Osun  has scored high in human satisfaction and happiness index, according to the 2017 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS 5) report conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics.
 

 
The state Statistician-General, Prof. Alagbe Wasiu Gbolagade, who addressed reporters at the weekend in Osogbo, said the Bi-monthly of Central Pricing Reference System, when compared to other Southwest states, showed Osun was in the lead.
He said: “This fact was attested to, considering the prices of goods and services in market transactions in the state. The publication of the February 2018 edition of Central Pricing Reference System (CPRS), a bi-monthly Price Bulletin of Osun State Bureau of Statistics, showed that the majority of the commodities witnessed a downward price movement  compared to February 2017 commodity prices.
“The significant downward inflation rate is an indication that efforts of the present administration under the leadership of Ogbeni Abdul-Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola are yielding fruits in the lives of Osun indigenes.

The state Government of Osun has released a sum of N1.8bn bond to retired workers under the Contributory Pension Scheme in the state.
No fewer than 210 civil servants would receive their bond certificates which would be presented to them on Tuesday at the state Secretariat, Abere.
 

 
A press release from the Office of the Head of Service, Dr Olowogboyega Oyebade, on Friday explained that 171 retired officers and 39 retired workers from the local government would received their bond certificates totaling N1.6bn and N200m respectively.
According to the release, the money has already been deposited with the Central Bank and the Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) for immediate payment.
Similarly, the government has also released part payment of gratuities to 720 retired public servants under the old scheme.
It would be recalled that the state government had few weeks ago released a sum of N40 million for fresh set of 400 pensioners in the state.
The sum was meant for the payment of pension of 148 retired secondary school teachers, 250 retired civil servants and 2 retired parastatals workers.
Of the money, a sum of N25m, N14.8m and N200, 000 were to be paid to the retired civil servants, teachers and parastatals workers respectively.
The beneficiaries of the money were the 3rd batch pensioners.

Osun Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has urged Christians to live the ideals of Easter and emulate Jesus Christ.
This message is contained in a statement made available to journalists on his behalf by his Media Adviser, Mr Sola Fasure, in Osogbo on Saturday.
 

 
“The ideal of Easter is love manifested in sacrifice. It was love that motivated Jesus Christ to lay down his life. It was love also that made him adopt non-resistance method, even as he endured a farcical trial that led to his condemnation and crucifixion and death on the cross. But this turned out to be a bigger victory, as he rose from the dead on the third day, according to Christian tradition and the bible.
“Christians therefore should emulate Jesus by demonstrating love to one another and to their neighbours, just as Jesus admonished his disciples to love their neighbours as themselves.
“The absence of love is the foundation of all evils in our society. Those who love others will not steal from them, kill them, tell lies against them or harm them in any way. Christians will only be like Christ if they emulate him and pattern their lives after him”, Governor Aregbesola stressed.
Governor Aregbesola also admonished the people of the state, irrespective of their faith, to pray for the nation and the state of Osun, noting that the challenges before the nation require divine intervention.
“We should all also, irrespective of our religious persuasion, to commit the affairs of our nation into the hands of God. Though we have many challenges which appear to be formidable, but they are nothing in the hands of God. If we pray and seek the face of God, in addition to working hard and eschewing evil, we shall overcome the challenges.
“The future is bright for us if we can take maximum advantage of our human and material resources.
“I wish you all a happy Easter celebration”, the statement concludes.

Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has called on University scholars to involve in more research that would provide food and security to eradicate the economic crisis facing Nigeria.

Aregbesola charged Nigerian Universities to embark on research capable of developing agriculture for food production and produce varieties of cattle to stop moving of herdsmen from one region to another that has caused crisis in the country.

Aregbesola made the disclosure on Wednesday in Osogbo,  when members of the Governing Council of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife paid him a courtesy visit in his office.

Aregbesola said ” If hunger is eliminated from our land, then human beings will be normal.  Hunger is the true definition of poverty and poverty is the great grandfather of all crises in Nigeria.”

He lamented the failure of Nigerian universities to use research development to address the nation’s socio-economic problems.

He said further that “All the challenges we are facing in this country are due to scholarship problems. Let universities engage in research and development as well as other scholarly programmes to proffer solutions to Nigeria’s problems.”

“You have society totally unaffected. Universities must apply themselves with the society.  There are so many glaring crisis in our society which the universities must address” he said.

Aregbesola who appealed to the management of the Obafemi Awolowo University,  Ile-Ife,  State of Osun and other Nigerian universities  to come up with solutions on matters and problem facing the country, decried the alarming rate of poverty in Nigeria.

The Management of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) commended Governor Rauf Aregbesola on rapid growth of infrastructure development in the state with high investment in education sector.

The chairman of the governing council, Prof. Yemi Ogunbiyi disclosed that the seven and half years of governor Rauf Aregbesola as elevated state of Osun to new levels among states in the South West.

He appreciated Aregbesola on his high investment in education sector that would remain unbeatable after his administration.

The Chairman of the Governing Council of the Ivory Tower stated that the performance of Aregbesola towards the infrastructural development of the state encouraged members of his council to pay him a courtesy visit to commend and encourage him to do more.

He said the management of OAU is ready to support the state government to pledging that the university would fulfill its social responsibilities as part of its contributions to the socio-economic development of the state.

-Says Hoodlums, not Students Attack School Where NYSC Members Were Serving
The State government  of Osun has explained that hoodlums, and not students allegedly attacked the Osogbo High School where some members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) were serving in 2017, saying that at no time did students of the school attack any NYSC member.
 

