Moves to eradicate genital mutilation (FGM) in Osun received a boost on Tuesday as 16 communities across four local governments declared their intentions to stop altogether female circumcision in their domains.
This was as the Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, disclosed that the state must do everything possible to come out of its unfavourable highest ranking on the ladder of Female Genital Mutilation in Nigeria.
 

 
Aregbesola revealed this at the Female Genital Mutilation Abandonment Declaration Ceremony organised by the Shericare Foundation (SCARF), an initiative of the wife of the Governor, Mrs Sherifat Aregbesola.
The communities that declared against FMG include Eko Ende, Eko Ajala, Iba, Asa, Iwo Oke, Ajagunlase, Alapata, Owode, Araromi in Ifelodun, Olaoluwa, Ede North and Orolu Logal Governments of the state.
The governor described Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), a cultural practice of removing part of the female genital either as a customary rite of initiation into womanhood or as a check against promiscuity as harmful.
He stated that the harmful practice according to UNICEF is prevalent in developing countries, especially in Africa and Asia.
He said, “According to a February 2016 report by United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), there are records for 27 countries in Africa, including Somalia (96 per cent), Guinea (97 per cent), Djibouti (93 per cent), Egypt (91 per cent) and Sierra Leone (90 per cent) still practising FGM. From this same report, we learnt that as of 2013, 27.2 million women had undergone FGM in Egypt, 23.8 million in Ethiopia, and 20 million in Nigeria. In Indonesia, the prevalence rate for children under 11 years is 49 per cent, translating to 13.4 million.
“In Nigeria, six states top the list of where the practice is prevalent. These are Osun, Ekiti, Oyo, Ebonyi, Imo and Lagos. FGM is deeply rooted in culture but flies in the face of common sense, decency, basic health and human right.
“The crux of this advocacy is to expunge it from our belief system. I am glad that we have the cooperation of our traditional rulers, religious leaders, community leaders and aficionados of arts and culture.
“The core changes must include that: one, it is no longer necessary as a cultural requirement, two, that it is indeed harmful and cruel physically and psychologically. The victims, we must note, are our daughters, sisters, aunties, cousins, nieces, wives and mothers.
“I do not see any other category closer and dearer to us than these and therefore do not deserve to be subjected to this hurtful practice any longer.”
In her welcome address, the wife of Osun Governor and President Sheri Care Foundation, Alhaja Sherifat Aregbesola, reaffirmed the Foundation’s commitment to achieving zero tolerance on Female Genital Mutilation/Circumcision in the state.
She said the Foundation has engaged in many activities towards boosting the awareness campaigns to end the harmful effects of Female Genital Mutilation and Circumcision in every nook and cranny of the state.
Alhaja Aregbesola disclosed that the Foundation has also committed itself to intensive advocacy to eradicate the traditional practice of FGM in the state through regular interface with a number of communities, public sensitisation,  jingles sponsorship on radio, television stations as well as printing and circulation of the state law which makes it illegal for anyone to circumcise any female child or any woman in the state.
According to her, “The journey to today’s event started early 2015 when a team of the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) officials visited our state as the meeting afforded us the opportunity to appreciate the necessity of collective efforts to wage an intensive and comprehensive awareness campaign on the dangers that continued practice of female circumcision bear for our female children, our women and our people in general.
“It is true that the practice of female circumcision was rooted in traditional and religious beliefs, but scientific findings have revealed that such beliefs are injurious to life”, she added.
Aregbesola attributed the public declaration of abandonment of FGM by twelve communities in the state as a manifestation of the efforts being made by the Foundation to abolish the  menace.
She therefore appealed to the residents in the state to always abstain from the acts, saying female circumcision does not bear any positive fruit but rather a basket of dangers and sometimes death to the women.
Earlier, the Guest Speaker and the Head of Lagos Liaison Office, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Dr. Omolaso Omosehin, commended Governor Aregbesola for his continued support towards eradication of Female Genital Mutilation in the state.
He said the contribution of the state government has impacted positively towards putting an end to Female Genital Mutilation.
Describing the occasion as a timely, Omosehin said the forum was a reflection of symbolic commitment demonstrated by the state government of Osun to end Female Genital Mutilation and other forms of harmful traditional practices that impact negatively on women and girls and as well deprive them of reaching their maximum potential and contributing to the development of the state.
He said, “We recognise the ongoing efforts that the state government and other development actors are undertaking to accelerate the abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation and Circumcision as these efforts are beginning to yield positive results.
“One of such is the abandonment of this harmful traditional practice in over twelve communities across four local governments that account for highest prevalence of FGM in the state. The reason for which this public declaration of abandonment ceremony was convened.
“We commend the efforts of leaders in championing the end of FGM campaign across the high burdened states in South-west Nigeria as we are aware that over 250 female babies born in these communities from April 2015 till date in Osun were not circumcised”.

