As the 2014 Gregorian calendar commences, Deputy Governor of the State of Osun, Mrs. Grace Titilayo Laoye-Tomori, has harped on the need for renewed approach to life with noble virtues and love for the State and the nation at large to form the core of people’s resolution for the new year.
This was contained in the state Deputy Governor’s goodwill message to people of the state as the people joined people across the world to usher in year 2014.
Mrs. Laoye-Tomori congratulated residents of the state across all religious, ethnic, social and political divides for witnessing the new year and called on them to proceed into the year 2014 with renewed vigour and sense of commitment to virtous deeds.
The State Deputy Governor used the opportunity to appreciate people of the state for their continued support for the administration of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola since inception and charged them to remain peaceful, orderly and supportive especially as another guber poll is scheduled to hold in the state mid 2014.
Laoye-Tomori also felicitated with her boss, Governor Rauf Aregbesola, members of the state executive council, the legislature, judiciary, political functionaries, state leadership and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and other stakeholders.
The Deputy Governor assured that with continued peaceful and harmonious co-existence among all interests in the state, the present wave of progressive change already being enjoyed across the state will not seize in bringing comfort to every home.
Mrs. Laoye-Tomori identified continued service to God and humanity as part of her resolutions for the year 2014 and charged people of the state to follow suit so as to make the state a haven of peace to all.
BIOREPORTS
Category: News
Governor, State of Osun, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola yesterday presented the budget estimate for the 2014 fiscal year totaling #216Billion to the state House of Assembly for approval. The Governor who was represented at the House of Assembly by his Special Adviser on Budget, Mr. Bade Adesina said the budget cut across all the sectors of the state’s economy and was prepared in line with the six points Integral Action Plan of his administration. Governor Aregbesola stated that his administration would continue to embark on projects that would make life more meaningful for the people of the state.
Christened “Budget of Growth, enhancement and Development”, the budget totaling N216,745,213,260 was smaller than that of last year which was N234,269,308,820.
The Governor explained that the short fall in the prices of crude oil and the oil theft in the country were responsible for the reduction in the budget compared with that of 2013.
According to the budget estimate, the overhead cost was put at N17,969,297,750, the consolidated cost was N52,493,953,200, while the total recurrent expenditure was put at N97,608,280,660 and capital expenditure was N119,136,932,600.
The Governor appealed to the parliamentarians to give accelerated hearing to the budget and pass it into law.
He also urged the people of the state to give maximum support to his administration for the implementation of all his programmes for the state.
In his remarks, the Speaker of the house, Hon. Najeem Salaam assured that the house would ensure speedy hearing on the bill, even as he assured the Governor of the support of the legislators in the state.
Photos from Chairman, Police Service Commission, Sir Mike Okiro’s Courtesy visit to the governor at the Government House, Osogbo, State of Osun on Friday 27-12-2013
Governor Rauf Aregbesola Saturday literarily ‘dropped’ protocol to become a fire fighter for more than a quarter of an hour.
Aregbesola, in his convoy was on his way to attend the 2013 edition of Iwude Ijesha celebration; and ran into a road side bush fire growing fiercely along osogbo-Ilesha road.
The emitting heat from the fire was felt by occupants of vehicles that passed along the spot of the burning roadside bush.
This, apparently was what prompted the boys-scoutish spirit in Governor Aregbesola as he caused his driver to pull up on the other side of the road; thus bringing the long convoy of the Osun Governor to a halt.
In a show of leadership by example, Aregbesola pulled his native ‘Agbada’ gown and grabbed a fire extinguisher in his vehicle then proceeded to put out the fire.
Aides as well as other members of his entourage quickly joined in the fire fighting operation. For those who did not have fire extinguisher, tree branches became handy for them to ‘beat-out’ the fire. Some of them ran to a near-by block making industry to fetch water for the fire fighting operation.