 
 
The government in a press statement signed by the Commissioner for Education, Mr Kola Omotunde-Young on Friday, said it has eliminated cultism in it the public schools, stated that there was no official complaint or withdrawal of corps members from any school from the NYSC Directorate before the report.
According to Omotunde-Young, the alleged attacked school was old Osogbo High School with porous and broken down fence at its far end at the back.
Omotunde-Young stated that the school was besieged sometime in 2017 by hoodlums who found accommodation in some abandoned buildings around the premises adjoining the school at the back.
He added that the government reported the presence and activities of the hoodlums to the State Security Service and Police who restored order through arrests, prosecution and surveillance since 2017.
The commissioner wondered why incident that happened almost a year ago, with no officially complaint by NYSC that any corps members was ever endangered, could be a subject of complaint and media syndication in March 2018.
Omotunde-Young said the school has adequate number of full time teachers and N-Power volunteer teachers who have continued to do their work without hindrance or danger, stating that the school has not made request for NYSC Corps member or been turned down.
He said the administration of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is committed to promotion of quality and functional education and the welfare of the corps members in the state.
The statement reads in part: “Osun has eliminated cult activities and hooliganism from its Elementary, Middle and High schools and have been commended severally for this.
“Osun has been acknowledged and commended locally and by international agencies for its success at undertaking substantial reform of the school system, with new world class school infrastructure, decentralisation of management through creation of Senatorial Districts headed by Tutor Generals/PSs, and strict quality enforcement and reorientation of ‎students through the newly established Osun Education Quality Assurance and Morality Enforcement Agency.”
“The government of Rauf Aregbesola has delivered 9 world class high schools each with capacity for 3000 students and another 2 of these are to be delivered in two months. These schools are state of the art and provide secure environments for learning. In addition 25 world class middle Schools and 22 world class Elementary schools have been delivered.
“It has also carried out renovations on hundreds of schools, delivering more than 1,694 standard classrooms in the existing elementary, middle and high schools. More than 12,000 teachers have been employed by the Aregbesola administration to boost manpower in the school system.
“Osun is acknowledged as one of the safest states in the country due to government’s commitment to security of lives and property.
“The government will continue to support NYSC as it is doing in its more than 1000 schools and assures the NYSC and all cadets of the government’s commitment to their best interest.”

The Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers in Olorunda Local Government, Mr. Amuda Jimoh has commended the state government on the construction of Osogbo to Ikirun/Ila-Odo dual-carriage way.

He stated this in a chat with OsunDefender in Osogbo on Sunday.

Mr Jimoh expressed gratitude to Governor Rauf Aregbesola for transforming roads which has aided transportation in Osun.

The Transport Union boss urged the Minister for Works, Power and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola to assist the state government of Osun on the project to meet the target of the dual carriage way that is expected to terminate at the Kwara state boundary.

He said the reconstruction and upgrade of the road has reduced the stress of travelling to Ikirun, Iree, Eripa, Otan-Ayegbaju, Ila as well as towns and cities outside the state.

His words “From Osogbo to Ikirun and Iree before now, we spend almost two hours on the journey because the condition of the road then was very bad and we needed to manage our vehicles. But now from Osogbo to Iree is an hour as there is nothing like traffic, gallops and unnecessary faults developed by our buses.”

Mr Jimoh urged transport workers to renew necessary documents as and when due, up to date hackney permit as well as drivers’ license to complement the laudable work of the government.

He urged members of the NURTW to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards to have the opportunity to vote for the continuity of good governance in the forthcoming governorship election.

“We pray for good successor after Aregbesola administration to continue with good governance.”

The United Nations Education and Scientific Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has said it did not contribute any fund to the repair of Olaiya-Ita Olokan Road, which leads to Osun Groove in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.
This put to rest the controversy trailing the project.
 

 
Clarifying the claims that the international organisation contributed over 70 per cent of the fund for the 2.8 kilometre road, UNESCO’s Communication Consultant (Regional Office) Mr Olusola Macaulay said there was no time the organisation was approached by the Osun State government to fund the road project.
Besides, he said UNESCO is not currently funding any project in the state.
Macaulay, who spoke with our reporter on telephone, said: “I can confirm to you that UNESCO did not contribute any fund to the construction of the road that leads to Osun Grove. And there was no time the Osun State government or its agencies approached UNESCO to support the project or contribute anything to it. We didn’t pay 70 per cent or any other fraction to the project, as being peddled. As I speak to you, we have no project we are undertaking in Osun State.”
UNESCO’s clarification followed a statement credited to former Osun State Deputy Governor Iyiola Omisore that the international organisation paid over 70 per cent of the amount appropriated for the reconstruction of the road.
Also, Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, described Omisore’s claim as a falsehood.
The governor said the resources invested in the project were sourced from Omoluabi Infrastructure Conservation Fund.
He said: “UNESCO is not in any way involved in the finance of the project at all. It becomes imperative to state that rather than provide funds for the road, UNESCO requested the government to re-work and change the course of the road, which leads to Osun Groove, to retain its World Heritage Site status.
“It is a known fact that UNESCO, as an organisation, does not give money for any counterpart project funding. Rather, such is given in kind and not in cash, as the former deputy governor (Omisore) would want the people to believe.
“He should be told in clear terms that getting mischievous is not a good trait that endears an aspirant to the electorate, while lying so blatantly makes one to be rejected by God. The former deputy governor should desist from deliberate efforts at misinforming the people of the state and face his disgraceful and ignoble charges with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“The Osun State government challenges Omisore or any of his cohorts to substantiate their claims with relevant documents to the effect that the project was funded by UNESCO, as they unscrupulously claim.”