Governor of the state of Osun , Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has expressed regrets over the death of a National Youths Corps Scheme (NYSC) member from Osun state, Miss Ifedolapo Oladepo who died at the orientation camp in Kano State.

Aregbesola who spoke through the Director of the Bureau of Communication and Strategy in the Office of the Governor, in Osogbo, Mr Semiu Okanlawon at the weekend said the death of Ifedolapo was shocking and very unfortunate.

The governor lamented that the 26 year old First Class graduate of Transport Management of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology died at her prime after completing a degree programme with a bright future ahead of her.

“It is most unfortunate this has happened. We are touched by the circumstances of her death. And we grieve this huge loss that this sad event represents to her parents, siblings, other family members, the people of Osun and Nigeria as a whole. We can only pray that God the Almighty grants her immediate family the fortitude to bear this

incalculable loss and rest her soul perfectly,” Aregbesola said.

The Deputy Governor of Osun State, Grace TitiLaoye Tomori, has called on the 135 persons from the state who had undergone entrepreneurship development training through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)-Entrepreneurship Development Centre, Southwest being implemented by the Africa Leadership Forum, to put their training to good use.
 

 
 
Tomori gave the charge recently during the graduation ceremony held at the Teacher’s Cooperative House in Oshogbo, Osun state, recently.
 
The four weeks programme exposed the participants to modules such as mindset reengineering to help them rethink business, money, and livelihood; enterprise development and idea generation, business and financial management, marketing and interpersonal relationship; and, with an opportunity to write their own individual business plans.
 
In his address, the General Manager/CEO of the Osun Microcredit Agency, Julius Olajide, said the training was one of the integral plans of the government of the state to develop the human resources of the state, adding that “it is meant to teach the people how to fish and not to give them fish.”
The Programme Director of the CBN-EDC Southwest, Dr Olumide Ajayi, commended the state for being enterprising and for being the first state in southwest Nigeria to sponsor individuals and create avenue for the training of this magnitude since its commencement in March 2015.
Ajayi further stated that of the 135 persons that had undergone the training, 125 (93 per cent) had submitted their business plans; hence, the State Micro-Credit Agency would start interacting with them henceforth.
The General Manager and CEO of the Osun Microcredit Agency, Dayo Babaranti encouraged the trainees to persevere in their ventures and that people can only take risks against waste but not uncertainty.
The representative of the CBN, Oluyemisi Adebayo, in her remark, said the bank is leveraging on research that has showed that economies thrive on the MSMEs hence the CBN’s MSMSE’s development fund, YIEDP, Agric Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund, Financial Inclusion Programme; and the apex bank is looking to producing Osun rice in lieu of the current ubiquitous importation of rice.
Dignitaries at the event included the representative from the Development Finance Office, CBN, Oluyemisi Adebayo; the Programme Director of the Africa Leadership Forum Centre, Dr Olumide Ajayi, the Special Adviser to the state governor on Technical and Vocational Education, Ag. Head of Board for Technical Education, Mr Owolabi; Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Education, Julius Olajide; General Manager/CEO of the Osun Microcredit Agency,  Dayo Babaranti; and Head of Youth Empowerment in the State, Mr. Young.

The Federal Polytechnic, Ede, has trained over 4,000 final year students on various agricultural programmes with a view to accelerating youth’s agricultural entrepreneurship skill.
The agricultural programme, which was meant to make the students self-reliant, was flagged off between the management of the institution and Agrikk Matas Institute, in Osogbo.
 