Governor Aregbesola ordered men of the Osun state fire service to move to the scene to forestall reoccurrence; just as he noted the proximity of the spot to a filling station along the axis of that road. Other Photos Below…
BIOREPORTS
The Government, State of Osun on Monday said it had concluded plans to usher in the New Year with fireworks display in 10 towns across the state.
The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Sunday Akere, said this in Osogbo. Mr. Akere said the towns where the government would officially display fireworks to usher in year 2014, include Ilesa, Ife, Ikirun, Iwo and Osogbo. Others are Ikire, Ede, Ejigbo, Ila and Okuku.
The commissioner said the display would be a way of letting the people know that government activities should not be localised and centralised to the capital alone.
“The essence of a responsible government is to spread its policies and programme with a view to allowing the populace to have a feel of government at all times. It is our way of celebrating and welcoming the year in conformity with global practice. It is the desire of government to ensure that the New Year is celebrated with fanfare.”
Mr. Akere said that government officials from each of the constituencies would monitor the display. He appealed for calm from the people of the state during the exercise, adding that there would be no reason for panic.
(NAN)
Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State did not in any way seem unperturbed when answering questions last week on an allegation that his educational reform seeks to Islamise the state’s education sector.
Governor Aregbesola waved the allegation away as ridiculous, saying if he is not Islamising his home – with his junior sister’s children living with him and going to Church from there – how can he want to Islamise an entire state? The governor spoke on other important issues.
How do you hope to sustain the unique computerised Opon Imo (knowledge tablet) that you introduced in the state’s educational system? Are you still issuing the tablets to students?
Yes, that’s taken for granted. The challenge we have now is some abuses that some students are putting it to, which reflects the level of indiscipline in our schools. But we are rising up to it. We will check it. We have set up a committee to help us identify various levels of indiscipline in our educational institutions. The committee is yet to submit its report. We believe that we will apply the committee’s reports and recommendations to tackle the various forms of indiscipline in our schools and eliminate them. Two major factors warranted the introduction of the tablet of knowledge. One, it reduced the cost of purchasing books for the students. Cost of books has always been too exorbitant. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) was there when we launched the tablet and its Country Director identified overhead cost (salaries, etc.) and cost of books as contributing to the high cost of education. Of course, you cannot do anything about teachers’ salaries. No matter the level of digitalisation, you will still need teachers to physically manage the students. But the other aspect, the issue of books, you can influence with innovation. Were we to buy three books for each of our 150,000 high school students at an average cost of N1000 per book, that would be N3,000. It means we would be spending N45 million every year on books. Whatever book you buy this year, depending on how well the students could handle them, you have to buy another the following year; if not all, you have to buy, at least, some. Whereas in the Opon Imon tablet of knowledge, you have all the books, not just three. It’s virtually an electronic library that students carry about. Besides achieving democracy in Nigeria, what other fantastic breakthrough Nigeria has been able to achieve? Osun State now, is providing digital learning and examination advantages for students. The tablet is a virtual library. Apart from the textbooks, Opon Imon assists students to access other advantages that include practice onpast questions and answers of external examination bodies like the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), National Examinations Council (NEC) and the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB). It’s an interesting device that takes away the burden of carrying books around. The tablet stimulates learning and makes it interesting, and encourages students to be studious and serious.
But there has been a criticism from Christianity and Islamic quarters that it incorporates the Ifa (oracle) divination. How true is this?
That criticism itself is a function of the degeneration and decline in our consciousness. And that is unfortunate. When I was in school, we learnt Yoruba as a compulsory subject and there was a particular book, Asa ati Ise Ile Yoruba (Tradition and Culture of the Yoruba) written, of course, in the Yoruba language, to promote and explain the Yoruba tradition and culture. The Ifa divination bead illustration on the book’s cover boldly and clearly depicts the Ifa oracle and nobody condemned it then. So, why are they complaining about exposition of Ifa in the knowledge tablet. It’s a reflection of our understanding of what we must do for our students to be free and develop as proud Yoruba, proud Africans. We cannot run away from our customs and traditions, no matter how sophisticated we want to be. There is nothing extraordinary or fetish in the tablet. It’s purely Ifa on morals and ethics and does not offend anybody’s sensibilities.
