Osun State has experienced dramatic alterations in several spheres of infrastructural and human capital development in the last three years since the advent of the Rauf Aregbesola administration.Three years ago when Aregbesola was inaugurated, he pledged that he would offer the people of Osun a friendly government, a government totally committed to unlocking the latent potentials of Osun people.The education sector is perhaps one of the most noticeable and talked about sectors that have received the imprint of the Aregbesola administration.
It flowed from the education summit spearheaded by renowned Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka and other stakeholders in the education sector, which was convened by the current administration shortly after assuming the mantle of leadership of the state on 27th November 2010.Prior to the inception of the present administration in OsunState or the State of Osun as the Aregbesola has restyled the state, no one would ever have imagined the changes.Public education had been so badly managed that only pupils whose parents could not afford the financial implications of a private school were left in the public schools. The students, especially those in primary schools were roughly dressed and mal-nourished. School buildings were in dilapidated state, students’ performance both at the internal/external examinations were abysmally poor.One of the steps taken by the current administration in sharpening the sector is the provision of two pairs of unified school uniforms to each of 750,000 pupils in all the public primary and secondary schools across the state to boost the morale of the students and further promote unity among the public schools in the state.
The provision of the uniforms free of charge reportedly gulped a whopping N800million aside from N1.8billion being injected for the running of basic education.No fewer than 3,000 tailors were contracted by the government to sew the new uniforms made of Adire batik. The material was chosen to empower the artisans and Adire makers in the state and as well make the state a reference point for its creativity to others.The administration is also injecting a whopping sum of N30billion to give a new lease to the structures and classrooms under which pupils studied going by the recommendations of the summit.Under the arrangements, the state government is constructing 170 new model schools across the state to replace the dilapidated buildings with state of the art facilities expected to enhance and stimulate the teaching and learning environment.To further stimulate the interest of students to learning, the government said it is reducing the burden of having to go to school by replacing books with computer tablets invented for that purpose.
The device designed in form of an iPad called “Opon Imo,” has a software containing the entire senior school syllabus, including Yoruba traditions, past questions of the West African Examination Council (WAEC), National Examination Council (NECO) and Joint Administration and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for 10 years in the software design for the system.The government’s achievements in the education sector have, however, been trailed with controversy, notably in the reclassification scheme of the schools. That scheme has been especially criticized by the opposition in the state and the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN which has flayed it as a scheme directed against Christians.The administration has also made landmarks in security to the extent that OsunState is today one of the most peaceful states in the country.
Apart from the regular police manning the state, government set up dedicated crime response teams nicknamed Swift Action Squad (SAS), who are now visible in strategic areas in the state as well as identified troubled sports.Not done yet, additional 100 patrol vans were also to be provided for the SAS and seven more police state to be built.  Currently, a state –wide distress management system, which would allow security agency to respond within 40 minutes, is being developed so as to guarantee effective and efficient crime, detection, crime prevention and crime control.In addition to this, a community policing network is also evolving to boost security network across the country. Because security must be all-rounder, government recently purchased a helicopter for SAS for area surveillance of the state.  Aregbesola’s government intends to make the state crime-free.
The administration has also made strategic improvements in the health sector and embarked a social security system tagged Agba Osun (Osun Elders), under which the government selected about 1, 600 most vulnerable people across the state and placed them on monthly stipend of N10, 000 for their upkeep.The youths have also been boosted with an empowerment scheme dubbed Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme otherwise called OYES.
VANGUARD

As OYES is a revolving scheme for participating volunteers, they are expected to exit the programme after two years. As part of the government’s plan to set them on the path of economic freedom, a robust exit strategy was designed to arm the volunteers with new skills, entrepreneurship and proper mentoring programme to prepare them for gainful exit from the scheme.
These exit strategies are to facilitate a healthy transition into the state and national economies and at the same time allow another batch of 20,000 unemployed youths to experience the benefits of serving as Volunteers in the scheme.
These Strategies include the following:

1. Deployment as Teachers to Public schools.
2. Deployment to Agricultural Initiatives (O’REAP).
3. Absorption into the State’s Civil Service.
4. Deployment to applicable ICT opportunities via OYESTECH.
5. Sponsoring of some volunteers abroad for specialized training.