 
The Rector of the institution, Patrick Husseini, said the skills acquisition programme revolved around fishery, piggery, grasscutter and mushroom training for both HND and ND graduates.
Husseini said further that the authorities only started with the four skills, adding that other aspects of the agricultural training would be explored in order to make the graduates of the institution self-reliant after their studies.
The Rector opined that the institution would not relent in its efforts to offer the students the best for future endeavours.
He also noted that in line with the Federal Government’s efforts to revamp the economy, the authorities of the institution were ready to produce graduates who would add value to the economy as well as make all staff to be self-sufficient through agricultural programmes.
The Director, Centre for Entrepreneurship and Skills Development, Mr Biodun Oluwasegun-Babalola, expressed optimism on the programme and commended the rector for his vision, promising outstanding trainees further assistance.
The Director, Agrikk Matas Institute, Mrs Afolabi Olubumi, said adequate training would be given to the participants in line with the institution’s request, just as he urged students to take their chosen field seriously in order to give them the hope of tomorrow for the nation.

The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has said his administration has succeeded in uplifting the standard of education in the state with over one hundred percent improvement recorded in the last six years.
He said his government has achieved modest improvements in the performance of students in the WASSC examinations since assumption of office.
 

 
Governor Aregbesola made the statement while declaring open the 3-day Education Quality Assurance Training Workshop organized by the Osun Education Quality Assurance and Morality Enforcement Agency, at the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) conference hall, Abere, Osogbo.
Governor Aregbesola who titled his speech, “Back to the Future of Education”, said his government has tremendously revived and brought in roadmap in education system in the state as manifested in efforts made to resuscitate the sector.
Aregbesola said the performance of students in the West Africa Senior Secondary Certificate Examination, WASSCE under his watch had improved tremendously with 46.30% improvement compared to statistics met in 2010.
He said the performance of the students in the terminal examinations had witnessed a significant improvement and skyrocketed from 21.68% met by his administration in 2010 to 46.30% this year.
Explaining the rationale behind strides being made in the education system, Aregbesola said the state took the Zukuk bond to change the face of education in the state.
According to him, the step taken was to ensure that the state is liberated from backward educational situation which his government inherited.
Governor Aregbesola recalled the state of education on his assumption of office in 2010 which he described as deplorable and dilapidated with appalling and decadent infrastructures.
He said, “Our government made a concrete resolution to revive the decadence in the education sector having being informed on the need to prioritise education.
“It is on this template that our government resolved on the need to building uncommon legacies at all levels of education system by nurturing future leaders.
“We have also adopted overhauled policies aimed at repositioning the education sector and bring in innovations to aid teaching and learning and as well rescue the future of our children.
“Our government is succeeding in the construction of 20 state-of-the-arts High schools, 50 Middle schools and 100 Elementary schools across the state.
Earlier, the Chairman, Osun Education Quality Assurance and Morality Enforcement Agency, Dr. Isiaka Owoade, commended Governor Aregbesola for leading the state towards educational sustainability.
He said education in Osun has received a tremendous amount of attention since the inception of the Aregbesola administration.
According to him, the Governor has demonstrated an unparalleled love and passion for education as manifested in the construction of new schools, refurbishment of dilapidated schools, creation of three education districts, increase in running grants to schools, school feeding programme (O’meal), provision of technological device, school chairs and desks among other interventions.
“Since education is the foundation upon which the fortunes of a society rests, thus, having invested so much in education, Mr. Governor went ahead to create Osun Education Quality Assurance and Morality Enforcement Agency, a step in the right direction to ensure that the state gets value from her numerous interventions.
“Our agency was established to ensure that the processes of teaching and learning are conducted in a fashion to deliver the highest standard quality in content and that the students produced are of sound character.
“Our agency has been ensuring that discipline in our schools is curtailed and that our students are properly guided and focused.
“We have worked out strategies for this and our home-grown education marshals fully trained in morality enforcement will soon be deployed.
“Parts of our commitment to education revolution in the state was to drastically improve the performance of our students in the various terminal examinations.”
He therefore assured the state of better quality service delivery, saying poor productivity will be frowned at as appropriate measures had been put in place to champion zero tolerance for lateness and absenteeism.

A traditional ruler in Osun State, the Oloni of Eti-Oni, Oba Dokun Thompson, at the weekend used the Holy Bible to pacify the Land, warning that poverty would persist unless the Land was appeased.
 