How do you react to the accusation that your reform of the education sector is working at Islamising Osun State?
It’s just a misread of a genuine effort aimed at revamping the state’s education sector and making it more meaningful. How could the construction of new schools Islamise anywhere? School buildings were so dilapidated beyond repair to the extent that the only solution is to reconstruct new buildings in the schools entirely. How can such intervention lead to Islamisation of Osun State? There is one of the new schools that we just completed on the Alekuwodo Road, the Salvation Army Middle School. How would reconstructing a Salvation Army school lead to Islamisation?
Some people are just being mischievous on this matter. We are only reforming the education sector in Osun State. The reform include, the tablet of knowledge and the new school uniforms, which we distributed to all students free of charge, while the reclassification aspect is just the tail end of the reform. In the reclassification, we are only trying to put the children in schools, according to their age group so as to maximise resources for learning and make learning interesting. The best reference to the issue of reclassification of schools in Osun is the consolidation of banks. The Central Bank of Nigeria, through an executive order and not even by law, compelled banks to merge. The banks, which are privately owned by individuals, were induced to merge. At the end of the day, strong banks emerged. In this case, the schools we are talking about had been taken over by government since 1975. That was 38 years ago. There was no whimper when government took over the schools. But there has been decline in the schools’ infrastructure with nobody raising eyebrow. When we came in, there were some schools with a high number of students with few teachers while there were some schools with a high number of teachers but with few students.
The education sector in the state was clearly lopsided. We resolved, through advice from an education summit we had that, as part of the reform in the education sector, to regroup the children according to their age groups and put them together in a way that we can maximise our resources and make learning interesting for the pupils. For instance, it was decided that pupils in elementary schools between ages six and nine should go to schools in their neighbourhood so that they will not be too far away from their parents. The middle school can be a little distant from where the child lives, because by normal characteristic, when a child is growing beyond 10 years old, his sense of curiosity increases and he wants to explore his environment. Therefore, as part of education, you must encourage such natural urge and inclination. So, middle schools are at best a few kilometres away from wherever a child lives. For the high school, from the age of 14, the child is willing to be far away from the parent because he wants more freedom. So the high schools must not be too close. Let the child begin to learn how to be on his own without the parent. That is the reclassification. Now, tell me how this can lead to Islamization. I must add that this controversy is limited.
There are about 2,000 schools in this state and we are having challenges in only four schools – the Baptist Girls High School, Osogbo Baptist High School, Iwo; Baptist High School, Ejigbo and Baptist High School, Ede. Four schools out of 2,000 resisting a major reform in the education sector ought not to be an issue. We are happy that people of the state have accepted our efforts to a very large extent. The policy has no religious motive. Rather, we are committed to providing quality education for our children. It is ridiculous that people are accusing me of trying to Islamise the state. Yes, I’m a Muslim. But people should please note this: my immediate younger sister is a Christian and her children live with me and I allow them to go to church from my house. If I’m not imposing Islam on my own sister and her children, how can I be attempting to Islamise the whole state? Also, the allegation is ridiculous considering the fact that there is no collective salvation, as individuals will make heaven or paradise on their own. If there is no group salvation, what will be my benefit in trying to Islamise a whole state? It’s a baseless assumption that cannot stand logic; it is simply not true.
How have you been able to resolve the differences between you and your colleague in Oyo State, Governor Isiaka Ajimobi over Osun and Oyo states’ joint ownership of the Ladoke Akintola University?
I strongly believe in the joint ownership of LAUTECH. I’m a firm believer in regional and collective management of tertiary institutions. A university is not a cheap institution to manage. Why does a state have to have a university? All the states in one region should come together to run only one university, with campuses in each of the states. What is the total population of students in our miniature universities in this country? It’s less than 100,000. A single university in Nepal, Triurban, has a population of over 300,000 students. We are not comparable to Nepal, of course. Nepal is a backward Third World nation. What I’m trying to say is that we will gain more if we co-operate to run our higher education collectively. So, on the LAUTECH joint ownership issue between Oyo and Osun states, I have no problem with Governor Ajimobi, though there could be challenges. There is no disagreement or failure of commitment.
