“Our School Reforms and Reclassification exercise has exposed not only the inherited infrastructural decay un-befitting even for animal pets, but also a horrendous moral decadence and delinquency which are the natural offspring of the rot and are capable of derailing our educational transformation, so, they must be checked” –Aregbesola
A 27 man high powered Special Committee on Discipline in Public Schools has been inaugurated; Wednesday to examine the moral decadence in the public schools in Osun.
The step is in a bid to urgently arrest pockets of violence in public schools across the state.
Explaining why such Committee was put together! Governor Rauf Aregbesola said that recent mindless violence in public schools is worrisome and disheartening- considering the priority his administration is giving to education in the state.
He described the recent violence in some schools as a major challenge in the middle and high schools which must be address before it spreads to the elementary schools.
“The situation is so terrible to the extent that there is the need to declare a state of emergency on middle and high school education in the state of Osun if not in Nigeria as a whole.
“Population of the trouble makers may be minute and tinny but such violence is discouraging and capable of derailing the ongoing education transformation in our state”, he explained.
The committee’s terms of reference include unveiling the level of moral decadence and discipline in public schools and recommend appropriately a long term approach to curb the menace.
Aregbesola tasked the committee to dwell as much as possible on the causes of bad habit and gross indiscipline by not sparing any stakeholder in the cause of their investigation- including teachers, principals, Local Inspectors of Education, LIE among others.
Members of the committee were urged to carry out the task with what Aregbesola described as full sense of responsibility; urging them to handle the assignment as a mater of destiny of the Yoruba race and to justify the huge resources invested on education.
“The cankerworm must be flushed out of the education sector because we want to make our state a model. That is why we rebranded it as the state of the virtuous
“The decay in the physical infrastructures of public schools has already spread to the morals of pupils. We must sanitise this”, said Aregbesola.
The Deputy Governor and Commissioner for Education Otunba Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori said it was the reclassification exercise that exposed the indiscipline among the school pupils which was difficult to imagine.
Laoye-Tomori added that the need for the inauguration is in furtherance of the administration’s policy on revamping the decadence in public schools. The committee is put in place with a view to correcting indiscipline in schools.
Acting Chairman of the Committee and Special Adviser to the Governor on Land and Physical Planning, Dr Ayoade Owoade said members of the committee understand the pulse of government, considering where it places education as first priority. He assured the governor of diligent exercise on the assignment.
OTHER MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE
1. Mr Sunday Akere, Commissioner for Information and Strategy
2. Prof. Mrs Funmi Tonobi, A Professor of Psychology and former Deputy Vice Chancellor, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife.
3. Hon Jonshon Ojo – Osun Legislature (OSHA)
4. Hon Samson Fafiyebi – Osun Legislature (OSHA)
5. Hon Ademola Ajiboye – Osun Legislature (OSHA)
6. Mrs Esho Williams – Special Adviser For Women Affairs & Social Welfare
7. Mrs Latifat Giwa – a Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Education.
8. Mr Lawrence Oyeniran, Permanent Sectary, Ministry of Education,
9. A representative of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN)
10. A representative of Muslim Communities
11. A representative of Traditional Religion Worshippers
12. Representatives of NUT and ANCOPS
OSUN DEFENDER

Photos from the Governor’s Endorsement for Second Term Running by all the thirty one Local Government Executive Secretaries in the State at Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo the State of Osun at the weekend.

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (4th right); his
Deputy, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori (5th right); Chairman, Association of
Local Government Executive Secretaries in Osun, Prince Soji Ajayi (3rd
right); Interim Chairman, All Progressive Congress, Elder Adebiyi
Adelowo (right); Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Wale Afolabi (4th
left) and others, during the Governor’s Endorsement for Second Term
Running by all the thirty one Local Government Executive Secretaries
in the State at Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo the State of Osun
at the weekend.

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (4th right); his
Deputy, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori (5th right); Chairman, Association of
Local Government Executive Secretaries in Osun, Prince Soji Ajayi (3rd
right); Interim Chairman, All Progressive Congress, Elder Adebiyi
Adelowo (right); Executive Secretary, Ilesa West Local Government,
Alhaji Issa Azeez (2nd right) and others, during the Governor’s
Endorsement for Second Term Running by all the thirty one Local
Government Executive Secretaries in the State at Nelson Mandela
Freedom Park, Osogbo the State of Osun at the weekend.