Speaking at the first Cocoa Festival in Africa, the monarch explained that there may have been a curse on the land, following the manner a renowned Yoruba king, Oba Emmanuel Olajide Layode, Soun of Ogbomoso, was killed mercilessly in 1969 during the Agbekoya revolt.
 

 
The revolt had occurred following the hike in taxation on cocoa.
Oba Thompson expressed worries that Eti-Oni which pioneered cocoa
production in Nigeria was wallowing in abject poverty like many other communities in the country despite having a land of richness.
The monarch noted that the wealth from Cocoa did not manifest in the cocoa producing communities and the people because of the curse. Oba Thompson prayed for an appeasement of the land so that late Oba Layode’s soul may finally rest in peace and for a renaissance of the wealth created in the western region from cocoa in the 60s.
During the cocoa festival, which was tagged ‘Gureje Day’, Oba Thompson raised the Bible that was presented to him by the Christian community in Eti-Oni and showered blessings on the community and the nation.
“This Cocoa Festival was meant to mark the 120 years of cocoa production in Nigeria as pioneered by Eti-Oni. But you would be wondering that this wealthy community was languishing in abject poverty over the years.
“There would be wealth on the land and poverty would vanish when we appease the Land. That was why I sought the intervention of the King of kings who created the Heavens and the Earth,” Oba Thompson said.
The Osile Oke-Ona Egba, Oba Adedapo Tejuoso, who was Royal Guest of Honour on the occasion joined his host, Oba Thompson in appeasing the Land and pouring blessings upon Land through the Scriptures.
Speaking on the occasion, Osun State Governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, reiterated the need to go back to farming as the panacea to the current economic situation caused by dwindling oil revenue.
The governor lauded Oba Thompson for his pragmatic approach in redirecting the attention of the people to profitable cocoa production that would bring maximum gain to the farmers and change the fortune of the people.
Aregbesola, who was represented by the Coordinating Director in the Osun State Ministry of Agriculture, Food Processing and Youth Engagement, Dr. Isaac Aluko promised full support for any initiative geared towards agribusiness.
The governor formally presented the Premium Artisan Eti-Oni Chocolate Brand to the public and also launched the Eti-Oni Model Smart Town which is to be developed in line with the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has said that local councils are under the absolute control of states, just as he insisted that the state assembly remains the only organ empowered by the constitution to make laws for them.
Aregbesola stated this during the courtesy visit and c‎onferment of the title of Nwannedinamba Ndigbo of Osun State on him, and Ezinne Ndigbo of the state on his wife, by the state chapter of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, in partnership with the Association of Ndi Ezeigbo N’uzo Ije (Diaspora), and the South East Council of Traditional Rulers
During the visit, which was part of the 2016 Igbo Cultural Festival tagged: Ode N’Igbo 2016, the governor said the clamour that local councils should be independent of state governments was totally strange and anti-federalism.
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He maintained that in a federal system of government, there are only two tiers of government, that is the Federal government and the governments at the federating level.
He therefore stressed that it is awkward for Nigeria to be the only federation in the world where there is only one police system, and where the constitution does not allow the federating units to run their state police.
According to him, “Nigeria is not just a republic, but a federal republic, and a federal state is where every distinction of nationality is recognised, respected and honoured. None of the units of the federation is therefore, superior to the other. Every of the units are empowered by law to administer themselves under the general guideline of the constitution.
Aregbesola emphasised that the problem with the local council administration in the country can be corrected within the limits of the laws of the state in a federation.
The Governor enjoined the Igbo community to join in the debate of whether the nation wants federalism or unitary system of government.
High Chief John Emeka, who led the traditional title holders in the South-West region, commended Aregbesola for his leadership style, stating that they have been monitoring the progress of the state before they decided to bestow on him the Igbo title.

Osun state Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has said that local governments are absolutely under the control and ambience of the states, and that the only organ of the state empowered by the constitution to make laws for them is the state parliament.
The Governor equally stated that Nigeria’s diversity is beautiful if limited to cultural diversity and the beauty therein.



