidiran said.
Osun is one of the states badly hit by the financial crisis that followed the drop in oil prices, which adversely affected the cash flow into the nation’s treasury.
The state is just clearing the backlog of salaries to its workers.
The communiqué of the conference read by the representative of the labour unions at the meeting, Mr. Richard Afolayan Oyegbami, recommends that:
* government should plug the loopholes in the way revenues are collected;
* Osun people must pay taxes and rates before being compelled to do so;
*the need to review the cost of governance, particularly to ascertain accurately the recurrent expenditure.
*government should embrace public private sector partnerships in agriculture, mining and tourism;
*government should patronise competent local contractors to deepen the state’s economy; and
*parents should contribute a token to augment the free education programme.
THE NATION

Recently, Nigeria lost one of her foremost traditional rulers, Oba Okunade Sijuwade Olubuse II, the 50th Ooni of Ife who joined his ancestors on July 28,2015.
The late Sijuwade who was grandson of late Ooni Sijuwade Adelekan Olubuse I, was born on January 1, 1930 in Ile-Ife, Osun State. He attended Abeokuta Grammar School and Oduduwa College in Ile-Ife. On leaving college, he had a three-year stint in his father’s company, before working as a journalist with the Nigerian Tribune newspaper for two years. He later went to the United Kingdom to study Business Management at the Northampton College. On return home, the late Ooni joined the Leventis Group as a manager. In 1963, he left to become a Sales Director with National Motors in Lagos.
It was during a visit to the then Soviet Union in 1964 that the young and enterprising Sijuwade spotted a business opportunity. Armed with immense experience, he launched a business career that later spawned conglomerates in car retailing and real estate in his hometown of Ile Ife. It stands to his credit that the modern housing estate he built in Ile-Ife, provides housing for senior staff of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), thereby helping to relieve acute housing shortage for the institution. For Sijuwade, it was not only a business investment but also his contribution to the development of the University town. As a businessman, Prince Sijuwade maintained a diverse social, political, ethnic and ideological group of friends at home and abroad.
Before ascending the throne as Ooni in 1980, he was a renowned philanthropist. Fittingly, he brought this attribute to bear all through his 35-year reign. In his lifetime, Oba Sijuwade was a rallying point and bridge builder between traditional and other religious institutions in the country. Even at that, he also had several encounters with controversies that pitted him against some fellow traditional rulers including the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi; the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona and even the Ogunsua of Modakeke.
For example, in January 2009 Sijuwade was quoted as saying that the Alaafin of Oyo was ruling over a dead empire (the Oyo Empire, which collapsed in 1793). Oba Adeyemi’s riposte was that the Ooni “was not in tune with his own history.” There is a general belief that one reason Osun State was created out of the old Oyo State was to resolve the battle for supremacy between Alaafin and Ooni. This was because both monarchs were very powerful at the time, and their conflict was causing division amongst Yoruba Obas. In spite of that, the late Oba Sijuwade was a consummate peacemaker.
Observers credited him with bringing peace between Ife and Modakeke communities at the height of the internecine crisis over land ownership in 2009. The late Ooni helped mediate the dispute, leading to the elevation of the Ogunsua of Modakeke as an Oba. Also, in August 2010, he mediated in the ownership dispute between Oyo and Osun states over the Ladoke Akintola University, at a meeting attended by then Osun Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, former Governor of Oyo State, which resulted in an action plan.
His mediatory role is among the enduring legacies for which the late Sijuwade will for long be remembered. In his tribute, President Muhammadu Buhari said the late Oba Sijuwade would be remembered for his “worthy service and invaluable contributions” to the sustenance of the cultural heritage of his people. He had lived a very fulfilled life, and has left worthy legacies for his successors to build upon.”
It is befitting that Oba Sijuwade who died at the age of 85 years, would not only be remembered for his immense contributions to Ile-Ife but also to the entire country and humanity.
DAILY TIMES

Pictures of the Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola with the newly posted Controller of Prisons to Osun Command, Mr. Tajudeen Olalekan Kehinde, during a familiarization visit to the Governor in his office at Government Secretariat, Abere, Osogbo on Thursday 13/08/2015.