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (4th right); his
Deputy, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori (5th right); Interim Chairman, All
Progressive Congress, Elder Adebiyi Adelowo (3rd right); Secretary to
the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti (5th left) and others,
during the Governor’s Endorsement for Second Term Running by all the
thirty one Local Government Executive Secretaries in the State at
Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo the State of Osun at the weekend.

Traditional Religious Worshippers in Osun State have warned the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) against attack on the merger and reclassification policy of the government of Osun State.
The worshippers at a press conference addressed yesterday by their President, Chief Idowu Awopetu in Osogbo noted that CAN should be cautioned to desist from action that could derail the laudable programme of government aimed at transforming education to a greater height in the State.
Awopetu said it was wrong for CAN to claim ownership of any public school in the State since it is a matter of public knowledge that since the takeover of ownership of schools by the government in1975, government also took over the responsibility of staffing, administration and provision of infrastructure in the schools.
His words: “We challenge the leadership of CAN to give evidence of contribution of even a kobo for the upkeep of these schools. It is shameless that these elements in the CAN leadership are coming forward to lay claim to the schools that have been left to rot by all before
Governor Aregbesola decided to fulfill his promise of providing qualitative education to all the children of Osun, irrespective of creed or religion”.
“In this regard, we have observed tremendous investment of Aregbesola’s Government in educational infrastructure. Our public schools are now attractive for learning and more students are leaving private schools to be part of the revolution that is taking place in our public schools. Gone is the era where our public schools are not fit for animal husbandry”. He said.
Chief Awopetu expressed shock and dismay that CAN asserted that the reclassification exercise is capable of triggering terrorism in the state saying that the leadership of CAN ought to be mindful of their language especially when such utterances can fan the ember of discord in the state.
He urged security agencies in the state to invite the leadership of CAN with a view to investigating this claim: “In view of the grave implications of the alarmist claim of the CAN Chairman for the immediate security of lives and property in the State, we hereby call
on security operatives to, as a matter of urgency, invite leadership of CAN with a view to investigating this claim and if found to be untrue should henceforth warn them to stop spreading lies that can put this state in turmoil.”
The President insisted that religious tolerance is the hallmark of the Yoruba people saying: “there is hardly any home in Yoruba land, State of Osun inclusive, where you will not find adherents of all the three dominant religion. This, notwithstanding, has not created a wedge between us as a people rather we co-exist peacefully with mutual respect for one another”.
The traditionalists called on citizens of the State to prevail on CAN leadership to maintain peace adding that the state has enjoyed tremendous peace in the last three years of administration of Mr. Rauf Aregbesola.
DAILY TRUST