Your administration has been in office for more than three years. Which aspects of your electioneering promises have you not been able to fulfill?
None. There is none of my campaign promises that has not been met. Some public-spirited individuals who have excelled in business, academics and other areas of life produced for me a blueprint. From it, we came up with a six-point integral action plan which formed my campaign promises. My six-point agenda include banishing hunger, poverty and unemployment; restoring healthy living and promoting functional education and communal peace. Those six have been the focus and primary objectives of this administration. We have been dogged in our passion, action and general administration since this government came.
If you look at our performance, today, you will see a clear distinction between us and previous administrations here. Our administration is people-oriented and human-focused. Talk about banishing poverty is not superficial, nor is talk about banishing hunger esoteric. These are things you can measure by the condition of the people. Within the first 100 days of my assumption of office, I pioneered youth engagement that is second to none in Nigeria, if not in the whole of Africa. Nobody ever thought an administration could employ 20,000 youth at once. Nobody believed that it was possible. But we made it possible. The first set of the 20,000 youth exited the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme after serving for two years, while another set of 20,000 youth came in last year. That means 40,000 youth have benefited from the scheme. Apart from providing valuable skills and jobs for the youth, the scheme also inculcated in them a great measure of discipline. They were given leadership training so much so that most of them became sufficiently successful before the end of their stay in the scheme. Majority of them who were lucky were engaged in government employment. Still on banishing poverty, unemployment and hunger, we have restructured our Ministry of Agriculture.
Our farmers are now engaged in activities that are making them successful in their business. How? We are supporting the farmers with high yielding variety of seedlings and fertilisers, among other incentives. With these, our farmers are earning much more returns on their efforts. To enhance farmers’ earnings, we introduced free meal in our elementary schools. Through this, we are feeding 500,000 pupils in our elementary schools each day. The relationship between the school feeding and the support for farmers is the fact that all the food items used for the feeding are locally purchased. Through that, there is increased demand for farm produce, which has, in turn, increased farmers’ gains. This has guaranteed better living condition for farmers in the state and encouraged them. Let me give you an example. We ensure the food we give our pupils is nutritious. We give each pupil an egg per day, supported by other items like chicken, turkey and fish. A consequence of this is that many poultry farmers, in the state, enjoying the demand and supply connection, have become millionaires. As a matter of fact, the local capacity for egg production in the state is less than our requirement, so after consuming all eggs produced in Osun, we have to go to Kwara and Oyo states before we can make up our demand for eggs.
Our educational and agricultural programmes are integrated and are fulfilling our objectives. In the process of feeding pupils in elementary school as a way of banishing hunger, we are creating wealth for the farmer, generating employment and reducing poverty. As important as what people see as the main preoccupation of government, which is constructing roads and providing other infrastructural amenities, which is building physical structures, the human capital development angle of governance is more important. We are concentrating more on this, giving it greater attention over other normal routine activities. While doing that, we are performing excellently in the area of provision of socio-amenities. There is no aspect of life that my government has not touched. Beside the youth that we are empowering, we have equally been looking at the numerous elder citizens who lack care. We undertook a survey with the support of a gerontologist from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, who assisted us using a scientific approach to identify the critically vulnerable aged people across the state. We’ve been taking care of more than 16,000 aged people who lack care from their families. We are paying these aged people a monthly stipend of 10,000. We also have a scheme for the widows which we are working on. We are working on providing succour for them. We are also taking care of people with special needs, including the mentally deranged, by removing them from the streets, rehabilitating them and resettling them with their families.
