Universities and polytechnics in the country have been challenged to come out with an innovative breakthrough in technology that will spearhead development in the country.
Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State said this while delivering a lecture titled: ‘Education as a Panacea for National Security and Developmental Challenges,’ at the 6th Prince Bola Ajibola annual lecture, hosted by the Magna Curia Chambers of the Faculty of Law, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, recently.
Speaking at the event which took place at the Oduduwa Hall of the university, the guest lecturer, Governor Aregbesola, said: “Since our colonial masters left this country, our institutions are yet to come out with any innovative breakthrough in technology, which is a sign of decay and bad omen for the country that wants to develop.”
He continued by saying that through lack of investment in education, successive administrations in national and state governments have crippled the educational system that what seems to matter now is the acquisition of certificate.
He also emphasised that the Nigerian state today is assailed by manifold layers of insecurity, and its progress is hampered by a myriad of developmental challenges all because of the continual erosion in the quality and standard of its educational system.
“For a country to realise its sustainability, education must be a priority of its leaders by investing huge amount of money as Osun State is doing at the moment,” he emphasised.
Governor Aregbesola noted that education must prepare a man to advance himself, community and nation. He, however, gave kudos to the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Bamitale Omole, for the doggedness he showed as an electoral officer during the recent governorship election in the state.
The Chairman of the occasion, Professor Nurudeen Adedipe, Pro Chancellor, Fountain University, said Governor Aregbesola was the right man to speak on the issue of education following his giant stride in education.
Professor Omole, who was represented by Professor Ajayi Adebisi, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, stressed that the topic of the lecture was most appropriate at the time the nation is facing security challenges.
Professor Adebisi said that the chambers were right in choosing the governor.
Also at the event were the Deputy Governor of the stae, Titi Laoye Tomori; Dr Olusanya Adegboyega and Prince Bola Ajibola, among others. The honourees, Prince Bola Ajibola and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, were presented with awards of excellence.
TRIBUNE