A new report by the Civil Society Network Against Corruption, CSNAC, has lauded the recent move by Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State to reclassify the public schools in the state.
The report made noted that the reclassification is an innovative and sustainable way of implementing the new 9-3-4 educational policy of the federal government.
While it stated that the government’s policy has increased the standard of infrastructure in public schools; it also noted that the controversy that had arisen from the merger of the schools was “not essentially political,” but opposition politicians had feasted on the feud.
Last October, Mr. Aregbesola embarked on a massive education reform in the state that saw the reorganization of the school system into elementary (Primary 1 – 4), middle (Primary 5 – JSS 3) and high school (SSS 1 – 3) categories.
But the most controversial part of the reform was the government’s decision to merge schools. For instance, male students were introduced into the Baptist Girls’ High School, Osogbo; while hijab-wearing pupils were merged with the pupils of Baptist High School, Iwo.
The attendant controversy led to civil society groups dispatching a Governance Monitoring Team delegation to Osun State who, for four days, met with stakeholders in the educational Sector of the State.
MIXED CONCERNS
The Osun State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, are one of the fiercest opponents of the education reform.
According to CSNAC’s report, CAN and the Baptist Convention insisted that there were no prior and informed consent of Christians on the reclassification of schools by the state government.
They also insisted that: “The Christian schools should retain their age-long identities and culture threatened by the reclassification policy.
“That the state government did not conduct enough consultations before the school reclassification was embarked upon.
“That the reclassification could lead to faith-based feud in the State of Osun.
“That the Baptist Mission cherish the legacy of segregated learning at the Baptist Girls School and is resolved to protect same.
“That the traditional Christian schools will not allow the wearing of Hijab by Muslim students transferred into the Christian schools,” the report stated.
The report also said that the Christian community maintained that the new common public school uniform has an inscription ‘ELLA’ which they believe is the name of a Yoruba deity and this could be a way of initiating children into ‘voodoo’ or occult
The Christian community also acknowledged that the “notorious” inclusion on the ‘Opon Imo’ is actually not ‘Ifa’ but a book titled ‘Asa ati Oosa Ile Yoruba’ (Culture and Deities of Yoruba Land) but they nonetheless considers this uncalled for and an introduction of children to traditional worship.
“They called attention to the derelict state of schools’ facilities owned and maintained by government in sharp contrast to the good and attractive state of missionary owned and maintained facilities like church and halls.
“The ‘schools merger’ is wrecking hardship on pupils as transport fare for some have gone over N500 daily.
“They referred also to a notice banner in front of the public Baptist Girls High school gate that forbids any student wearing hijab from entering the premises. This ban is enforced strictly by the security personnel hired by the church.
“Expressed concern that the wearing of ‘hijab’ is a mere subterfuge for indulging in examination cheating and to conceal teenage pregnancy,” the report added.
The Muslim community in the state, however, noted that the stereotyping of the reclassification policy from the prism of the governor’s religion (Mr. Aregbesola is a muslim) was a “traditional misconception.”
The Muslim leaders also accused some Christian-named schools of banning the teaching of Islamic Studies.
The civil society group also consulted other stakeholders such as the Parents and Teachers Association, Nigeria Union of Teachers, the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools, market women and men, and Mr. Aregbesola among others.
Mr. Aregbesola, in his submission, maintained that the reform was designed to solve the state’s growing educational crisis.
“The schools have been taken over by the state government since 1975 with adequate compensation paid to the affected owners,” Mr. Aregbesola said.
“The education policy takes into consideration the ultimate good for the highest number of the people of the State of Osun, irrespective of religious considerations,” he added.
The report recommended that a Monitoring Team be set up comprising of representatives of CAN, Muslim groups, the State Government and Civil Society Groups.
“Given the utilitarian content of the new education policy, there cannot be an end point in consultation and dialogue on the policy and its merits. The stakeholders, government, CAN, Muslim groups should begin a monthly public dialogue on the educational policy,” the report stated.
“There should be and expanded dialogue table to involve leaders of ethnic communities, artisan groups like Nigerian Automobile Technicians Association, (NATA), Civil Society Groups and Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers, (NURTW).
“After one year of policy implementation, the state government should embark on Education Review summit to be able to review the strength and weaknesses of the policy.”
The recommendation acknowledged that the Hijab was a fundamental rights issue and recommended that Omoluabi garment (owned by the state government), in consultation with stakeholders (NUT, ANCOPPSS, PTA and the Muslim Community) be contracted to design appropriate Hijab that will fit well with the schools uniform.
“Subsequently, pupils/students should be required to wear only the approved hijab on top of their school uniforms,” it added.
PREMIUM TIMES