The OYES till-date remains the most progressive and pragmatic response to arresting the high level of youth unemployment in the State. It is a novel conception and radical approach aimed at tackling restiveness and idleness among the youth by Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s administration.
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Commissioner for Finance, State of Osun,  Dr. Wale Bolorunduro has stressed that the state is economically stable and strong in spite of the massive construction works going on in all parts of the state. Bolorunduro in an interview stated that contrary to insinuation in some quarters that the state was insolvent, the economy of the state was in the increase.
He  noted  that the opposition leaders in the state particularly from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) as political jobbers who in spite of the massive transformation of the state in the past three years, see nothing good about the present administration in the state.
According to him, “don’t mind their claim that the state had gone bankrupt. You can also see that there is massive construction works going on everywhere, so if the state, is insolvent, would there be that kind of level of development in virtually all parts of the state? He said “Today I can say that the state is not insolvent. The question of insolvency should not even arise at all. They are just jabbering and we would not be distracted by their negative comments,” he added.
While speaking on non commissioning  of projects since governor Aregbesola came to power in  the state he  contended that commissioning of projects was meant for lazy leaders adding that the level of works done and the developments carried during his tenure would speak for him.
The Commissioner also recalled that, in all the advanced countries of the world, leaders are not seen rolling out drums to commission projects saying commissioning of projects was another waste of public funds.
He remarked that “Our administration did not believe in commissioning of projects. We believe it is the people’s projects, so why must you commission it. In all the advanced countries of the world, we don’t see leaders commissioning projects all over the way we do it in this country.”
He expressed  happiness  with the level of works done by the contractors handling various projects in the state stressing that “they are working according to the specification and I am sure that all projects would be completed on scheduled”.
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Government of Osun has reiterated its readiness to develop all tourist centers across the state.The state Commissioner for Home Affairs, Tourism and Culture, Alhaji Sikiru Ayedun stated this yesterday during the News Point programme organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Correspondents’ Chapel, in Osogbo the state capital.
Ayedun stated that the decision has informed the Aregbesola led administration to set aside the sum of  N5 billion for the uplift of tourist centers in the state.
The Commissioner who commended the Governor for his passion for tradition and culture said it has gone a long way towards the uplift of the state.
Ayedun who lauded the state government for the timely support and cooperation to the just concluded Hajj operation in the state declared that this year’s Hajj operation in the state has been the best ever saying it was due to the Governor’s support.
He however enjoined people of the state to continue to support Aregbesola’s led administration to succeed.

NIGERIANPILOT

Jaiz Bank Managers paid a Courtesy visit to the Governor in Osogbo, the State of Osun at the weekend. Photos below

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (left) presenting the State of Osun Under-17 Governor’s Cup to the Captain Obokun Local Government team after winning the State of Osun Under-17 Governor’s Cup, at technical college, Osogbo the State of Osun

 

