Download inspiring Quotes from the people of the State of Osun about the Government of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. Visit the website at www.osun.gov.ng or Twitter @stateofosun for more updates on the State of Osun and its projects.
Category: News
The Security Council of the State of Osun on Wednesday debunked the rumour that Boko Haram has imported its terror activities into the State.
Addressing the press on behalf of the council, the Police Commissioner, Ibrahim Maishanu described as false a report in the media of an alleged bomb blast in Ile-Ife on Tuesday, thereby insinuating that the Boko Haram terror group has made incursion into the South-West state.
Other security chiefs at the briefing include the Director of State Services Andrew I or yards, Commandant Nigerian Army Engineering Construction Regiment Ede Brig General Gbenga Adeyemo, Sector Commander FRSC Muhammed Hussein.
Maishanu said the detachment of police that went to the spot of the alleged explosion only found a banger and not a deadly explosive or bomb as was earlier reported, which explained while no live was lost nor injuries recorded.
The police boss said the banger went off in an area predominated by miscreants and hoodlums, who use such means to scare people before dispossessing them of their belonging.
He said there is no threat to lives and property as the state still remains one of the most peaceful states in the country.
He enjoined people in the state to go about their lawful activities without let or hindrance as police are ever ready to protect them in all nooks and crannies of the state.
The statement said inter alia:”Our attention has been drawn to screaming headlines in a section of the media, alleging bomb blast in Ile-Ife and surreptitiously mingling it with other reports of bomb blasts in Borno and Kaduna States, indicating acts of terrorism and the handiwork of Boko Haram. This is false and misleading.
“In the early hours of Tuesday, just before dawn, my command received report of an explosion in Ile-Ife and we quickly raced to the scene with a detachment of the bomb disposal unit.
“We discovered that the explosion was caused by a big banger or knockout. No life was lost, no injury was recorded and no property was lost, beyond the scorching of the earth where it impacted. A second piece that had not gotten off was immediately detonated by my men.
“This incident occurred in an area of the city frequented by miscreants, hooligans and layabouts and they use such means to frighten their victims. We are investigating and will get to the root of the matter. The perpetrators or whoever is behind this will be brought to book.
“There is no threat to life and property and the peace and tranquillity in the state. Osun is one of the most peaceful states in the country and we have one of the lowest crime rates. There is no confusion or panic anywhere. There is no threat to public peace or threat of terrorist attack anywhere in the state.
We want to assure all the residents in the state of their protection – the safety of their lives and property – and ask them to go about their duties without any fear whatsoever.”
He called on all media organisations to verify the authenticity of any claim or report with the police and other appropriate authorities so as to avoid creating unnecessary panic, confusion and fear where not exists among the population either within or the state and the country.
ACCEPTANCE REMARKS BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF OSUN, OGBENI RAUF AREGBESOLA AT A CEREMONY TO PRESENT HIM WITH THE ‘MOST INNOVATIVE GOVERNOR SUPPORTING EDUCATION IN NIGERIA’, HELD AT THE BANQUET HALL OF GOVERNMENT HOUSE, OSOGBO, ON THURSDAY JULY 1, 2014
Protocols,
Education As Liberation
It is with a sense of historic responsibility that I stand before this important gathering today. Of a truth, every human generation and segment thereof occupies a space and a place in history. Consequently, each of them is tasked with a mission and responsibility that it must fulfil.
However, identifying these mission and responsibility is as important as fulfilling them; for identification is the first logical and necessary step that determines the success of the latter. I am thus filled with joy to be in this historic gathering today.
Today’s occasion is historic in the significant sense that it is a mark of our success in properly identifying and fulfilling our mission and responsibility in our time and in the space we occupy in history.
Let me here enter a note of genuine gratitude to the ‘Dream Up, Speak Up, Stand Up’ Project and the brain behind it, Miss Zuriel Oduwole, an 11-year-old America-born girl of Mauritian and Nigerian descent. It is on account of her globally acclaimed pet project for promoting education (especially for the girl-child) that we are gathered here today.
