The Government of Osun on Thursday described as fallacious, demand by the State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party to justify how the state spent ecological funds in the wake of the flood that affected some parts of the state capital.
 

 
The government said it smacks of total ignorance and mischief for the PDP not to recall how funds such as ecological funds were used to play dirty politics and victimised states under the control of the opposition party.
The Government, through a statement by the Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Office of the Governor, said Osun did not get any ecological funds to execute its massive projects which prevented flood since 2011.
“Osun did not receive any ecological fund from the disastrous PDP Federal Government from November 27, 2010 to May 29, 2015. We have depended on our legitimate revenues from all sources to annually dredge our waterways up till 2015 when revenue decline hindered our efforts,” the Bureau’s statement, signed by its Director, Semiu Okanlawon, explained.
The Bureau said despite the dirty politics played by the PDP government at the centre, Osun remained one of the few states that had never experienced any flooding since 2010/2011 till the unfortunate incident of Tuesday, September 13, 2016.
It said the government of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, left no part of the state untouched in its proactive massive projects to save the environment.
The government asked the PDP to go back to its records to remind itself of the wickedness it perpetrated against states under opposition parties throughout its 16 years of clueless rule.
“We are concerned with the agony of our citizens and shall do all in our power to limit the pains and prevent a re- occurrence, as we are committed to eliminating all hindrances to free flow of water in the canals, drainage systems and waterways in the state. All obstructions to free flow of water in these channels will be removed, while property blocking easy access to the drainage channels thus preventing adequate management of them will be separated,” the statement added
Calling on the people to desist from indiscriminate dumping of refuse and waste into the canals, the government reminded residents of the need to patronise registered waste collectors and the authorised dump sites.
The statement also advised those seeing the unfortunate incident as avenue to jubilate to search their conscience adding that the people of Osun are quite aware of the massive projects executed to prevent flooding in the state since the inception of the administration.

The Osun State government has promised to intensify efforts to ensure that waterways are clear to avert a recurrence of flooding that led to the death of one person and destruction of property.
 
 
 
Governor Rauf Aregbesola and his Deputy, Mrs Titilayo Tomori-Laoye, made the promise on Wednesday evening when they visited some of the areas affected by the flood to commiserate with them.
Addressing reporters at the Cac Oke Igbala DCC Headquarters in Gbonmi area of Osogbo, Governor Aregbesola said his administration was deeply sorry for the loss of life and property of the people.
Regularly Desilting Waterways
The Governor urged the residents to desist from indiscriminate dumping of refuse, which he said was largely responsible ‎for the flooding.

He said his administration had in time past invested so much in dredging the major waterways identified as flood prone zones ‎to avert such occurrence.
Governor Aregbesola, however, promised that his government would ‎intensify efforts at ensuring that the waterways were made free to avert future occurrence.
“We have been very much committed to ensuring absence of this calamity.
“Since the advent of the administration, we have been regularly desilting the waterways on an annual basis.
He said that although the state had received a flood alert, the government had, considering its deflooding efforts, it never expected it to have the devastating effect.
It had rained heavily for hours in Osogbo the capital of Osun State, resulting to flooding of some communities.
Residents said help that came from the emergency agencies or the state authorities was late.

Channels Television’s correspondent, who returned to the scene of the incident, said residents property have been destroyed and the flooding has left one person dead.
A woman and her daughter were trapped in a store just as many of the residents around one of the communities were stranded after a bridge collapsed.
One of the residents affected said the cause of the flooding was a bridge that they said drainages within the area were channeled, which they insisted was too low.
“The government should break down that bridge and carry it up just like that of Ajegunle and create a very good gutter here. That is all we need,” he requested.
 
Credit : Channels TV

Governor Rauf Aregbesola and his Deputy, Mrs Titilayo Tomori-Laoye, on Wednesday visited some of the flood affected areas ‎this evening to commiserate with the people.

Speaking to journalists at the CAC, Oke Igbala, DCC headquarters Gbonmi Area in Osogbo, the state capital, Governor Aregbesola said his administration is deeply sorry for the loss of life and property of the people.
The governor, who noted that indiscriminate dumping of refuse is largely responsible ‎for the flooding, advised the people to desist from blocking the waterways with refuse.
He said his administration had in time past invested so much in dredging of the major water ways identified as flood prone zones ‎to avert such occurrence.
He, however, promised that his government will ‎intensify efforts at ensuring that the water ways are made free to avert future occurrence.
An unidentified driver lost his life while several properties got submerged in flood as a heavy downpour left bitter tales for many residents of Osogbo, the Osun state capital.
Some residents in areas like Testing Ground, Rasco, Oke-Onitea, Fiwasaye, Gbomi and Iludun in Osogbo have been counting their losses as the rain came down heavily for three hours, causing flood in many parts of the city.