THERE was this bond, Sukuk bond, by the Osun State Government that generated controversy. How would you react to this?
Well, the bond didn’t really, really generate controversy because when you use the word controversy, it would mean uproar. Controversy would also mean a resistance, but there was nothing like that. It was more of a section trying to play politics with it by saying that the governor was trying to Islamize Osun State.
The Sukuk bond is like any other conventional bond where you go to the capital market and raise funds and make a commitment that over the next seven years you would make good your promise. Apart from the nomenclature, there is nothing different from conventional. It was the structure of that Sukuk that enabled us to raise that funds at 14. 75 per cent and so if today I see an opportunity in my borrowing window limit as stipulated by the Debt Management Office of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and as stipulated by the Security Exchange Commission, and if I were a Moslem, there is an opportunity to raise funds and I see a structure that is called the Christian bond or Christian financing I will also use it.
There are lots of constructions going on in the state, considering the fact that Osun is not Lagos or Rivers. How are you going to complete these projects?
Those projects will be completed. Some will be completed over a span of two years, some will be completed over a span of three years. If you look at what we have done, despite that we don’t have available money now, but if we are allowed to spread it over three, four, or five years in some cases, we will be able to gradually pay. By then we would have started enjoying the road.
Let me tell you what we have done, we are the first state to have done this. Under Ogbeni Aregbesola, he was able to stick out his credibility and the state’s credibility and said you know what? If you want to be our partner, you must be able to go the whole hog with us i.e. you must be able to hang in there, construct the road and wait for your money. We had come up with the kind of what we call derivative financing. Derivative financing means something that is not going to impact you or poke a hole in your balance sheet. We said okay we can pay you with cash if we have cash we would pay you with promissory note if we have promissory note. The promissory note becomes a tradable instrument so that derivative financing allows bankers to participate in infrastructure development and allows contractors to participate in the development. So, we have shared the responsibility in such a way that nobody will take the advantage of government.
At the tail end of the last administration, N18.35bn loan was taken from the UBA…
Governor Rauf Aregbesola never said it was wrong to take a loan. He rather said it was wrong to take loan at the twilight of your administration. Not at dawn but at dusk and so the PDP took that loan at dusk. There was no way they could say that the intention was for the people of Osun because the project that they could have used it to implement, there was no way they could have finished it between February and March when they took that loan. If you look at the timing, and if you look at the purpose of that loan, both the timing and purpose were to build six stadia, if you are going to build six stadia at a go, you need to be preparing for the Olympic.
I remember that the governor promised to bring investors to the state, especially those dealing in IT/ICT but they are not here yet…
There are here. The LG Electronic will soon commission their factory in Ilesa. The other one that is going to be making Opon Imo tablet computers has almost finished their factory in Osogbo. You must have heard that we’ve encouraged International Breweries Limited to retain their investment in Osun State, rather than go elsewhere. By God’s grace, we are going to reach out to Dangote to open the steel company.
There has been an increase in the IGR of the state. Considering what you met, what would you say is the secret?
We’ve just increased efficiency and we told our people to be honest. So, we blocked leakages, we’ve the automated revenue collection mechanism and we’ve a passed revenue law.
People talk about capital flight here in Osun; how do you explain this?
There is no capital flight. If you look at it, we were the first state in Nigeria to come up with a policy which we call local content and not only that we measure it. We measure this in the sense that we have a consultant that goes round to find out how many jobs that have been created, direct and indirect. There is local content policy and in our agreement, we have forced the contractors to sign an undertaking that they will comply. Today, under our construction of road programme, we have people that are benefiting and the governor always says this to us in the cabinet: ‘If you’re doing road or building a school in your area, make sure your people are employed. No contractor should turn down people.’ So if you want to work and there is work around your area, you go there and tell them as an artisan that you must be given a job. The intention of the government of Rauf Aregbesola is to industrialise Osun and indigenise all contracts. Omoluabi Garment Factory came into existence because we did not want the capital to fly away. We insisted that for you to sew 750, 000 uniforms, you must set up a factory here, you must employ our people.
THE NATION

 
The Governor of the state of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has re-named Osogbo Freedom Pack after the world Legend, Nelson Mandela.
 
Mandela who was the South Africa’s first black president died peacefully in company of his family at home in Johannesburg, Jacob Zuma announces on Thursday.
 
According to Aregbesola, Nelson Mandela, the towering figure of Africa’s struggle for freedom and an hero to millions around the world, has died at the age of 95. “His Struggles and journey from prisoner to a president embodied the promise that African Peoples – and developing countries – can change for the better.”
 
Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola spoke last night on the passage of Nelson Mandela, saying he doubted if another like him would come this way soon.
 