TO quite many that are already counting days to the end of the year, it is time they started counting their blessings-by rolling out the drums. But to some, notably Ladi Thompson, a humanist pastor cum activist, this is no moment for any drum to even “whisper!”
“Why must we dance –to celebrate the thousands that have been mowed down by the dreaded insurgents … to celebrate the inexplicable abduction of those 219 innocent girls – the future of our beleaguered nation?
Pastor Thompson’s emotion crumbled pitiably at his Ilupeju, Lagos office, where the encounter with this reporter took place earlier in the week.
“God, please take control,” Thompson, the Special Adviser to the President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on Conflict Resolution and Security Matters, pleaded.
But we have cause to heave a sigh of relief, pastor. We heard that our soldiers are rising to the task of containing them (the insurgents)” the reporter cut in, apparently to soothe his frayed nerves.
“We must refuse to be deceived at this point. Our soldiers are getting discouraged. While we were counselling some of them, we found out that Nigerian Air Force men were “shelling” our soldiers. Guns supplied to the Nigerian Army were mysteriously found in the hands of the enemies. And sadly, some of our soldiers shoot into the air instead of shooting at the enemies …where are we heading for?
“Many of our men don’t live to collect their first pay. It is obvious that there is infiltration in high levels and it is a clear fact that a house divided against itself would not stand. Our government must know that there is no global definition for terrorism. Each country defines and tackles insurgency in its own peculiar way to propagate its own existence,” he said.
On the way forward, Pastor Thompson said: “There is the need for us to put together experts that will define terrorism from the Nigerian and African perspectives. We must realise that one man’s freedom fighter is another man’s terrorist.
“President Goodluck Jonathan needs to recognise that we are in a state of war. We must know that the military is not the main solution to the war. We are dealing with moles in high places and they must be fished out. There must be an empowered bi-partisan body of critical thinkers to weed them out. All political activities must be put on hold for now.
“In the interim, President Jonathan should inaugurate an all-inclusive body for governance, while we sort out the issue of Nigeria’s future and the stability of its territorial integrity.
“We need, for instance, a platform where somebody such as President Jonathan and the patriotic few such as the Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola would sit on a roundtable to discuss the nation’s future. I mentioned Aregbesola because of the Omoluabi ethos of his government, which is the key thing needed to turn things around in this country.
“It is about patriotism, integrity, unconditional love, Godliness, fear of God and fellow-feeling. Since it is working wonderfully in Osun State, it can work for the entire country. We must not throw away the golden goose because of tribal sentiments.
On what Aregbesola’s style of governance has to do with the war against insurgency, Pastor Thompson said: “What is happening requires the kind of rare fundamental re-orientation that is happening in Osun State. It is beyond cosmetics.
“We can no longer avoid the issues that should have been handled fundamentally, which were not. Many of us thought the recent national conference would engender the desired solution, but unfortunately, the no-go areas are the issues causing problems in the country. So, we are back to square one.
“Sadly, the constitution of the conference was badly skewed because 95 per cent of those that were out to carve a future for the country belong to the typewriter generation that is still hooked on tribal, ethnic and religious rivalry oiled by corruption.
“So, their results are predictable and totally useless when it comes to forging a way for a digital generation.”
Using findings from various researches as premise for his argument, Pastor Thompson advised that “we must waste no further time in putting in place a regional defence mechanism.”
Continuing, he said: “In the event that we fail to hearken to the voice of wisdom, by refusing to implement all these things because some of us are still blinded by our political ambitions, it is going to be a matter of weeks before we realise that our leaders have slept for too long.”
Noting that the failure of Nigerian leadership has “made us a bitter disappointment to the rest of Africa,” he added that “it will be very unfair to the younger generation because in the event of a meltdown, African youths are not going to find any cushion anywhere in Africa because there is a lot of resentment against Nigeria.”
Pastor Thompson warned that it would be too late for the country if, in the next three months, the Jonathan-led administration fails to declare a state of war against all the secret agents in government as the insurgents continue to advance.
“When history books are written, it will be noted that there were some who belonged to a typewriter generation; people who were so self-centred, greedy and so myopic to the extent that all they planned to do was to steal the tomorrow of the youth to create comfort throughout their own lifetime.
“However, their names will go down in history as belonging to the worst generation in Africa’s history,” the cleric said.
THE NATION

Osun chapter of the Nigeria Cassava Growers Association on Wednesday said it had received 1,000 packs of herbicide to boost production of cassava in the state.
The Chairman of the Association, Mr David Ogunsade, said on Wednesday in Osogbo that the release of the herbicide by the government was to facilitate cassava revolution in the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that each herbicide pack contains 12 bottles of 4 litres of the chemical.
According to Ogunsade, cassava farmers in Osun are already cultivating 3,000 hectares of cassava farmland out of the expected 29,000 hectares to be cultivated nationwide.
“The Federal Government through the ministry of agriculture has made the cassava farming attractive through the release of loans, grants and critical input to the states.
“Each farmer is expected to cultivate not less than two hectares of farmland to encourage mass production of improvised cassava tubers,’’ Ogunsade said.
He said that the target was for the country to have enough cassava for the production of cassava bread across the country in 2015.
“We have also been assured of 4,000 bags of fertilisers to  cassava farmers in Osun in no distant time.
“This time, the government is investing in our farms as processors are also being empowered to buy the tubers from the farmers,” Ogunsade said.
A cassava farmer, Mr Salimon Ibrahim, from Iwo Farms commended the commitment of the Federal Government to the project.
Ibrahim implored the government to equip the processors so that cassava tubers would not go bad in the farms.
Another farmer, Mr Hezekiah Esan, of Oke-Osun Farm Settlement in Osogbo also tasked the government to execute the project to a logical conclusion by creating a ready market for the cassava harvest.
(NAN)