My administration met a very insecure society, but which we have now stabilised by developing a security outfit, the Swift Action Squad, a combination of men from the Nigerian Army, Police, Civil Defence and the SSS. We’ve also been providing ambulance service at strategic locations all over the state to respond to emergencies, either from motor accidents or any form of medical attention that requires emergency action. We have extensively developed physical infrastructure, building roads, and we are even building an airport. We are providing water for the people and working hard at ensuring constant and regular electricity. We are not generating electricity, but we are extending it wide, including to the rural areas. Once there is supply of adequate electricity, nobody in Osun State will suffer from power outages that are due to transformer shortages. It is heartwarming to know our people are appreciating all these. Any time I find myself in the midst of the people, their reactions have been encouraging. Considering the short duration of my administration and the impact we have made, I have no feeling of dissatisfaction in meeting my set objectives. I’m quite satisfied.
From indications, you intend to go for a second term. If you are quite satisfied, to use your words, so why would you be angling for another term?
There cannot be an end to human needs. The more you meet a need, the more you face a new challenge that will bring a new need. Life does not give you a respite, so you don’t say it’s over. The more you do, the more you still need to do. Every need met will inspire more needs. So, we cannot say we have met all the people’s needs, but we have achieved our set objectives, in the short-term. If you consider the present level of underdevelopment in our society, you will realise that even if you are working 24 hours each day for 20 years, you will still be scratching on the surface of meeting the people’s needs. However, we are happy that now, there is obvious improvement in the living standard of our people.
What have been the major constraints that hamstring your administration’s performance?
It’s been financial resources. My major challenge is the fact that resources available to us to do things we want to do are grossly inadequate. To me, though, that is normal because needs usually outstrip the means. The good thing here is that success is determined by effective, prudent and efficient management of your means to meet your need. I’m not disturbed by this challenge, as tough as it is. I see it as normal. It is the ability to overcome that challenge that makes one a good leader. I have taken it in my stride to make sure that we use what we have to meet the demands of the people of Osun State. We shall continue to maximise our resources and ensure that the work is done. Another challenge is the human capacity that one needs to achieve his objectives. We are coping with what we have.
Many governors tend to concentrate on physical development of only the state capital and flaunt that to hoodwink observers as achieving a commendable development of the entire state. How has your administration impacted on the rural areas and the people?
Observers only need to visit the rural areas to see what we have done. There is another way I can answer you without being self-adulating. Some few states bid for the World Bank and French Development Agency intervention in rural deployment, particularly in access to the rural areas and farms, and we came first. Osun was adjudged the best state in terms of positively affecting the rural areas. We are in no way shortchanging the rural areas. We are ensuring a good balance in development between the rural and urban areas. For instance, we are constructing 10-kilometre roads in each of the 30 local government areas in the state, and majority of those local governments are in the rural areas.
How have you been able to improve on the state’s internally generated revenue to boost funds to execute projects?
We are doing well. We met a low monthly IGR ceiling of N300 million, which could even sometimes drop to as low as N150 million. That was the way we met it. But now, our IGR is hovering around N1.6 billion monthly. Our target is N5 billion. And that is without putting any tax burden on anybody. We only improved on our revenue collection strategies and blocked leakages.
excerpts from BIOREPORTS
THE announcement last week by Governor Rauf Aregbesola of the State of Osun that plans are afoot to create 27 more local councils in the state adds some more momentum to the revolutionary strides we are already witnessing under this administration. The state will then have 57 local governments across its 3,572 square miles with its 4,137, 627 (2005 estimates) citizens enjoying what 21st political economists call real-time (or first-hand) development and governance.
I’m not here suggesting that the existing 30 councils and Area Office have not been savouring the magic of Ogbeni Aregbesola since he secured the people’s mandate in 2010. No, God forbid! What I’m saying is that 27 more councils will bring the dividends of democracy closer to our people at the grassroots scene. It is simply deepening the essence of the universally acceptable concept of modern democracy as aptly captured by Abraham Lincoln: government of the people, by the people and for the people.