Aregbesola stated these both at the courtesy visit and c‎onferement of Igbo titles, Nwane di namba Ndigbo of State of Osun and Ezinne Ndigbo of State of Osun on him and the First Lady respectively by the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, State of Osun Chapter in Partnership with the Association of Ndi Ezeigbo N’uzo Ije (Diaspora) and the South East Council of Traditional Rulers at the 2016 Igbo Cultural Festival Tagged: Ode N’Igbo 2016 at‎ Nelson Mandela Freedom Park in Osogbo.
The Governor described the belief ‎gaining grounds that local governments in Nigeria should be independent of state governments as totally strange and anti-federalism.
He noted that there are only two tiers of government in a federal system of government, namely the Federal government and the government at the federating level.
Aregbesola stressed that it is awkward for Nigeria to be the only Federation in the world where there is only one police system, noting that it is strange for the federal government and the constitution not to allow for police in the federating units of the country.
The Governor held that the problems with local government administration in the country can be corrected within the laws of the states in Nigeria.
According to him, “Nigeria is not just a Republic, but a Federal Republic. A federal state is where every distinction of nationality is recognised, respected and honoured. None of the units of the Federation is therefore superior to the other. Every of the units are empowered by law to administer themselves under the general guideline of the constitution.
“Few things are awkward about federalism in Nigeria, Nigeria is the only Federating Nation in the world where there is only one Police system. Nigeria’s federation is strange to the extent that only one police force maintains law and order.”
“In other federations, there will be a Federal Police force and other federating unit police. Nigerian nationality and people must seek to correct this abnormality.”
“Another abnormally that people, because of their frustration to some aspect of administration, are equally making mistake on and need correction is that a federation has two tiers of government. There cannot be three tiers in a federation. The moment you have three tiers, you no longer have a federation.”
Aregbesola emphasized that the problem with the administration of Local Government in Nigeria can be corrected within the limits of the laws of the state in a federation.
He noted that it is not by assaulting the fundamental principle of federalism that the challenges and weakness being faced by the administration of local governments can be corrected.
The Governor enjoined the Igbo community to join in the debate of whether the nation wants federalism or unitary system of government.
He stated that Nigeria, like every other nation with different ethnicity, is blessed for the diversity which he described as beautiful, calling on all and sundry to see each other first as a Nigerian.
He said, “We can be who we are without rancour and doing away with what can bring rancour. We should recognise our differences and avoid hurting one another.”
“What will clearly eliminate the hate, the sharp clarity is having good government that will work hard to expand opportunities such that it is not your ethnicity that will determine your benefit, but your citizenship and your commitment to your work,” Aregbesola stated.
High Chief John Emeka who led the traditional Igbo title holders in the South-West region, commended Governor Aregbesola for his leadership style, stating that they have been monitoring the progress of the state before they decided to bestow on him the Igbo title.
Emeka described Aregbesola as a good manager of human and capital resources particularly at this recession period and the recurring revenue fall in the State and Nigeria as a nation.
He said, “it is not by accident that we are honouring Mr. Governor and the wife with the c‎onferement of Nwannedinamba Ndigbo of State of Osun and Ezinne Ndigbo of State of Osun respectively by the Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
“I want to use this occasion to call on all and sundry in the state to support the Governor by paying all levies and taxes in his effort to transform Osun to a state where we will all be proud of within the South-West and Nigeria as a whole

The Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Mr. Najeem Salam, has said the parliament will conduct an independent investigation to unravel what caused the death of the female corps member, Miss. Ifedolapo Oladepo, who died last week at the National Youth Service Corps Orientation Camp in Kano State.
 
 

 
The speaker said this in a statement in Osogbo on Saturday by his media aide, Mr. Goke Butika.
The lawmaker, who is representing Ejigbo Constituency at the House of Assembly said there would be consequences should investigation reveal that officials at the camp were negligent in attending to the deceased when she took ill.
He said, ” The parliament will wait for the outcome of the investigation of the NYSC headquarters, and will conduct our own investigation with a view to getting to the root of the matter.
“There would be consequences for the death of the Osun State born first class graduate of Transport management from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, should investigation reveal negligence of the NYSC officials.
“I sent my condolence on behalf of the Osun parliament to the Oladepos over the death of young Dolapo who died at Kano NYSC orientation camp, and I want to assure the family that our parliament would certainly pick a bone with the NYSC on the matter until it is resolved in favour of justice for the deceased and her family.”