The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) yesterday listed the first company on the on Alternative Security Market (ASeM) since its restructuring in 2013. The ASem   segment  is for the listing of small and medium enterprises(SMEs) companies. A total of  five billion shares  of Omoluabi Savings and Loans Plc were listed at 55 kobo per share to become  the first firm to list its shares in the sector of the market.
Speaking after the listing, Chairman of  the company , Dr. Wale Bolorunduro said  he was appointed as the board chairman to oversee the privatisation of the bank by the Osun State government.
According to him, the bank came out in 2013 to raise N1.65 billion, issuing   three billion shares at 55 kobo each saying that this is in line with its vision to broaden its shareholder-base and get listed on NSE.
He said  the funds raised  were  used for business expand  branch network and  enhance information technology infrastructure.
He disclosed that the Omoluabi  Savings and Loans was  one of  the 33 mortgage banks that scaled the recapitalisation deadline of December 31, 2013.
“The mortgage industry is expected to experience a major boost in activity as a result of the on-going reforms of the federal government in mortage delivery services and monetisation of major personal costs. The bank is expected to witness a turnaround in its activities in the light of the prevailing environment of its catchment area of the Osun State,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of Morgan Capital Limited, the issuing house/ stockbroker to the  Omoluabi Savings issue and listing,  Mr. Ayoleke Adu, said  he was happy that his company pioneered the listing of new firms on the ASem.
He called on other market operators to support the NSE’s efforts   aimed at encouraging listing of SMEs, which are considered the engine room of any economy.
“We are happy to have achieved this listing and we will continue to encourage  the listing of SMEs so that they have access to funding and run on better corporate governance,” Adu said.
THISDAY LIVE

With the ongoing wave of transformation and reforms in the agriculture sector which has brought about empowerment for its stakeholders alongside increased food production and security, the Oyo State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Wale Adedoyin has declared the intention of the state government to join forces with the Federal Government, in order to facilitate increased availability of agricultural infrastructure in the state.
According to the Commissioner, establishment of more facilities and infrastructure in the state has become a necessity to guarantee advancement in agricultural productivity as part of measures to ensure food security and harness the empowerment opportunities available in the sector for the benefit of the people.
Citing the various projects established in the state by the Federal Government to include cassava production, provision of storage facilities and provision of modern equipment for food processing, he however noted the need for more to be done.
Speaking on the efforts of the present state administration to unlock the potential of the sector in the state, he stated that Governor Rauf Aregbesola had approved the establishment of more farm settlements in parts of the state which would be prepared and allocated to prospective young farmers, for the production of both food crops and livestock, adding that the state government had also provided facilities in some farm settlements located in Ede, Ife and Ilesha, among others, for use by young farmers.
Elaborating further, Mr. Adedoyin explained that the farm settlements were designed to provide job opportunities for youths, as well as increase availability of food for local and external consumption, stating that the government would provide the beneficiaries with access to farming inputs, credit facilities and security for the farm.
AGRONIGERIA

Gov. Rauf Aregbesola of Osun has sought for the approval of the State House of Assembly to access N2 billion from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Fund.
The  governor in a letter dated Oct. 23 and read by the Speaker of the assembly,Mr  Najeem Salaam, at the plenary on Tuesday in Osogbo, said the loan was meant to create employment, wealth and facilitate economic development of the state.
In the letter, Aregbesola said the Memorandum  of Understanding (MoU) that the state government signed with CBN stipulated that the resolution of the house on the said loan was required before it could be accessed.
The governor said that the loan was  in line with the six-point integral action plan of his administration, and urged the assembly to give the request quick deliberation.
“You will recall that our government has formally requested to be considered as a beneficiary of N2 billion Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Fund with the Central Bank of Nigeria.
“The Scheme is meant to create employment, wealth and economic development of our dear state, which is in line with our administration’s six-point integral action plan, which is banishing hunger.
“Apart from entering into the MoU with CBN among others, the resolution of the house is also a condition to be submitted to the CBN before the fund could be accessed.
“Consequently, I wish to request for the resolution of the house to approve the participation of the State of Osun in the CBN’s N2 billion Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Fund,” he said.
The speaker directed the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, as well as the  Committee on Commerce, Cooperative and Empowerment to liase with the appropriate ministries and government  to know the depth of the request before dealing with it.
Salaam said the committee should submit its findings within one week for appropriate action.
(NAN)
 

The Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal on Tuesday ruled that it would not terminate the trial of the petition filed by Senator Iyiola Omisore until the substantive matter before it has been heard.