Aregbesola was unequivocal about this strong consideration of the interest of the people in influencing the decision the government has taken. He declared: “The basis for the exercise (creation of new LGs) was the genuine desire and consent of the people of Osun.” The Governor invoked the constitutionality of his administration’s action and asserted the supremacy of the will of those who put him in power when he declared: “We are simply not ready to confront anybody or the Federal Government but we are working on a constitution to grant the wishes of our people. Osun will be the first to constitutionally create local governments … . The difference between what we are seeking to do from others is that we have not in any way influenced this. It is the genuine desire of the people for self-government or expression of having control of their own affairs.”
And taking a cue from the Supreme Court ruling on the matter of council creation in Lagos State years back, Osun is setting up development areas and not local government councils. This is a radical stroke in line with the apex court’s verdict that such development areas “have come into legal existence once a bill to such effect is passed by the State’s House of Assembly and assented to by the Governor.” With the fulfillment of two key conditions for the new councils to come into being, the stage is set for a more rapid transformation of the state of Osun. Indeed getting government and its goodies closer to the people is the main objective of the devolution of the paraphernalia of administration.
If all the world hailed the APC administration of Aregbesola for his massive achievements in 30 local councils, it is certain that the decibel of applause will reach more thunderous levels where such achievements touch citizens of 57 local governments.
I’m referring to such sterling performance as the unprecedented O’YES scheme. Through it, Aregbesola employed 20,000 youths at a go during his first 100 days in office, thus enabling the Osun economy to receive hundreds of millions of naira every month through the stipends he gives to the young boys and girls. This bold initiative takes the youths from the streets and reduces crime while also taming hunger and creating wealth and work. The number is now 40,000 youths with the second batch on.
How about the Ogbeni’s Midas’s touch in education? In the preceding regime of PDP, school enrolment was depressingly low, portending a bleak future of illiterate citizens of Osun. Aregbesola has reversed the situation so significantly that today the National Bureau of Statistics (a Federal agency) rates Osun as the leader in Primary School enrolment for pupils. How did it happen? A condusive atmosphere for learning is in phase, modern structures, grants, free daily nutritious meals, and revolutionary learning methods such as the free provision of Opon Imo (tablet of knowledge), culturalisation of school uniforms (adire) etc. etc. The school system killed by PDP in Osun is back from the grave, thanks to Aregbesola’s APC.
How about infrastructure? Dualised highways and roads have been expanded and modernised in each of the 30 council areas of Osun to improve the transportation of goods and services for the emerging development envisaged by the government with an unprecedented rail project at Dagbolu. Similarly, hospitals, agricultural markets, water works and cottage industries are dotting the landscape of Osun to givethe state the reputable tag of one “huge construction site”, as one keen observer puts it. In pushing for 27 more local governments therefore Ogbeni Aregbesola is championing the pristine cause of democracy, namely taking government and all its good deliveries his administration is offering good health, sound education, empowerment, employment, welfare, security, in a word, the good life, to the doorstep of the grassroots.
In addition, 0sun’s LG system will run a parliamentary mechanism,never before operated in Nigeria. It will reduce the cost of governance by 25 percent. These are the issues that should influence the citizens, the electorate and observers as the 2014 gubernatorial ballot draws close. The discerning public should not be hoodwinked by deceit and propaganda of the enemies of Osun that the creation of more local councils is to make way for jobs-for-the-boys syndrome as it was with the previous regime.
VANGUARD
Deputy Governor State of Osun, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori; Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba (Dr.) Gabriel Aromolaran share moments at the 2013 Iwude-Ijesha Festival, in Ereja Square, Ilesa, State of Osun on Saturday 28-12-2013. Photos below
Something interesting is happening in Osun State, and its is in the education sector. As someone from outside this state I recently took time to follow developments in that state and I encourage others who are so interesting to follow my cue.
Based on basic research and direct visitation, I can say with confidence that, in all ramifications, the state towers well above all other states of the Federal in addressing the educational needs of their citizens.