I must therefore sincerely thank the ‘Dream Up, Speak Up, Stand Up’ Project for identifying me as one of the privileged few, all over the continent of Africa, that are doing ‘very cool things’ for the improvement of education. This is a reason for which I am being presented today with the award of the ‘Most Innovative Governor Supporting Education in Nigeria’.
This occasion is also a historic moment for our country, Nigeria, and for our small but beautiful State of Osun. The award ceremony underscores the fact that in Africa – popular image notwithstanding – serious positive efforts are being made to change the lot of the people for the better.
Happily, as today’s awards presentation squarely demonstrates, Nigeria is in the vanguard of these ‘very cool’ developments, to borrow from Zuriel. It is even more gratifying for us in Osun that our state is helping to put Nigeria in that lead position.
The ‘Dream Up, Speak Up, Stand Up’ Project came up with four award categories for efforts at improving education in Africa. Two of the awards went to two African countries, Tanzania and Mauritius. The other two came to Nigeria, and they have been won by the State of Osun.
The import of this achievement can be better appreciated against the background of the fact that there are 55 internationally recognised countries in Africa, a continent with a population of approximately 1.1 billion people.
Yet Nigeria won two of four awards due to the continent. Our education reform effort in Osun has once again put the country in positive global reckoning. It is a feat for which we are immensely pleased and proud.
But this is far from being an easy achievement. It is one that is born of serious-minded leadership, single-minded dedication to providing solutions to societal problems, as well as an unflinching commitment to the service of our people. In our commitment to better the lot of our people, we are resolved in paying no obeisance to any obstacle.
As a result, when we came aboard, we quickly defined our mission and responsibilities in government, and we immediately set about fulfilling them. One of these was effecting a complete transformation of our public school system which had sunk into unacceptable state of degeneration.
We constituted an Education Summit that came up with useful recommendations. We then began their implementation with a view to building a robust education system that would be at par with international standards. Our high objective is to produce well-rounded and thoroughly educated individuals that will have the intellectual and moral capacities to positively affect the fortunes of their society.
For this to happen, it was deemed necessary for us to have free education at the primary and secondary levels; to rebuild the decrepit physical infrastructure; and to urgently tackle the problems affecting the teaching staff, among other things.
We identified poverty as a major obstacle to elementary school enrolment and completion. So, we repackaged the existing pilot school feeding programme into the Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme (O’MEALS). The aim is to ensure that every child in school gets a meal every school day that will provide sufficient nutrients required for his/her daily academic exertions.
The introduction of O’MEALS led to a surge in primary school enrolment by 25 per cent within four weeks, thereby adding another 38,000 pupils to the Elementary school population. Today, Osun has the highest primary school enrolment second only to Niger State in the whole of Nigeria.
On physical infrastructure, we are building international standard model schools at all the three grade levels into which we have reorganised our public school system. The Elementary, Middle and High schools will each have 100, 50 and 20 of such buildings respectively.
The school buildings at the first two levels are built to accommodate 900 pupils, while the High school buildings will each have space for 3,000 students. Many of these buildings are already completed and in use, while work is accelerating towards the completion of the remaining ones.
To solve the problem of learning materials and text books, we have introduced the world-renowned ‘Tablet of Knowledge’, called Opon-Imo. It is our innovative and hugely cost-saving solution to a very difficult problem.
Opon-Imo is a unique application of existing e-tablet technology to our specific problems. This tablet weighs only 1.1kg and yet contains lecture notes, some 53 text books for all the subjects of study in the terminal examinations for secondary school leavers in Nigeria and West Africa.
It also contains past questions and answers dating back to 10 years as well as extra-curriculum subjects such as History of The Yoruba, Sexuality Education, Civic Education, Ifa on ethics and morals, enterprise education, hints and tips on passing SSCE and ‘How to live a Healthy and Happy life’. In Opon-Imo there is an average of 16 chapters per subject and 823 chapters in all, with about 900 minutes or 15 hours of audio voiceovers.
These are just some of the many features of the smart e-learning device which is making access to learning easily and freely available to our public school students. It is a concrete statement of the depth of innovation and creativity we have brought to our education reform, and governance generally, in Osun.
The core objective of our education policy is to completely change the face of public education in the state and to also make good and qualitative education something that will be taken for granted by every child in the state.