The proceedings which witnessed legal and political theatrics took place as Senator Iyiola Omisore avoided the former Osun Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola who entered appearance before the Tribunal in the legal team of Governor Aregbesola.

Senator Omisore entered the Tribunal venue at about 9.15 am and went to take his seat in the west wing of the court room without moving to exchange pleasantries with Prince Oyinlola who arrived earlier around 8.55 am and sat at the west wing.

Leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) including Otunba Sunday Ojo-Williams who were in court earlier went to greet the former governor with warm embrace and throwing of banters.

The ruling was sequel to the application filed by Governor Rauf Aregbesola seeking the order of the Tribunal to dismiss Omisore’s petition because the Reply to Respondent’s Reply was filed out of time and the Pre- trial session  form TF007 was filed out of time set by the Electoral Act, 2010.

Chairman of the panel, Justice Elizabeth Nkpejomi who noted that the application had to do with the jurisdiction of the Tribunal to handle the petition ruled that the rule guiding it was to save the time of the court.

According to the Tribunal, the issue of jurisdiction is fundamental but in cases where time was of the essence, the application seeking to terminate the petition and the main petition should be heard together in order to do substantial justice to all the parties.

The Tribunal chairman noted further that the respondents would not suffer any miscarriage of justice if the application was heard alongside the petition citing the case of Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria versus Nzeribe as the authority that gave basis to the decision.

Nkpejomi ruled further that “we cannot locate any injury that any of the parties would suffer if we hear the application alongside the petition. Election petitions are sui generis in nature where time is of the essence”.

The Tribunal moved quickly to the Pre trial Conference (PTC) immediately after the ruling where parties agreed to file issues distilled for determination on Wednesday while further proceedings in the petition was adjourned till Thursday.

Chief Akin Olujinmi (SAN), leading counsel to Governor Aregbesola, Mr. Kemi Pinheiro (SAN) and Ayotunde Ogunleye for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had opposed the application by Chief Chris Uche (SAN), the leading counsel to Omisore seeking the order of the Tribunal to limit the time of cross-examination of witnesses to five minutes each.

The two silks had rather sought a minimum of twenty minutes for general witnesses and 30 minutes for expert and star witnesses as opposed to the five minutes requested by Uche.

The counsel agreed on the documents to be tendered with consent while those that would be disputed were also to be listed alongside the processes to be filed before the Tribunal.

Olujinmi had noted that if the Tribunal were to follow Uche’s proposal of five minutes cross-examination for witnesses, not more than one question would be asked from every witness before the time allocated would lapse.

The SAN also noted that members of the Tribunal were writing with long hands and were not using verbatim reporting to take records of the proceedings which would not serve the end of justice.

Pinheiro who aligned with Olujinmi’s argument promised to streamline the number of witnesses to be called by the All Progressives Congress (APC) only after Omisore and PDP had closed their cases.

The silk maintained that the court had no discretion in the application of the rule insisting that “we have unequivocally asserted that we are not consenting to any document. Let the record of the court show that. We have given a record of the documents we will be disputing. We may streamline our witnesses after the closure of the petitioners’ cases”.

According to him, the APC had frontloaded 605 witnesses but would only streamline them after Omisore and PDP had closed their cases before the Tribunal.

He opposed the application by Uche that the first and second respondents be merged into an allocated period of ten days to call their witnesses since they were similar parties.

Pinheiro observed that his client was sued and joined in the petition adding that he was not ready to sleep on any of his rights allowed by the law in the name of trying to save time.

His words: “We have frontloaded 605 witnesses and have given notice that we will call additional witnesses. We want to claim our entire ten days having been sued and joined in this petition. We do not want to be subsumed in any other party’s ten days. Your lordships have no discretion on this matter”.

The SAN then called the attention of the Tribunal to the fact that expert witnesses would be appearing before the Tribunal including ordinary witnesses who would need the services of an interpreter pleading that time must be relaxed for their cross-examination so as not to occasion any miscarriage of justice.