He said: “There goes the conscience of the world. He lived without prejudice. I doubt if there could be anyone like him in the nearest foreseeable future.
 
“We celebrate his life and dogged struggle, even in death.
 
“On behalf of the State Government of Osun and all those who are committed to the deepening of democracy, I send my condolences.”
adapted from OSUN DEFENDER

Assistant Inspector General of Police Zone 11,  Mr David Omojola and State Commissioner of  Police, Mrs Dorothy Gimba, during a Courtesy visit by the AIG to the Governor at Government house Osogbo, on Friday 6/12/2013

From left* – Deputy Governor State of Osun, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori;
Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; Assistant Inspector General of
Police Zone 11, Mr David Omojola and State Commissioner of Police,
Mrs Dorothy Gimba, during a Courtesy visit by the AIG to the Governor at Government house Osogbo, on Friday 6/12/2013

*From left* – Deputy Governor State of Osun, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori;
Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; Assistant Inspector General of
Police Zone 11, Mr David Omojola and State Commissioner of Police,
Mrs Dorothy Gimba, during a Courtesy visit by the AIG to the Governor at the Government house Osogbo, on Friday 6/12/2013

From left* – Deputy Governor State of Osun, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori;
Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Assistant Inspector General of
Police Zone 11, Mr David Omojola during a Courtesy visit by the AIG to the Governor at Government house Osogbo, on Friday 6/12/2013

Osun state commissioner for Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. Wale Bolorunduro has said that the present administration in the state has created opportunities for existing investors who are looking for high yields, by creating arrays of instruments and arrays of bonds in the state.
The commissioner, who made this known in an interview in Osogbo, also pointed out that the state government has succeeded in securing funds for infrastructural development of Osun at fixed returns.
According to him, “for the first time we are issuing a bond that is going to be asset backed. Asset backed in the sense that you will see that your funds will go into the creation of assets and not intangibles.
So, what it enables the investors to do is to diversify their portfolios, and in diversifying their portfolios they succeed in getting higher yield for their investment.”
“We have also succeeded in securing funds for infrastructural development of Osun at fixed returns. When we did this Sukuk bond, there was no way we could do it at 14.75 percent returns because banks were lending to one another at 25 or 30 percent.
During the period we were in the market raising this fund, interbank lending rates went as high as 40 percent so how can you get investors to invest at 14.75 percent? “
“Fixed returns and you know when you do fixed returns over time; the cost to the beneficiary comes down. There was no way we could raise that money without going the ways of Sukuk.
And so I am not surprised that not only are we beginning to have interest what we have done is that we have pioneered that instrument and have contributed to the infrastructural development of Nigeria.”
“We have done that and we are following our national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; who pioneered conventional bonds; the states going to the capital market to raise fund for infrastructural development.
NATIONAL MIRROR

The paramount ruler of Ijesha land, Dr. Gabriel Aromolaran, yesterday lauded the three years administration of Governor Rauf Aregbesola in the state, describing it as uncommon in the history of governance in country.

The monarch disclosed this at a public forum tagged; “Gbangba Dekun,” the sixth of its kind at Ilesha Grammar School, Ilesha.
He said what Aregbesola’s government has accomplished in three years will take another government 10 years to achieve.
Oba Aromolaran noted that in the last three years, the state has witnessed all round development as never before in its history.
He listed education, employment opportunities, food security, health, the innovative ‘Opon Imo’ (Tablet of Knowledge), training and retraining of health personnel and teachers and youth development as some of the outstanding programmes of the government.
His words: “Governor Rauf Aregbesola has given an outstanding performance in the last three years. What he has done in three years is an achievement of 10 years for some other governments.
“His coming is divine. No one can defeat whom God has supported. But for prayers, the governor would not have retrieved his mandate. We are still praying fervently for his second term.”
The monarch, however, called on the governor to intensify efforts on security in the state, so that the peace being enjoyed by the people can be sustained.
He also charged the people of the state to support the governor in his second term bid.
Reacting, Aregbesola said Osun has witnessed huge development owing to the harmonious relationship between the executive and legislature in the state as well as the support and cooperation of the people of the state.
NATIONAL MIRROR