Permit me to mention here that in the drive towards making education a commonly available right of any child in our state, the achievement of Zuriel will certainly be a massive boost and high inspiration for every school child in Osun, especially the girl child.
At age 11, she is already a globally recognised figure who is making a stand for school-age children in Africa to have the right to education just like any of their peers across the world. I want to assure you that here in Osun, at the highest level of our government, we place a very high priority on giving high quality education to our children.
For us, education goes beyond giving our children a mere meal ticket; we regard education as a powerful force for the liberation of the human person. Hence, as a government, we will continue to ‘Dream Up’, to ‘Speak Up’, and to ‘Stand Up’ for the right of our children to have education.
Once again, I am grateful for the award.
I thank you all for your attentive audience.
Osun a dara!
There is something that does not make any sense in this ariwo oja by apologists of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State. The state Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, is being accused of paying some workers late. I stand gidigba with those questioning the rationale for delaying workers salary when elected and appointed officials smile home everyday with wads of naira notes in their pockets. It does not make any sense. As the Holy Books pointed out, workers deserve their wages. Cheating them of it under whatever guise remains a sin before God.
But in Osun State’s peculiar case, did these PDP apologists bother to find out the financial state of the State of Living Spring? For almost one year now, if not more, the PDP-led Federal Government has indirectly ensured that most states of the Federation are starved of funds. But states in the good books of Mr. President get allocations through other means. The game heightened after President Goodluck Jonathan’s annointed candidate lost out in the Nigeria Governors Forum chairmanship election.
Today, Osun State’s allocation from the Federation Account has been down by 40%, yet Aregbesola has not reduced the pace of his projects in the state. It is my belief that whatever challenges there is concerning shortfalls in meeting financial needs has to be located in this failure by the Federal Government to meet its obligation to one of the poorest states in Nigeria in terms of revenue allocation.
Jonathan’s Administration continue to claim that daily stealing of crude oil is responsible for the shortfall in revenue allocation to states like Osun, whose normal allocation was nowhere near meeting its regular needs, not to talk about when 40% of the same allocation is now cut off by this bogus claim of oil pilferage. Almost all of Osun State’s Federal Allocation goes to payment of salaries on a regular basis, even before the shortfall brought about by the PDP-led Federal Government.
It remains a mystery to me, why an average Yoruba, educated and well-travelled, is not questioning Jonathan and his PDP for the ‘dwindling’ revenue of the Federation Account. They claim states like Osun cannot get their full dues because our oil is being stolen. Both local and international economic observers are concerned that, for the first time in the history of Nigeria, stealing of crude oil has become unprecedented. Almost 60% of crude oil produced by the oil companies is being siphoned in the creeks of the Niger Delta by persons known to the PDP-led Federal Government.
But the question is, why is it that none of our PDP apologists is asking what has happened to the billions of dollars being paid by Jonathan to Tompolo for the protection of crude oil pipelines from which the oil is being stolen? A job that is the primary responsibility of the Nigerian Navy was contracted out to Tompolo by Jonathan, yet stealing of the same crude oil has risen beyond imaginable proportions. Why are PDP apologists not asking questions?
The undiscerning may not know that the Nigerian Navy has become weakened due to poor resources, while a private concern in the hands of Jonathan’s kinsman, Tompolo, is being strenghtened with state resources. For persons like me, this is not different from what is going on in the North-East today, where the Boko Haram militants are better equipped than the Nigerian Army. The resources that should be available for our armed forces and a state like Osun are squarely in private hands. Yet, PDP apologists cannot see this.
The Chibok girls are still missing. Our soldiers and civilians continue to be slaughtered on a daily basis in the North-East and beyond either through bombs planted by Boko Haram or guns from cadres of the militant Islamic organisation. The Nigerian economy remains in trouble with obviously no solution in sight. Corruption and impunity continue to reign supreme in a country that should be a shinning light in Africa today. Yet, a clueless president produced by a political party without a vision of how to govern is not being questioned by his own people about these nightmares as if it is affecting the opposition alone.
