‪As Governor Rauf Aregbesola is set to take fresh Oath of Office therefore commencing another four years in office as Governor of Osun state, southwest, Nigeria, he has been urged not to rest on his oars in bringing dividends of democracy to the people of the state.
The Asiwaju Musulumi of Yorubaland, Alhaji Khamis Olatunde Badmus tasked the governor to see the renewal of his mandate as a call to finish the numerous projects his administration embarked upon and also to perform better. ‪
In a statement issued and signed by his Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs, Alhaji Dawood Ajetunmobi, Alhaji Badmus disclosed that throughout his first term, Aregbesola redefined the meaning of governance in the public sector.
According to him, Governor Aregbesola achieved this fit by bringing about the real and sustainable interventions that had enhanced the quality of life of every citizen of the state.‬ ‪
He added that since the creation of Osun state on August 27,1991, the people of the state have never had it so good until the inception of Aregbesola’s government which has transformed the state in the areas of good road network, qualitative education, support for Agriculture, business and good health care among many other developmental projects. ‬
‪The Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland therefore advised residents of the state to keep supporting Governor Aregbesola and members of his team in order to attain optimum results that would spread to the nook and crannies of the state before the end of his second tenure. ‪
While congratulating the governor on his swearing in for the second term in office, the religious leader prayed God to endow the Governor with Solomonic wisdom to steer the ship of the state to shore of more success.‬
GAZZELLE NEWS
 

The Osun State Government has declared today a work-free day to commemorate the inauguration of Governor Rauf Aregbesola. Director of Bureau of Communication and Strat­egy, Office of the Governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, who disclosed this in a statement made available to Daily Sun, said the public holiday was to allow people of the state partake in what he called the celebration of the “Triumph of the People’s Will.”
According to him, the sec­ond term inauguration of the governor would come up at the Osogbo Township Sta­dium. The governor, the state­ment added, urged the people of the state to pray for contin­ued peace and sustainable de­velopment of the state as the current administration enters its second phase.
He also urged civil ser­vants to reflect on their com­mitment to duty, while reit­erating his administration’s determination to drive the state to a prosperous heights.
Aregbesola also assured citizens ahead of his second term in office the best of gov­ernance in the state above what was witnessed during his first term.
He said: “We hereby de­clare Thursday (today) a work-free day to enable our people take part in the cel­ebration of the triumph of their will. We have offered ourselves for service for the good of the people.
“As often repeated, the best way to pursue our ob­jectives about governance is to run the whole hub of the mandate provided by the constitution that will give us enough time to meet our as­pirations for the people.
“It was in the interest of the people and the determination to put our state on a high pedestal among the community of states in Nigeria that we sought for re- election.”
THE SUN

Chairman of the Technical Committee on Road Safety in Osun State, Professor Joseph Fawole, has observed that activities of the committee set up by Governor Rauf Aregbesola coupled with those of other stakeholders have gone a long way in reducing road accidents in the state.
Speaking while presenting the committee’s quarterly report on fatality on road, Fawole said recent reports from the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) indicated that death ratio in Osun has reduced to the bearest minimum.
Fawole, who spoke in IJebu-Jesa in the Oriade Local Government area of the state on ‘Ember Month Road Safety Campaign’, said the activities of the committee and others have saved lots of lives.
While listing use of phone on wheels, over speeding and use of Tokunbo tyres as some of the causes of road accidents, Fawole advised passengers to always take time to check the tyres of any vehicle they intend to board and ensure that they were not worn-out.
He further advised them not to hesitate to caution any driver when over speeding.
DAILY INDEPENDENT

Osun State Chapter of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) has appealed to women politicians to take up the challenge by vying for elective positions in the coming general elections.
The chairperson of the association, Mrs. Toyin Adeoye, who made the appeal during a programme on community voter education in Nigeria organised for selected women in the state by an NGO, charged women in the state to develop greater interest by participating more in politics for adequate representation in the society. She emphasised that when more women are interested in politics, the society will be better for it, insisting that women perform better when in positions of responsibility.
She implored women to love and support themselves and avoid decimation among themselves while in position of authority.
Also speaking, coordinator at the programme, Mrs Ruth Omoloye, advised women in politics never to forget their home as the home supersedes all.
Omoloye stressed the need for women to know their rights and use their voting power to vote the right people to power.
Other speakers at the occasion include Alhaja Babalola Adubi, Alhaja Nofiu and Mr Tijani who admonished women that are yet to collect their voter’s card to do so in their respective INEC local government offices.
DAILY INDEPENDENT