This is in spite the fact that Osun ranks 34th among the 36th states of the Federation on the revenue allocation chart table. I understand that the governors reasoning is erected on the claims that “the only way to conquer and banish abject poverty from humanity is through conscious education of the mind towards productive engagement, which in turn will trigger creativity and productivity that will meet the basic needs of man”. This Awoist proposition is poking a finger at the recent UNESCO report which says 10.5 million Nigerian children have no access to basic education.
To reinforce a believe that paving access to education for all kids regardless of their social status, Mr. Aregbesola is quoted as saying that a nation perishes that deadened her resource to the growth of basic, accessible and affordable education. “Nation being is first and foremost her educational being and every other thing revolves around it, without which the nation perishes or hangs in the precipice of under develop cliff.”
Interestingly, his efforts have yielded tremendous result with the renovation of dilapidated schools structures and building of model schools to replace the decrepit ones that previously dignified places where pigs and other animals are reared. When I visited the state, it made sense to me that when pupils and parents are applauding the governor; some purchased crowd of propagandist did not make this up. They are compelling him to do more.
The governor has committed whopping billions of Naira into the Elementary and Middle School levels’ buildings that will each accommodate 900 pupils. The High School buildings will have capacity for 3,000 students. The state has almost delivers a 100 of such buildings at the Elementary, 50 at the Middle, and 20 at the High school levels; making a total of 170 in all, in his first term in office.
Even the most enthusiastic among us has given up that, on a national level, the country can meet the UNESCO set standard for compulsory education by 2030 to eliminate excruciating and crushing poverty. My journey to Osun encourages me to believe that with a visionary leader and the right political will, even this tall goal is achievable.
The Middle Level is from Primary 4 to Junior Secondary School 3 (JSS 111) for pupils aged between 10 to 14, now classified as Grades 5 to 9. At the High School Level, the age range is between 15 and 17 years, corresponding with Senior Secondary School (SSS III), to be known as Grades 10-12. The schools design is so perfect that no residents, group, organisation, individual, religious or interest would suffer as a result of the school reform.
It is impressive for me how this social sector becomes another engine for job creation. The state has, now employed some 3,000 women who have been cocking for the Elementary feeding programme, in addition to the gains agricultural schemes of his administration that has brought the production capacities of farmer-suppliers of farm produce, as well as the poultry and beef inputs for the food menu. The pupils feed on eggs, chickens, fish and red meat to enable them meet nutritional requirements for mental development.
In addition to the free education policy of the state government where the West African Examination Council (WAEC) and the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) are paid for, Governor Aregbesola has established Omoluabi Garment Factory in the state that caters for school uniform needs of the students across the state. With this, parents who would have otherwise bothered themselves about school uniforms for their wards have swiftly enrolled them in schools across the state without buying uniform for them since it has been provided for by government.
When, two months ago, Mr. Aregbesola was honoured by the Yoruba Education Trust Fund, YETFUND, as the best governor of the year in the South West, this made sense. Here, in true measure, was a man who has dedicated the largest chunks of his budgetary allocation, proportionately to the promotion and development of education for actual growth of the Yoruba people in particular, in so short a time.
The group singled out the award winning Opon Imo (Tablet of Knowledge) as the basics for the education excellent award bestowed on the governor. The technology wonder is in a class of its own! The tablet is preloaded with seventeen (17) subjects offered by students in the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations (WASSCE). The subjects have been designed in forms of lesson notes, textbooks, mostly provided by publishers and master teachers’ inputs. Content verifiers, who happened to be some of the local teachers, were also made to verify lesson notes on each subject. Besides, seven extra-curricular subjects, such as Sexuality Education, Civic Education, Yoruba History, Ifa Traditional Religion, Computer Education and Entrepreneurship Education, and Twelve Thousand Yoruba Proverbs were also included.
Test platform for students’ self assessment to monitor their own comprehension and mastery of the subject, including 10 years past questions and answers provided by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), as well as questions and answers in 17 (Seventeen) ordinary level subjects .The subject are English Language, Mathematics, Agricultural Science, Economics, Principles of Accounts, Literature in English, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Yoruba, Commerce, Further Mathematics, History, Geography, Government, IRK and CRK. Audio tutorials were also embedded in the Opon-Imo to further aid students through virtual study plan.