I do not understand why persons who should be doing serious soul-searching are jumping all over the place believing that the PDP gubernatorial candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore, is another Fayose that will happen in Osun State. As the Yorubas would say, “Igi imu, o jina si ori.” Fayose won the recent gubernatorial election in Ekiti State on the strength of his personality, not a love for PDP by the people. He remains a very strong grassroots politician, who has proved beyond every reasonable doubt that in a young democracy like ours, the people are as important as projects.
Fayose’s style, which he did not start today remains a major reason I disagreed with some friends in the All Progressives Congress (APC), who believed they were robbed of victory. Yes, soldiers and SSS were used in a very wrong manner against APC leaders, which should have provoked attacks from ordinary people against the security personnel IF the outgoing Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, was popular enough among his people. As pointed out in an earlier piece, you cannot rig where you are not popular. Fayose connected with the average Ekiti man/woman. They see him as a friend of the downtrodden.
In the case of Omisore, the reverse is true. When Omisore was Deputy Governor during Chief Bisi Akande’s tenure as Governor, what was his relationship with ordinary people like? Was it anywhere near Fayose’s? Even after controversially becoming a senator in 2003, what was his relationship with the people? But today, jokers are trying to cloth Omisore with Fayose’s robes simply because he rode an Okada and was eating Booli with Guguru and Epa? Did he do that as Deputy Governor? Did Omisore do that as Senator? Of course, the answer is no. So, why all these noise about impending victory for a man who is far out of touch with ordinary people?
Apart from the above, I have had cause to ask some Osun State people relevant questions, answers to which they have not provided till date. Towards an election, especially for an Executive Position like this, a candidate is expected to tell the people what he has in store for them if they are to vote him into office. None of my friends have been able to tell me what Omisore is promising the people apart from abusing Aregbesola and tearing down the billboards of a sitting governor. What are his programmes? What will he do if given the mandate?
In answering the above questions, I told my Osun State friends it is important to remember that Omisore had held public offices before. If we say his position as Deputy Governor was an Amugbalegbe one, and that it did not last, what about being the Chairman of the very powerful Senate Appropriation Committee? What did Omisore do for Osun State at the time he occupied this position? Chairmen of Appropriation Committees either at the Senate or House of representatives are like Presidents on their own. Ministers regularly seek their favours.
Even the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria try not to be in the bad books of an Appropriation Committee Chairman. It is the committee primarily responsible for ANY spending at the Federal Level. Once funds are not appropriated, you cannot touch it for any project. Such chairmen, either here or abroad, have used the positions to negotiate projects and beneficial issues for their constituencies and states. These are projects that even a State Governor cannot touch because funds involved could be bigger than what a state can afford. Omisore had this opportunity, what did he do with it?
Besides, what did Egbon attract to our ancestral land, Ile Ife, from the Federal Government while in the Senate? What did he do for his Senatorial District? Kinni Egbon se, tabi se okunfa re fun Ipinle Osun ni igba ti o wa ni Ile Igbimo Asofin Agba gegebi Olori awon ti o nse amojuto owo nina fun Ijoba Apapo Ile Naijiria? Till date, no answer from the many PDP apologists trying to use Fayose’s self-efforts to justify the impossible. But we know Omisore’s private businesses blossomed while he was in the senate. More on that at a later date.
So, all these unnecessary bravado over nothing is just what it is – hot air! It will not achieve anything for the PDP in Osun State come August 9. That is for sure.
Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola has advised the people of the state not to allow religion to determine their choice of candidate in the August 9 governorship election. He said they should base their decisions on the credibility of the candidates.
Aregbosola, who gave the charge while speaking at a campaign rally held in Ibokun said the electorate in the state should see themselves as one despite their religious differences.He urged Christians, Muslims and traditional worshippers in the state to be united and tolerate one another’s religion in order to foster peace and unity in the state. He also called on the people not to allow opposition parties create disharmony among them.
The governor, who said his administration had commenced the payment of June salary despite the dwindling federal allocation to the state, noted that he would not relent in making life meaningful for the citizens of the state.He expressed the optimism that the APC will emerge victorious in the forthcoming governorship poll, to enable him continue the developmental projects his administration has already embarked upon in all parts of the state.“Christians, Muslims and traditional worshippers are offspring of the same parents. What opposition parties are saying is a lie from the pit of hell. We have started paying June salary.