Osun Sate Government has declared tomorrow a work free day to commemorate the inauguration of Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
The Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Office of the Governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, said the public holiday was declared to allow people of the state partake in what he called the celebration of the “Triumph of the Peoples’ Will.”
The second term inauguration of the governor comes up at the Osogbo Township Stadium.
according to the statement, the governor urged the entire citizens of the state to pray for continued peace and sustainable development of the state as the current administration enters it’s second phase.
He also urged civil servants to reflect on their commitment to duty while reiterating on his administration’s determination to drive the state to a prosperous height,
Aregbesola assured citizens ahead of his second term in office the best of governance in the state above what was witnessed during his first term.
He said, “We hereby declare Thursday November 27 th, 2014 a work-free day to enable our people take part in the celebration of the triumph of their will. We have offered ourselves for service for the good of the people.
“As often been repeated, the best way to pursue our objectives about governance is to run the whole hub of the mandate provided by the constitution that will give us enough time to meet all our aspirations for the people.”
“It was in the interest of the people and the determination to put our state on a high pedestal among the committee of states in Nigeria that we sought for re- election.” The governor stressed

The Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola,  Special Adviser to Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Development

Finance, the Commissioner for Finance, Dr Wale Bolorunduro and many others during a Courtesy visit to the Governor in Osogbo,

State of Osun. Photos below…

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (3rd left); Special
Adviser to Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Development
Finance, Mr Paul Nduka (centre); Commissioner for Finance, Dr Wale
Bolorunduro (2nd right); Assistant Director, CBN Abuja, Amina Umar
(2nd right); Secretary to the State Government of Osun, Alhaji Moshood
Adeoti (right); Acting Director, Development Finance Department, CBN,
Dr. Mudashir Olaitan (2nd left) and Assistant Director, Head
Development Finance Office, CBN, Mr Adebisi Adedeji (left), during a
Courtesy Visit to the Governor in Osogbo, State of Osun

Governor Rauf Aregbesola is an enigmatic individual whose trajectory epitomizes the building of a unique brand. And that brand is OGBENI.
I first came into contact with him sometime in the early days of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s tenure as Governor of Lagos State. A mutual friend had initiated an International Tennis Championship League called Governor’s Cup. The press briefing was slated for the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, with many prominent individuals  and potential corporate sponsors and stakeholders in attendance. So impressed was I by the zeal he showed and the uncommon loyalty to his boss, evident in the energy and passion at which he drummed up support for the project, that I unhesitatingly volunteered my own  support, which I would then sustain for the next six years of the Annual Championship.
His performance as the Honourable Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure in Lagos is legendary, and needs no further mention here, other than to say that his days of selfless, innovative service proved to be an incubation which prepared him for his sterling public service delivery which we are all experiencing in Osun today.
In retrospect,  I was happy, not only to answer the call to be part of the people he reached out to in the early days of his consultations preceding his decision to throw his hat in the ring for the Osun Gubernatorial race, but also to play a pivotal role in the evolution of his philosophy of People Friendly Government which we later put in print as his social contract; The SIX-POINT INTEGRAL ACTION PLAN.
Coming from a leftist background, he realized very early in his political life that the welfare of the people is the only reason to be in government.
The 6-point Integral Action Plan is a testament of welfarism borne out of a conviction that you can never go wrong if you put in place institutional framework and policies for satiating the yearnings of the masses.
His strategy of happiness in the immediate run for the masses whilst embarking on long run Programs and Projects is manifested in his unique Social Safety Net Programs such as Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYes), Elementary Schools Free Lunch Program, Senior Citizens Welfare Program, Program of Succor for people with special needs and the list is endless, which have engendered a bonding with the People he governs.
At the approach of the August 9,  Osun Gubernatorial election, a governor had just been declared the loser in the  election in a sister state  of Ekiti under questionable circumstances and the predominant rationale for the electoral failure was alleged lack of due attention to the masses, giving rise to notion that the progressive states, anxious to put in place modern infrastructure and amenities in their domain, often neglected the people and overlooked their hunger, and the obnoxious terminology “stomach infrastructure had just slipped in our consciousness like a thief in the night. He was confronted by the Press with the probability of losing his bid for the second term for the same reason, and this is what had to say:
“Those trying to embark on stomach infrastructure in this late hour wil have a lot of catching up to do because we have begun long ago and are four years ahead of them.  We are masters of the game”. June 2014, while granting an interview to Business day Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola proudly and confidently give assurance of his victory in the then forthcoming August 9, 2013 Gubernatorial Election. thus;
“Let me assure you, the overwhelming majority of the people of the State will Vote for us because we have represented them well in our first term, we have been accountable to them and we have served them with passion and integrity”
Indeed, he would not brood any doubt about his popularity with his people. He said this again at a public forum;
“I am a product of the popular forces, the people and I am part and parcel of them. I emanated from them and I am a product of their struggle.”
August 9, 2014 was therefore payback day, and, predictably, the people voted with their hearts, and Ogbeni rauf Aregbesola has now been given a renewed mandate to govern the State of Osun for a second term.
When Aregbesola story is going to be told, it would be that of a people-conscious leader, who has put in place some of the most audacious policies in rapid infrastructure upgrade, urbanization, and highest quantum of social service delivery ever experienced in this clime.
Interpersonally, Ogbeni is a good man. He has, over the years,  been surrounded and followed by a huge community of loyalists who believe in him, and the sincerely of purpose with which he has pursued it. He shows extra-ordinary compassion for his fellow man. And he is quite generous. When you came into contact with him, you will realize his personality. He has read far and wide and has held his own both honorably and with  eloquence in any setting, even abroad.
As a family man, he is the doting husband of his sweetheart, Sherifat, who , during their courtship provided the much needed encouragement to reconcile this restless young activist with his Creator, and has remained a strong pillar ensuring that he receives all the comfort and succor a General needs whenever he returns home from life’s many battles.
It is difficult to believe how a man of the People like Ogbeni could create quality time to attend to the nurture of his children who are all well behaved and now pursuing their various callings.
In matters of faith, Ogbeni remains unapologetic for his depth of piety, and why should he be? I have said on several occasions, I wish I could be as faithful to my religion as he is to Islam.
Yet he displays incredible understanding of the Bible which he quotes frequently and copiously whenever we get into discussions around ethics and morality. Not once has ever displayed discrimination against any religion, rather he is a foremost advocate of equality of the religions, and that is a disposition which is made poignantly clear by the fact that Osun is the only State where prayers are said in the Christian, Islamic and Traditional faiths at every public function.
Little wonder that he bedazzles even his most volatile traducers, and continues to wax strong as he pursues, with profound sense of urgency, his truly progressive and people-centered developmental agenda. His unique brand of People Friendly Government.
May our world be continually populated and enriched with multiple OGBENIS!
 

Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs, Culture and Tourism, State of Osun, Hon, Adetona Ayedun, has said that the state through Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola was targeting N15 billion revenue from tourism in 2015. This projection is technically and consciously proved by the robust gains interrelationship with tourism and cultural endowed nations like Cuba.
The commissioner who was represented by the Permanent Secretary from the ministry, Mrs. Olajumoke Bello, stated this in his address at the opening ceremony of the 2014 annual brand and marketing conference of brand journalists association of Nigeria, held at Osogbo over the weekend.
He explained that the Government of the State of Osun has aggressively improved the infrastructures such as roads, power and security in other to achieve this. “Our business visitation to Cuba has exposed us to ideas on how tourism and culture could be promoted as revenue earners for State of Osun in particular and Nigeria in general. This is what we are doing and we are reaping benefits from the actions”.
“There is no other better place to find and enjoy tourism other than where we are, State of Osun. Ours is a state enriched with diverse cultural attributes and elements such Olumirin Waterfalls, Erin Ijesa Spring, Ayunkunugba, Opa Oranmiyan,” he added. Also speaking the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Sunday Akere, disclosed that the state can boost of over sixty tourist attraction centres which the government is now concentrating development on to help cushion the shortfall from oil revenue.
He said, “There seems to be no better time than now when all of us in Nigeria will have to look beyond oil especially with the unpredictability staring the World economy at the face”. Akere explained that to get alternative income through tourism might be a solution as some countries today rely solely on the sector as the bedrock of their economic survival.
The Commissioner noted that the government, in its belief to improve the lives of the people has placed man as the centerpiece of all its developmental programmes because all the programmes being executed but the present administration in the State resolve round improving the lot of the people. In his paper presentation tittles Nigeria and Repositioning of Tourism Destination , President, Nigerian Guild of Editors and Editor-in-Chief, The Sun Newspapers , Mr. Femi Adesina, said that a lot have spoken volumes upon volumes of words on the need to diversify the economy of the country, and break the mono- product dependence on oil.
There have been conferences, symposia, workshops, both locally and internationally on the issue. But all the findings significantly end up in one place: the shelves, where they gather dust. Like in the macabre dance, Nigeria only takes one step forward and two steps backwards. He explained that tourism has been identified as one of the veritable alternatives to oil as a major revenue earner for the country.
Many countries of the world do not have natural resources, and depend largely on earnings from tourism. Israel, despite being beleaguered politically and surrounded by hostile neighbours, thrives on the marketing of its historical sites. All year round, tourists and pilgrims troop into Israel to visit sites venerated and considered holy by the major religions of the world.
NEWSWATCH

