Education experts, including the World Bank Lead Health and Education Specialist, Prof. Donald Bundy, have lauded the school feeding programme initiated by the Osun State Government.
The All Progressives Congress Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy in the state, Mr.  Kunle Oyatomi, in a statement, on Thursday, said the governor received the commendation at the All Party Parliamentary Group in the United Kingdom.
The commendation came as the Peoples Democratic Party in the state accused the administration of Governor Rauf Aregbesola of wasting the resources of the state on frivolous projects.
But Oyatomi said Aregbesola’s policies had continued to receive international acknowledgment despite criticisms at the home front.
This, he said, was a proof that the policies were laudable and deserved commendations.The statement read, “He ( Aregbesola ) was also commended for making such a world-acclaimed project possible in a state with limited resources as Osun in Nigeria.”
THE PUNCH
 

The Osun State government said on Thursday in Osogbo that it had budgeted N800 million as compensation for land acquisition from its citizenry.
Mr Muyiwa Ige, the Commissioner for Lands, Physical Planning and Urban Development, said this in Osogbo during the 2014 budget defence before the House of Assembly Committee on Finance and Appropriation.
Ige said the budgeted sum would be used to clear the backlog of compensations to land owners as well as new land that might be acquired by government for developmental purposes.
“The provision made for compensation in the budget is targeted towards new land acquisition as well as the existing ones within the limit of the budget.”.
The commissioner said that government paid more than N670 million as compensation for land acquisition in 2012.
He added that the sum of N200 million was expended for the same purpose in 2013.
Ige said that in addition to payment of compensation, the government had also provided some palliative measures to affected land owners.
He said that the government would continue to work towards creating opportunities that would alleviate the suffering of the people.
The commissioner explained that land acquisition by government was for overriding public interest.
“Once government identifies a place for development, the next step is to engage the land owners in discussion.
“If there is a structure or livestock on such land, we enumerate it and through proper documentation, will ensure the money gets to the direct beneficiaries.”
Ige said that the government had been fast tracking the process of compensation to ensure the affected land owners were adequately compensated.
(NAN)

Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola yesterday said that the federal allocation to the state for the past six months has fallen by 40 per cent.

The development, he said, had almost made it impossible for the state to perform its statutory responsibilities. Governor Aregbesola made this known during a visit to him at the Government House in Osogbo by the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture.
He, however, appealed to the Federal Government to turn a new leaf so as not to cripple the economy of the state. The governor said: “Fifty percent of our Six Integral Action Plans centred on agriculture and food security so as to banish hunger, poverty and unemployment.
We recognised agriculture as a means to survive as a state.
“Through our school feeding programme, pupils are eating 300,000 eggs, 400 tonnes of cat fish, 35 heads of cattle, 15, 000 chickens and we are committed to building the state capacity to produce the food items and be supplying other states so as to create wealth for our people.”
Aregbesola said in as much as Osun is willing to help the Institute on the compensation and administrative structure, the government is constrained financially at the moment.
In his own speech, Chairman, Governing Board of the Institute, Dr. Oluwole Aina, said NRCRI and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture are set to establish the first sub-station of the Institute for the South-West in Osun State.
Dr. Aina said the establishment of the sub-station would commence in the first quarter of this year, adding that the development would go a long way in assisting the government on agriculture programmes and strategy.
He indentified the benefits derivable from establishing the sub-station as direct youth employment, development of beneficial linkages between the state government agricultural programmes and the institute’s research work
Aina added that the Institute would be assisting in regular access to new varieties of root and tuber crops and increase agricultural production, economic growth and wealth creation.
NATIONAL MIRROR

Local Government Officers have been admonished to justify the money invested on them by government through various training programmes by improving on their job performance.
The Chairman Local Government Service Commission, Dr. Peter Babalola, gave the word of advice while declaring open a 3 day workshop titled “Budgetary Control, Project Monitoring and Evaluation” held at the Local Government Service Commission’s Multipurpose Hall.
Dr. Babalola noted that the workshop was designed for Directors of Administration and Service, Finance and Budget as well as Due Process Officers, Engineers and Internal Auditors to re-prepare them towards budget implementation, control and discipline, especially now that, the 2014 budget is nearing approval.
He stressed that, budget monitoring should start from conceptualization to completion while report should be made periodically and formally to relevant stakeholders and authorities.
The Commission’s boss made it known that, since the State Governor Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has turned the state to project sites, it is imperative to train relevant personnel who are saddled with the duty of implementing and monitoring the developmental projects.
He stated that, budgets should be seen as a tool of management control, discipline and effective project monitoring and evaluation.
He assured the participants that every positive recommendation and suggestions that, will assist the present administration to achieve the desired goals, will be welcomed and considered.
OSUN DEFENDER

State of Osun Technical Committee on Federal Road Safety Commission set up by Governor Aregbesola will tomorrow morning embark on its first road show in the New Year to Ile-Ife.
A release signed by the Chairman of the Committee, Professor Joseph Fawole indicates that, the road show is aimed at checking the level of compliance to traffic rules and regulations with a view to sanctioning violators.
The release then enjoins road safety officers from Ile-Ife and Ilesa Units of the FRSC along with their Special Marshals in the area to join the team in order to make the road show effective.
OSUN DEFENDER

Governor Rauf Aregbesola would Thursday morning commission a world class ICT company located along Ilesa-Ife Express road, Ilesa.

 ONEWSPORTAL

The Osun State government has employed 4,330 teachers to fill vacancies in public schools.
 
Chairman of the State Basic Education Board (SUBEB) Felix Awofisayo told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday that 2,330 teachers were recruited by SUBEB for elementary and middle schools and 2,000 for secondary schools by the Teachers Establishment and Pensions Office.
 
Awofisayo said letters had been issued to the teachers and warned them against rejecting postings to rural areas.
 
He said Governor Rauf Aregbesola had increased the grants to elementary and middle schools, adding: “Salaries and allowances, including Teachers Special Allowance, are promptly paid as directed by the governor. The state is partnering agencies of the Federal Government to improve education.
 
“The state has paid its counterpart fund to the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) till 2012 and received its matching grant from UBEC till 2012.”
 
Also yesterday, the Permanent Secretary, Lawrence Oyeniran, said the government budgeted N400 million for the West Africa Examinations Council (WAEC) fees of 32,075 pupils.
 
He spoke in Osogbo while defending the ministry’s 2014 budget before the Committee on Finance and Appropriation.
 
Oyeniran said N350 million was budgeted for bursary to final year students of higher institutions and N100 million for scholarships to Master’s students.
THE NATION
 
 

Photos from the 7th Edition of Public Assesment on Aregbesola’s Administration, tagged: Gbangbadekun, at Ikire in Irewole/Ayedade/Isokan Federal Constituency, State of Osun on Tuesday 28-01-2014