“Let’s be ready to vote with all that we have during the August 9 election. Let’s put in everything that we have; no matter what the opposition does, we shall stand and vote. I thank you for your supportand by the grace of God, come August 9, we shall be triumphant and happy.”
As the August 9 Osun State governorship election draws closer, the top contenders are making good use of major social networking to woo voters. Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola; People’s Democratic Party candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore, and the candidate of the Labour Party, Fatai Akinbade, seem to have taken the battle for the soul of the Abere Government House to Twitter and Facebook.
The major contenders have since been promoting their political rallies, speeches and events by posting photos and videos on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Their social media pages contain everything from schedules of proposed rallies to the outcomes of meetings and political events. But Apart from promoting themselves, the candidates have also been seen lambasting their rivals on these virtual platforms.
The battle on the social media space only seems to be getting fiercer as Aregbesola declared to his opponents via his Twitter page that the government house is currently not vacant. Aregbesola, who boasts a following of about 180,000 people, the highest among the three contenders’, warned his opponents against equating the politics of Osun State with Ekiti State where the incumbent, Kayode Fayemi, lost to the PDP candidate, Ayo Fayose, in a landslide victory. According to the governor, the rousing welcome he receives from the people of the state each time his campaign train stops at the various towns and villages in the state attest to the fact that he is loved by the electorate. “Osun is not Ekiti. No vacancy at the Bola Ige House, Osun State Government Secretariat, Abeere.Let us continue the good work we have started. Ipinle Osun a dara,” he wrote on Twitter.
The governor’s spokesman and Director of his office’s Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Semiu Okanlawon, has also been caught by the bug of the new media as a tool for electioneering. Okanlawon, who has begun selling the candidacy of his boss on Twitter, insisted that there is no better alternative to Aregbesola. The incumbent governor, Okanlawon argued, had always dedicated himself to people oriented-programmes, which, he said, had endeared him to the people. “Aregbesola is a leader that the people can feel and this is because the people are at the centre of his programmes. A good leader inspires his people no matter how lowly placed and Aregbesola does it with ease. What will people not do to show Aregbesola their massive support?” he asked.
But Omisore has hit back at Aregbesola, telling voters it is time to send the incumbent APC government in Osun State packing for what he calls its broken promises. Describing himself on his website, www.iyiola-omisore.org, as a high-profile public figure with a “distinguished record of achievement” within both government and the commercial sectors, Omisore contested that he had got all it takes to take the people of Osun to the Promise Land. Arguing that his plans to unseat Aregbesola in the forthcoming election would sail through, he noted that he would leverage on his long-term experience as an effective grassroots politician, a political mobiliser and a community man.
Omisore tweeted, “Development for the People: Everyone, the old, the young, women, children, men, communities, household, artisans, traders, students! I want prosperity and development that leave no one behind. That is the new agenda. That is the Osun PDP’s commitment. Let’s support this rescue mission! “Governance with the people, I believe, should be participatory, engaging and responsive. No coercion, no tension. We are together. That’s what the rescue mission offers. Osun State will change. It will be a better place to work. We all are in it, but our partnership matters.” Omisore accused Argebsola of failing to sell his achievements to the people during his so-called “mega rallies” across the state, stating that he only preoccupied himself with dancing skelewu and azonto to draw crowd to his political gatherings.
“But we must admit, they (Argesola’s team) win the day in skelewu and azonto dancing at overpriced mega rallies, speaking grammar,” he said.
Ever since Akinbade, a former Secretary to the Osun State Government, emerged the candidate of the Labour Party, he had been making concerted efforts to sell his profile to the people of the state. According to him, he has met with several socio-political groups and professional bodies to solicit for their support ahead of the election.
He stated that only people “wallowing in ignorance” will say the APC government of Aregbesola has performed well in Osun State. Soliciting for the goodwill and support of the electorate, Akinbade said he had a special relationship with the masses dating back to the days when he marketed drugs inside molue buses. He, however, warned parents against allowing their children to be used as a ready tool by politicians for electoral violence and rigging.