The interim Chairman of the Osun State chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Elder Adelowo Adebiyi has attributed the laudable achievements of the Rauf Aregbesola administration in the state to the training and experience he gathered over the years from administrative icons.
Declaring open a three-day workshop on the theme: ‘Political Party Renewal and Organization’ organized for the leadership of APC in the state by Comrade Ola Oni Center for Research and Development in Osogbo on Tuesday, Adebiyi noted that politicking has gone beyond political meetings organized under a politician’s confinement.
Adebiyi said the challenges posed by various happenings in the political terrain this day called for training for practitioners so that the larger populace may enjoy the dividends of democracy.
The state APC boss noted that Governor Aregbesola has introduced civility into governance, the result of which the people of Osun State are enjoying today adding that no government can achieve any success in an environment devoid of peace.
He urged participants to make the best use of the opportunity provided by the workshop so that the society would not only benefit from the training but the participants can leave a legacy worthy of emulation politically by upcoming politicians.
In his keynote address, Dr.Abayomi Ferreira regretted that all the political parties in Nigeria lack the necessary factors for national development adding that the essential elements for a purposeful political party development are lacking.
According to him, “the story of Nigeria is one that emphasizes the need for a change in strategy and tactics, a change in policy and programme, a change in orientation. The political parties, including the APC I am sorry to say, lack the necessary factors for national development.
“For Nigerians to enjoy the dividends of democracy, there is the need to dismantle the ongoing self-seeking foreign designed programme of deregulation, privatization, and downsizing that the right wing politicians are using to put the nation’s wealth in their own pockets”.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Millennium Development Goals (SSP-MDGs), Dr. Precious Gbeneol, has disclosed that the three tiers of government spend about N3 trillion annually as against the total sum of N4.3 trillion required to achieve the MDGs targets before the 2015 deadline.
She singled out  Osun,  Lagos and Imo States for their remarkable poverty reduction rates
Gbeneol stated this yesterday, when the team from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) visited the Office of SSAP-MDGs (OSSAP-MDGs) to find out the country’s performance track towards achieving the MDGs.
She said the country had done remarkably well in meeting the targets of some of the MDGs, despite the shortfall of N1.3 trillion needed annually to achieve the goals.
According to her, the outcome of the Needs Assessment projected cost of meeting the MDGs from 2010 to 2015 at the exchange rate of N150 to $1 would require N4,259,550.
She said: “Based on the 2012 budget analysis…, the three tiers of government spend more than N3.0 trillion on the MDGs with an annual gap of about N1.0 trillion. The budget total for 774 local government areas (LGAs) is N1.75 trillion with MDGs component of N791 billion; while the total spending across the country is N3 trillion, with about N872 billion being spent by the federal government.
However, a fund-gap of N1 trillion will be needed every year to achieving the targets of MDGs.”
The SSAP-MDGs listed the target areas where the annual budget of N4.3 trillion would be required to include education N282 million, health N743 million, agriculture N1.1 billion, energy N810,500 million, water N418,500, housing N126,750 million, roads N733 million and environment N31,500 million.
Gbeneol commended the IMF Team, saying their (IMF) yearly evaluation visits helps to keep focused and on track.
She, who said the intervention measures put on ground by the OSSAP-MDGs have been able to achieve some of the targets of the Goal 1, most of Goal 5 and 4, disclosed the Conditional Grant Scheme/Cash transfer, where the sum of N10billion were spent last year on 112,000 households in 24 states have been helpful in addressing issue of poverty and hunger, adding that the amount will be expanded to N20billion across 30 states in 2014.
She singled out Lagos, Osun and Imo States for their remarkable poverty reduction rates, while the states of the he North-east, North-west belt of Jigawa-Gombe-Yobe-Sokoto performed badly.
She said: “Child mortality rate is worse in the North, so also women literacy rate, especially as a country, we have done remarkably well to reduce the population suffering from hunger drastically from 19.1 per cent in 1981 to 8.62 per cent in 2012.  Poverty reduction is also on the downward trend.
“Taking stock on what we have done so far, the progress we have made, the level of accomplishment in the achievement of the MDGs; and in consonance with the data provided the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), we can say that poverty is actually on the downward slide.
“If we pay due consideration to the available data, there is evidence that the MDGs framework has had impact on Nigeria development, having attained key targets of Gaols 1, 3 and 6 with the potential to achieve MDGs 4, 5 and 8,” she added.
Responding, the team leader and Senior Economist with IMF, Mr. Cheikh Anta Gueye, expressed concern over noticeable developmental disparity between the North and Southern part of the country.
Gueye commended the progress made by the country, but warned that achieving the MDGs target might not be possible if the North continues to lag behind in all the important indices.
“How do we address the regional differences and bridge the noticeable inequality between the north-south divide. We support the effort of the FG towards achieving the MDGs targets. We think that they are making a lot of progress and we appreciate what they are doing towards reducing poverty. I think its in line with the goal of IMF to achieve macro-economic stability. We think the federal government are on the right track going forward to high economic growth and we will provide technical assistance,” he assured.
The team, however, demanded integration of data and  list of major intervention programmes towards achieving the MDGs across the country.
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