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (right) with the newly
posted Controller of Prisons to Osun Command, Mr. Tajudeen Olalekan
Kehinde, during a familiarization visit to the Governor in his office
at Government Secretariat, Abere, Osogbo on Thursday 13/08/2015.

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (right) presenting the
State Emblem to the newly posted Controller of Prisons to Osun
Command, Mr. Tajudeen Olalekan Kehinde, during a familiarization visit
to the Governor in his office at Government Secretariat, Abere, Osogbo
on Thursday 13/08/2015.

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (2nd right); Secretary
to the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti (middle), newly posted
Controller of Prisons to Osun Command, Mr. Tajudeen Olalekan Kehinde
(right), Deputy Controller of Prisons Administration, Mr. Charles Esan
(2nd left) and Command Public Relations Officer, Mr. Olusola Adeotan
(left), during a familiarization visit to the Governor in his office
at Government Secretariat, Abere, Osogbo on Thursday 13/08/2015.

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (middle); Secretary to
the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti (3rd left), newly posted
Controller of Prisons to Osun Command, Mr. Tajudeen Olalekan Kehinde
(3rd right), Deputy Controller of Prisons Administration, Mr. Charles
Esan (2nd left); Command Public Relations Officer, Mr. Olusola
Adeotan (left), Assistant Controller of Prisons Operations, Mr. Suhaib
Ayodeji (right) and Mr. Ramon Olayiwola (2nd right), during a
familiarization visit to the Governor in his office at Government
Secretariat, Abere, Osogbo on Thursday 13/08/2015.

The Coalition of Odua Self-Determination Group (COSEG) at the weekend, called on a self styled political activist, Mr. Yinka Odumakin to desist from his deliberate attempt to undermine the achievements of Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun.
COSEG in a statement signed by its President and Secretary, Mr. Dayo Ogunlana and Mr. Rasaq Oloko-Oba respectively, called on all well-meaning Yoruba leaders to call Mr. Odumakin to order.
The group noted that it is rife to alert Yoruba people of the hatchet job and activities the the Publicity Secretary of the factionalised Afenifere Group.
Odumakin’s action of submitting a petition against the governor of Osun to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and various media attacks have shown that he is hobnobbing with some few disgruntled elements against the Yoruba people.
COSEG held that Odumakin’s recent failed summit billed for Osogbo and later transferred to Ile-Ife has also revealed that there is a calculated attempt by him (Odumakin) and the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun, Otunba Iyiola Omisore and a few others to sustain their attacks and through that detract the state government.‎
The group stated that Osun under the Aregbesola administration, remain investor-friendly and capable of attracting the best of minds for positive engagements because of its peace and tranquillity.
According to COSEG, “We are opposed to his petition given the achievements of Aregbesola in Osun. We condemn his media attacks on the governor. This is a  government that has completely revolutionised education across board – both primary and secondary levels.
“It is on record that Osun is among one of the few states in Nigeria that can be judged as peaceful and with lowest crime rate.
“Even with the meagre finances of the state, the administration in less than five years has completed close to nine hundred kilometres of road and this has not stopped but for the temporary challenges ocassioned by finances.
“The performance of Aregbesola’s government  has shown that he is one of the most prudent in Nigeria considering his projects and resources. There is no part of the state that is left untouched in terms of roads construction and maintenance”.
COSEG insisted that Aregbesola deserves to be encouraged at this time of economic challenge of Nigeria and not be detracted.
“The current economic situation of Nigeria must be seen as a general crisis and not one that should be blamed on a governor. But unfortunately, that has remained the agenda of those who feel it is possible to destroy the efforts built by Aregbesola for Osun as a pride of the Black race”. The Odua group emphasised.