“We should all continue to pray for Osun and the governorship election slated for August 9. We want a violent-free transition. Election is coming up, keep your children far away from evil politicians who are promoters of violence,” Akinbade said.
NEWS NIGERIA
In spite of the widespread applause for the recently concluded Ekiti State governorship election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday said that it is working hard to make the upcoming Osun State governorship poll better.
The Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega said no effort would be spared to make the Osun election scheduled for August 9, more qualitative in all aspects than the June 21 Ekiti State election which has been widely acclaimed as the best so far by the Commission.
Jega made this known on Tuesday, when the Ambassador of the Peoples Republic of China. Gu Xiaojie, paid a courtesy visit to the Commission.
The Chairman said the present Commission had since 2010, when it came on board, been devoted to improving the electoral process in Nigeria, “to make it more participatory and ensure that it is more transparent, that elections are conducted consistent with international best standards and in accordance with our own electoral laws.”
He added: “Since 2011, we have been doing our best to keep on improving the integrity and transparency of the electoral process. We have cleaned up the Register of Voters, and we have been doing our best to address the challenge of logistics of deployment, which has been a major obstacle to our conduct of good elections.”
I am pleased to say there has been progressive improvement in the series of governorship elections that we have conducted since 2011, culminating in the Ekiti election that we conducted two weeks ago, and which has been generally acknowledged as perhaps the best election that we have conducted so far. On the 9th of August, we have another election in Osun State and we are doing everything possible to ensure that the Osun election is better than Ekiti.”
Osun State government has approved the construction of Oke-Ila-Ayegunle-Ikoro-Asaba roads in Ifedayo and Ila local government areas of the state to bring succour to the farmers in the rural areas.
This was disclosed by the Chairman of Governor Rauf Aregbesola re-election Campaign Committee, Sunday Akere, while visiting wards in the local government canvassing for votes for the governor’s second term bid.
Among the areas the campaign train visited include Ajebamidele, Oyi-Ayegunle, Obasikin, Adion, Asa-Oye and Aba Legemo where supporters of the party and residents bearing brooms trooped out to show solidarity with the APC.
Addressing the heads of communities separately, Akere disclosed that the state government has approved the construction of the road from Oke-Ila through Ayegunle, Ikoro linking Asaba road in Ila local government.
He added that beside the road in question, another three kilometresroad had been approved for lawmakers in the State House of Assembly for their various constituencies and that of Ifedayo is scheduled to cover Ayegunle through Obasikin to Ajebamidele.
The commissioner stated that the state government understands the plight of rural dwellers, who are predominantly farmers, to get their farm produce to market centres, hence, it resolve to constructing good roads in the rural areas.
He added that good roads enhance the price value of farm produce and reduce waste because farmers could get their produce to market in good time.
Similarly, Akere disclosed that he Commissioner for Health, who is also on the entourage, is taking note of some communities in the area whose need is maternity centres and promised to provide such for them.
According to the campaign committee chairman, the rural areas are important to the governor because of his drive to develop the state economy through massive agricultural programme, saying the governor would not relent in providing more financial assistance to the farmers.
He added that the state government would not relent in providing more infrastructural facilities to make them comfortable in a bid to make them major contributor to the growth of the state economy.
He also promised that if the people vote for Aregbesola again, the governor would not relent in fulfilling his electoral promises again as he has been doing in the first term of office.
In their separate responses, the heads of the various communities acknowledged the performance of the governor in all sectors in the state, however, they requested for the extension of roads to their communities, which according to them, is the major way of impacting on their farm activities.
Ayegunle, Ajebamidele and Adion requested for the extension of mobile service to the areas to enable them communicate effectively with their relatives and customers in the cities.
The campaign train comprising of its Secretary, Mr. Bisi Bawala, Dr. Temitop Ilori, Alhaji Azeez Moshood, Dr Atolagbe Afolabi, were bewildered by the large turn-out of youth and women at Oyi-Ayegunle and Obasakin professing their loyalty and support for the governor’s re-election.