Time, he noted further, “must be relaxed for the cross-examination of expert witnesses. The same should apply to interpreters. My lords, aside from the fact that you are recording long hand, we may be using an interpreter. The request for five minutes per witness may injure our ability to effectively cross-examine any of the witnesses where an interpreter is being utilized”.

The same arguments were pursued by counsel to INEC who also requested for a minimum of 30 minutes for each of the expert witnesses to be called to give evidence before the Tribunal.

Justice Nkpejomi then adjourned the petition to Thursday to give ruling on the various contentions raised during the Pre-Trial Conference.

 It is inconceivable that an expert witness will be examined for five minutes. We will be objecting to the competency of the entire petition

Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun state has further pledged his commitment to accord women a pride of place in his administration.
Speaking while receiving stakeholders of Women’s Governance Accountability Platform (WGAP) and representative of United Nations Entity for Gender Equality led by Dr. (Mrs) Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi in his office, Aregbesola said his experience with women in service shows that women are veritable tools for the development of the nation.
According to him, Womens’ ability to respond appropriately to issues at the nick of time is outstanding and indeed a necessary tool to participate in politics.
He affirmed that his government is gender friendly and faithful to the 35% affirmative of Women in Politics, adding that he would enforce it when constituting his cabinet after his November 27 inauguration for a second term in office.
The Governor admired the determination of women who despite militarisation of electoral process, intimidation, threats of violence brutalization, and oppression to scare potential electorates voted for him on August 9, 2014.
Earlier, the President, WGAP, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi informed the governor of the commitment of her NGO to the affirmation of the 35% affirmative of women in politics through sensitization, mobilization and financial commitments where required.
LEADERSHIP

DEPUTY governor of Osun State, Mrs Titi Laoye Tomori, has described basic education as a critical stage in the overall educational development of Nigeria.
She made this statement in Osogbo, during a courtesy visit by Dr Tunde Adekola, a representative of the World Bank.
She disclosed that the Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme (O’MEALS) were designed to prepare pupils in elementary schools for mental and physical alertness. This, according to her, would enable them to compete favourably anywhere in the world.
Tomori informed the World Bank representative that appropriate actions and plans had already been put in place to ensure pupils in the basic education stage received instructions in Yoruba Language, for the purpose of understanding and easy assimilation.
The deputy governor, who doubles as the state’s Commissioner for Education, emphasised the commitment of her administration to the development, advancement and re-positioning of the education sector for the benefit and overall interest of the state.
Tomori admitted that the collaboration with the World Bank would facilitate the noble objective of the government at both basic and post basic sectors.
In his address, Dr Tunde Adekola  congratulated Governor Rauf Aregbesola  on his re-election for a second term in office, just as he informed the deputy governor that the bank would support basic education in Osun, through the  provision of  financial intervention to the government, in the area of training, re-training and re-orientation of teachers, provision of ICT to schools and educational instructional materials  executed in the cases of Ekiti and Lagos states, respectively.
TRIBUNE

The Osun State Election Petition Tribunal could not sit yesterday as one of its members fell ill.
The attorneys were already seated when the court clerk announced that the tribunal would no longer sit as a member of the panel was ill.
The tribunal, at its last sitting, had fixed yesterday to rule on an application by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore.
But the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Governor Rauf Aregbesola, argued that the objection must be heard at the pre-hearing stage in accordance with the law.
Aregbesola’s counsel Akin Olujinmi (SAN) said yesterday that the petition against the August 9 governorship election would not scale through the pre-hearing stage if the preliminary objections were taken.
He was reacting to the comment of the PDP’s deputy governorship candidate, Adejare Bello, who said his party would go as far as the Supreme Court.
In an interview with reporters, Bello said it was only the Supreme Court that had the final say on whether or not Aregbesola won the election.
Olunjinmi said Bello’s comment has shown that the petitioners knew the weakness of their petition.
He said: “Saying that they want to go to Supreme Court shows that they know the weakness of their case, because I expect them to say at the beginning that they are very sure of their case.
“That would be decided at the hearing, if we go to hearing, because if the objections are taken, I do not see the petition seeing the light of the day and that is why they are afraid of having the objections taken now.”
THE NATION