Delta State Government has dispatched a high-powered committee on food and nutrition to Osun State to understudy the latter’s school feeding programme in order to replicate it in the state.
The committee comprises 17 members and is led by the UNICEF Desk Officer in the state’s Ministry of Finance, Mr. Akozor Nduka. The members were in Osun State as an intervention by the Delta State Government to introduce the feeding programme to encourage pupils in crisis prone communities of the state.
Part of the tour of the Delta State committee members was the physical inspection of ‘O-Meals’ food vendors and their food at L.A Elementary Model School, Imo, Ilesa, as well as how centrally distributed food items like beef, fish and egg are being processed, packaged and distributed at abattoir in Ilesa and Feg Agro Farm, Ijeda-ijesa respectively.
Speaking to Daily Independent, leader of the team, Mr. Nduka, described the school feeding programme in Osun State as the best and most organised in the country, which other states need to emulate.
He disclosed that the aim of the Delta State Government was to introduce school feeding as an intervention to encourage pupils in crisis prone communities of the state.
Akozor, who noted that a hungry pupil as a result of the poverty level of the parent cannot concentrate in class, said the best way to encourage attendance, enrolment and concentration is by introducing school feeding at least once daily.

According to him, Osun is the leading example among the states of the federation carrying out the school-feeding programme in the right way.
He stressed that arrangement would be made to ensure those in authority and policy makers in Delta State come to the State of Osun to see things for themselves in a bid to facilitate quick implementation of the programme in the South Southn state.
Earlier, State Operation Officer for Osun School Feeding and Health Programmes, Mrs. Olubunmi Ayoola, while briefing the delegates before the field inspection, hinted that Osun school feeding gulps N12.7 million daily.
Ayoola argued that the Governor of the State of Osun, Rauf Aregbesola, was passionate in bridging the gap between children of the poor and the rich through ‘O-meals’ and other school facilities he provided, thereby making him to regard it as an investment in the lives of the future leaders rather than expenditure.
DAILY INDEPENDENT

When the mendacious Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) apologists began to challenge their metacarpus to furnish manufactured facts on political situation of the state on the internet, one would not only concur but also be of the same opinion that the initiators of that news are really brilliant.
Though, people of book, the learned would never be moved by the Akpors-like comedy that these apologists have turned to their main business, raising fabricated alarms on the on-going tribunal hearing, but only few are regaled by it.
Was it a PDP mischance or not? Despite being severely misrepresented, Aregbesola and APC won against all oddity and ambush, well-prepared by the PDP men and their boys, who left the required process of reading out their manifesto, but were fast to orchestrate inescapable propaganda that needed only magic to be freed from.
The PDP, instead of counting it has bad luck, has seen a joy in perpetrating a big lie, making mountain out of molehill to maintain their dodgy stand from falling.
Everyone thinking in the right manner would understand the strategy being used by the PDP as a tie-my- people- down formula.
The August 9, 2014 governorship election remains undisputable that neither Aregbesola nor his deputy will visit any of the tribunal proceedings since it began for there is nothing to be afraid of, as the much talked about evidence put together to challenge his emergence is quite meretricious; no wonder the gullible ones among them would be deceived even into the pit of hell.
These brilliant liars are well-equipped both materially and academically that they have once captured the attention of a whole Africa independent Television (AIT) after Nigerian Tribune had once become a victim of their deadly deceit.
No thanks to one Lere Olayinka, whose appointment in Ekiti State as a Special Assistant to the Governor has prompted our brothers in Osun to keep the fire of hypocrisy burning just like the former did in Ekiti before he romped home to victory.
To the cynics, let your twit fire keep burning but my question is still here haunting and hounding your conscience; was August 9 election rigged?
Keep sending your rain of curses as well, you are not as talented as the biblical Balaam, whose curse suddenly became a blessing.
•OYEDEJI OLUDAYO, Osogbo, State of Osun
OSUN DEFENDER