The second term bid of the governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the August 9 governorship election, has received a boost, as findings of a survey scored him high in terms of popularity.
In the report of a survey conducted by a socio-political group, Good Governance Vanguard (GGV), Aregbesola has 82 per cent chance of winning the election, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Iyiola Omisore, has 9 per cent chance.
The Labour Party (LP) candidate, Alhaji Fatai Akinbade, according to the report, has 7 per cent chance of winning, while other political parties shared 2 per cent, with an error margin of 2.5 per cent.
The report, which was signed by the Coordinator of the group, Pastor Mathew Adenrele, said that random selection approach was used to conduct the poll in all the nine federal constituencies of the state.
The respondents in the poll, the report said, cut across politicians, civil servants, artisans, market men and women and students.
Respondents were drawn from minimum of six major towns and communities in each of the federal constituencies of the state.
The report said the largest percentage of the respondents attributed their love for Aregbesola to his developmental programmes and policies, while they rejected Omisore for what they described as his “perceived criminal conduct” and his unfavourable antecedents when he occupied political offices in the past.
Some of the respondents, according to the report, identified the reformation in the education system, ranging from construction of new schools, distribution of tablets of knowledge (Opon Imo), increment of grants to schools and distribution of free uniforms as some of the policies that have positively affected their lives and made them show interest in the governor.
The report read: “In the course of compiling the results of this poll, it was established that the programmes and policies of Rauf Aregbesola’s administration are acceptable to the people and have given him popularity above other candidates.
“The largest percentage of the respondents attributed their love for Aregbesola to his policies on education, ranging from construction of new schools, initiation and distribution of Opon-Imo to students, distribution of free uniforms to students, free meal to elementary school pupils, cancellation of PTA fees by students and increment of grant to schools and encouragement of teachers.
“In the area of infrastructural development, all the respondents attested to the fact that Aregbesola’s administration has constructed a number of roads that no government has ever done in the past.
“While some of the respondents also affirmed their support for Aregbesola due to his approach to youth employment, especially, through OYES and other job creation strategies, some said their supports were borne out of their interest in his social security programmes like Agba-Osun welfare programme, care for physically-challenged and mentally-ill people,” the report read.
The respondents, according to the survey, have made up their minds to re-elect Aregbesola, with a view to appreciating his developmental programmes and allow him complete the projects he had started.
On the other hand, the respondents who voted in favour of Omisore and Akinbade, according to the report, were mainly politicians of PDP and LP extractions, who want their party to be in government.
Since her creation, the Governor of the state of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola’s passion to develop the state of the living spring is legendary and unequal.
His impressive performance as the Commissioner for works, during the era of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the governor of Lagos state was no doubt the elixir he needed to turn a state like Osun around and make it the envy among other states of the federation. More importantly was the avalanche of ideas and information at his disposal to make Osun great long before he assumed power.
Indeed, with the physical development across the nooks and crannies of the state, Osun State can be said to be fortunate to have someone that is fully prepared to transform the state and take it to a greater height as it manifests in the implementation of the six-point integral action plan of Governor Rauf Aregbesola in Osun State in the past three years.
Of particular note is that, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola came into office with the determination to banish poverty, hunger and unemployment; restore a healthy living, promote functional education, and enhance communal peace and progress.
According to him, his commitment and determination is to make life worthy of living for the people of the State hence his introduction of programmes that touch the lives of every individual in the State.
Therefore, the unacceptable state of education in the State when the Aregbesola’s administration came into the saddle of governance informed the call for an education summit, attended by great educationists and intellectuals of all persuasions.
Professor Wole Soyinka made out time to personally attend the summit and made recommendation on which basis a complete overhaul of the education system of the state was done.
The most important conclusion of the summit was the restructuring of the system into three basic categories, Elementary, Middle and High schools. Primary 1–4 is the elementary school; 5–9 is the middle school, while grade 10–12 is the high school.
But for the effect of the change the new policy brought, it led to misunderstandings, and some have tried to mischaracterize the reforms as having a religious undertone. Whereas, the major features of the new education reform that attracted criticism are: the introduction of a single school uniform to each of the three categories of schools throughout the state, the merger of single sex schools with mixed sex schools, the merger of Christian schools with Muslin schools and vice versa, the total wipe out of some schools, the use of hijab in “Christian schools” and perceived change in the names of schools.