The state, therefore has saved a whopping N8.4 billion from live textbook purchases and instead, just a sum N200 million was spent by the state government for the purchase of the 56 e-books on Opon-Imo with 150,000 user licenses from a major educational publishing company from the country. As it is structured, Opon-Imo ensures that each student has an e-textbook, not only in all the subjects he is taking, but also on every subject offered at secondary level. This, in itself is legendary and revolutionary!
A report released in October by the African Health, Human and Social Development Information Service, Africa Coalition on Maternal Newborn and Child Health and Pan African Campaign against Forced Marriage of Under-age Children gives credence to that fact. “Among the 36 states in Nigeria four states — Osun, Lagos, Imo, Enugu — feature in the all-best categories for all indicators: highest girl-child education, highest female literacy, lowest adolescent girl ‘marriages’ and lowest underage birth rates”.
In the same report, “Between 67 per cent and 87.1 per cent of girls are not in secondary school in the following: Five states from the North West (Kebbi, 87.1 per cent; Sokoto, 87 per cent; Jigawa, 80.7 per cent; Zamfara 76.8 per cent; and Katsina, 72.1 per cent). The four states from the North East are Bauchi, 86.7 per cent; Yobe, 77.4 per cent; Borno, 70.9 per cent; and Gombe, 67.8 per cent; while the one from the North Central is Niger with 73.8 per cent.
“There are scores worse than the North Central, North East and North West states such as Nasarawa (56.7 per cent); Benue (56.4 per cent); Adamawa (53.1 per cent); Kaduna (45.3 per cent); Plateau (45.3 per cent); Kogi (36.4 per cent) and Kwara (35.4 per cent),” the report says. Ebonyi State is closely followed by Bayelsa State, which occupies the 13th position.
The report also has it that: “Bayelsa State also habours the highest number of females (aged 20 to 24 years) that have had at least a live birth before attaining the age of 18 years with 31.7 percent, compared to Adamawa, 30.5 percent; Taraba, 29.3 percent; and Niger ,24.9 percent. The three Northern states in turn score better than Delta, 22 percent; Rivers, 19.9 percent and Anambra, 18.9 percent.
There is no gain saying that it is on the basis of Governor Aregbesola’s grand commitment to educational development that led to the spiral increases in school enrolment and students improved performance in both WAEC and JAMB as the overall best state across the country. However, it is clear that there is a lot more to be done with the poor WAEC results released a few days ago that falls short of UNESCO standard.
The council withheld results of 38,260 candidates, representing 12.88 per cent, over alleged examination malpractice and sundry issues. Yet, for anyone to gain admission into the tertiary institution in the country, you must obtain at least five credits, including English Language and Mathematics in WASSCE or Senior Secondary Certificate Examination conducted by the examination body.
At a time we are all agreed that the situation in the nation’s basic education system, as well as tertiary institutions, call for national emergency, I will say it is also a time to emulate Mr. Aregbesola who has devoted a huge chunk of the state’s resource for educational development of Osun people.
I cannot imagine just how lucky citizens of this state are, I see concrete evidence here of what we generally describe as dividends of democracy beyond the platitudes and propaganda in other states.
PREMIUM TIMES
Reiterating the ever-preparedness of his boss in Abuja, the IG, Mohammed Abubakar, the zone 11 AIG told He gave the assurance while speaking with journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, during his routine visit to the state Command.
While reiterating the ever-preparedness of the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, he said the force will do everything humanly possible to ensure that the election in Osun State turns out peaceful.
He assessed the outgoing year in the entire zone, describing the year as a peaceful one generally, stressing that they did all they could at the level to key into the agenda of the IG for effective policing and everything went peacefully well.
Speaking on his visit to the Oyo State Command, he described it as a necessity for the ‘commander to keep in touch with his men on the field’ and commended the officers and men of the command for giving a good account of themselves.
NATIONAL MIRROR