Critics of these reforms particularly argued that the introduction of single uniform to schools is capable of causing indiscipline as it will be difficult for schools to identify their students. Old students of phased out schools were afraid of what might be their lot in case there is need for them to come to their Alma Mata for documentation or even the agony of having their history wiped out.
Also advocates of single sex schools felt that the sanity in the schools might be eroded apart from the loss of identity while some religious leaders argued that their schools should be made to retain their norms as stipulated in their religion, hence the resistance that no female Muslin should be allowed to wear hijab in Christian schools.
However, government has argued for its actions and made remedies where necessary. For example, the fear of loss of names of the schools is no longer there as government has ensured that the schools maintained their names with little modifications, hence we have Salvation Army Primary School, Alekuwodo Oshogbo changed to Salvation Army Middle School, Alekuwodo, Oshogbo, Baptist Primary School, Ilare, Ile-Ife is now Baptist Elementary Primary School, Ilare, Ile-Ife.
On the issue of single uniform for the three classes of schools, government wants parents to enjoy cheap procurement of school uniforms and further assisted by distributing school uniforms free to all students across the state.
To solve the issue of identity, government has disclosed the plan to produce badges for each school and smart cards for each student of public schools in the state for easy documentation and identification as it is being practiced in some countries like Brazil, Malaysia Ghana, Benin Republic etc.
The most pronounced problem that greeted the reform is the allegation of trying to Islamize the State by government by encouraging the use of hijab in Christian schools.
Meanwhile government has consistently debunked the allegation insisting that hijab was never part of the uniform distributed to students more so that the matter is already in court for adjudication.
Besides, Government has been emphatic on the fact that all public schools belong to government and that it is out of its magnanimity that whatever is left of any religion in schools are allowed.
Recently, at the commissioning of school buildings at the Baptist Elementary Primary School, Ilare, Ile-Ife on 18th February, 2014, Governor Aregbesola charged the people of the state to support the new education policy of his administration, which he said was for the good of both the children and the parents.
Aregbesola in his speech at the commissioning ceremony which had the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade and other dignitaries in attendance said the new policy of the state government on education has no religious sentiment.
He warned the critics of his administration and the education policy in particular to exercise patience till the policy begins to produce good results, which he said would be beneficial to all and sundry in the state.
He stated that the hallmark of the new education policy in the state was the enhancement of better welfare for both the teachers and students of all public schools in the state. He also said that the government was being motivated by the ideal of development of young individuals in the state; hence the huge amount of money committed into the education sector.
Aregbesola who has consistently insisted that the philosophy of his education policy is the development of a new man intellectually, socially and morally maintained that the educational reform policy of his administration would achieve the desired objective in due course.
According to him, Government has the plan to build 20 new high schools, 50 middle schools and 100 elementary schools. Each of these schools will be equipped to state-of–the-art standards, especially with digital learning aids, electronic boards, functional and contemporary laboratory equipment, sports facilities, clean water and large power generators.
True to his words, the elementary school commissioned by the Governor at Ile-Ife apart from being unique in outlook, has facilities known to be peculiar to private schools such as recreation, sports, laboratory and library facilities all duly equipped.
The only way to provide these facilities at affordable costs is to make the maximum use of the available resources at the disposal of government, hence the need to merge small, poorly equipped schools, into larger schools where all the facilities can be provided to large numbers of students using economies of scale to maximum advantage.
It need to be emphasized here that Osun State Government has committed the larger part of its financial resource to education with the free launch provided to class 1-4 on a daily basis that costs N 3.6billion annually, provision of free uniform to students across the state with N900Million, the N1.2 Billion spent on the provision of tablet of knowledge, N14.8 billion expended on construction of school buildings under its O’ School programme.
Besides, government has recruited no fewer than 10,407 teachers to public schools
Won’t you rather allow the good works in the education sector continue? Asks Remi Odewale
•Odewale writes from Ifetedo, Ife-South Local Government
•Culled from CHAMPION Newspaper