As his tradition, the Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola turned the “Ileya” (Eid ul Adha) festival into a carnival-like procession and endorsement of good governance celebration in the city of Osogbo, the State Capital this morning.
Dancing and acknowleging cheers fro a mammoth crowd who expectantly trooped out to catch a glimpse of their hero governor on his way to the Eid Praying Ground at located at Orita Baale, Osogbo.

Vantaged on top of his official vehicle, petite Ogbeni acknowledged cheers from Muslim faithfuls and enthusiastic citizens during the 2016 Eid-El-Kabir ride from the Government House to Osogbo Central praying ground, Oke-Baale, Osogbo.

Mammoth crowd cheered and celebrated with Osun Governor Aregbesola, at Eid ul Adha Festival 2016 in Osogbo

Mammoth crowd cheered and celebrated with Osun Governor Aregbesola, at Eid ul Adha Festival 2016 in Osogbo

Mammoth crowd cheered and celebrated with Osun Governor Aregbesola, at Eid ul Adha Festival 2016 in Osogbo

Mammoth crowd cheered and celebrated with Osun Governor Aregbesola at Eid ul Adha Festival 2016 in Osogbo

Mammoth crowd cheered and celebrated with Osun Governor Aregbesola at Eid ul Adha Festival 2016 in Osogbo

Mammoth crowd cheered and celebrated with Osun Governor Aregbesola at Eid ul Adha Festival 2016 in Osogbo

Mammoth crowd cheered and celebrated with Osun Governor Aregbesola at Eid ul Adha Festival 2016 in Osogbo

As a part of the Silver Jubilee Anniversary Celebrations marking the creation of Osun on August 27, 2016, President Mohammadu Buhari on September 1, commissioned Osogbo Government High School. The school has the capacity for 3,000 students; equipped with all modern academic and sporting facilities, it is rated as one of the best schools in Nigeria. The status of the school is a fallout of Gov. Rauf Aregbesola’s resolves to standardise education in the state. For the benefit of the uninitiated, Aregbesola convoked an education summit between Feb.7 and Feb.8, 2011, barely three months into his administration, which was chaired byProf. Wole Soyinka. The summit’s communiqué  eventually became the fulcrum of Aregbesola’s education policy direction.
 

 
The new administration, acting on the education template, set a target to build 170 well-equipped model schools across the state, categorising them into elementary, middle and high schools, each with a maximum absorptive capacity of between 1, 000 and 3,000 pupils. In addition, it decentralised the Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) into three districts. Teachers Establishment and Pension
Office (TEPO) was also established for training and retraining, promotion, prompt payment of salaries and allowances and taking care of teacher pension. The government approached the Department of Nutrition Sciences at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, to formulate a feeding roster that could give the best possible balanced diet.
Presently, more than 254,000 elementary school pupils are fed on nutritional meals — chicken, fish, beef, eggs and fruits every school day on the platform of O-Meals programme, which is meant as a bait for greater enrolment of pupils in schools as most poor parents see it as a respite. Records show that
primary school enrolment rose from 155,318 at the inception of the programme to 254,793 (62.8 percent increase). The state government insists that the N3.5 billion spent on the meals annually is an incentive to farmers to produce more as there is a guaranteed readymade market for agricultural produce, while the programme empowers 3,007 trained caterers and food vendors.
To make the new school system work, more than N354 million was committed to the provision of instructional materials, home economics facilities, science equipment and other teaching kits for the public primary and secondary schools. The scheme is being understudied by federal and state governments.
The Aregbesola administration has also committed N800 million into the free school uniform programmes at two pairs. Residents of the state say that the uniform has brought uniformity to schools in the state, thus fostering a sense of belonging in public schools.
There is the Omoluabi Scholar Coaster Buses for easy transportation of students atN20 per daily trip for  each pupil, while primary and secondary schools running grants were increased from N7.4 million to N424 million and N117 million to N427 million per year respectively. Likewise, some categories of students are given computer — Opon Imo –, the e-learning tablet designed to make learning interesting and easy.
The device contains all books required for the Senior Secondary School syllabus, the last 10 years past questions of WAEC, NECO, and UTME. Observers note that in 10 years, Opon Imo would have saved the state more than N50 billion of physical purchase of hard copies of textbooks for the 17 subjects taught in public schools. They note that the innovation has earned the United Nations
World Summit Award for ITC innovation as the 4th best e-learning device in the
World.
The state government has increased  bursary award from N2, 000 paid to each final year students of all courses apart from Law and Medicine to N10, 000, and each final year students in Medicine and Law from N3, 000 to N20, 000 each.
However, due to the raging financial meltdown, these subventions could no longer be accommodated after the third year of the administration.
Aregbesola has, therefore, instructed the management of the four tertiary institutions in the state to look at their areas of strengths and weaknesses. Before this administration, Osun occupied the 34th
position on Federal Allocation with virtually nothing to write home about in terms of Internally Generated Revenue. This notwithstanding, the administration has demonstrated that with little resources but targeted intervention, innovation and political will, dramatic and unprecedented
progress is achievable.
For every project Aregbesola does, he looks at how it is going to benefit the very poor people, seeing governance as a way to develop society by empowering the people.
He believes that investment in today’s children and youths would yield the best returns in the not too distance future, and create a level playground for every child.
Concerned residents of the state, therefore, have observed that the impact of the Aregbesola administration will surely come in the fullness of time and be harvested by the next generation.
Ademola wrote from Osogbo, Osun State and can be reached via 08037127929

Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State yesterday enjoined Nigerians to be selfless in the discharge of their duties as he joined others leaders in goodwill messages to Muslims on the occasion of the Eid-el-Kabir festival.
 

 
Aregbesola said selflessness helps build a nation adding that when the welfare of the people is most paramount, it leads to the emergence of a society with peace, equality and growth.
In a statement signed by the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Office of the Governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, Aregbesola said commitment, perseverance and prayer are the key ingredients needed as the country passes through its worst trial moments.

The Governor urged Muslims to pray for the peace and stability in the country.
He said the country will make progress towards the fulfillment of its great potentials as a nation if Nigerians promote peace, security and stability, which are very essential for development by showing greater respect for national safety and public order laws.
The governor tasked adherents of Islam to imbibe the lessons of commitment, dedication and obedience to higher authorities as inherently demonstrated by Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son in obedience to the will of God which the Eid-el-Kabir commemorates.
Aregbesola restated his administration’s commitment to the people of the state, adding that the president Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government will continue to do all it can to improve the living conditions of Nigerians.
The Governor said the emerging new Osun with better infrastructure, security of lives and property emanate from the readiness of the leadership in the state to remain selfless.

The Emancipation Day Celebration was recently held in  Ghana. Participants for the annual event converged on different parts of the world, especially from America and the Caribbeans .
The activities were held in the cities of Accra and Cape Coast. This year’s programme highlights included wreath-laying ceremonies at  the Du Bois Centre for Pan African Culture,  George Padmore Library and Kwame Nkrumah Park in the heart of Accra.
These three venues are the final resting places of three illustrious sons of Africa and Pan Africanists who lived, dreamt and worked together in Ghana to consolidate and solidify the emancipation, liberation and decolonization of Africa and the black race.
The event was held under the auspices the Ghana Tourism Authority and the Ministry of Tourism Culture and Creative Arts. The Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola,  was the special guest and guest speaker for this year’s edition.
Aregbesola, who arrived Ghana for the event, visited the Nigerian embassy. He later laid a wreath at the George Padmore Library and Kwame Nkrumah Park.

At  the George Padmore Library, Aregbesola  was welcomed by the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Mrs. Elizabeth Agyari, and other Ghanian government officials. He later  lit the flame of freedom.
Aregbesola also visited the  Nkrumah Park where he gave a short speech.  The Osun State Governor said it was  time for Africa to wake up early because it was getting too late,.
According to him,  Africa lags behind other continents in development. Here, his main focus was on the African youths who engaged in drama and dance rich in  the African culture. After this, the governor and other participants walked into the late Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s mausoleum.
 

 
The mausoleum is one of the top tourist sites in Accra. The interior was made of gold and fine marble befitting the first President of the Republic of Ghana.
There are two statues in the park, the new one made of pure gold is a few metres away from the old one destroyed by soldiers as a result of Ghana’s first  coup d’état.  The destroyed Nkrumah statue broken into two has a story to tell. The bullet marks on the body speak volumes about the violent past of the country.
The second day of the programme was at the former capital of Ghana called Cape Coast, a major tourist destination in Africa, blessed with one of the finest and best beaches around in Africa. It is the home of the famous Elmina Castle. Cape Coast attracts thousands of foreign tourists annually.
At Cape Coast, Aregbesola delivered  an inspiring paper. Decked in all white  agbada attire , he delivered his paper in an auditorium filled to the brim with Africans and African-American audience.
Among them were  Prof. Hamlet Maulana , an  African-American historian; Rabbi- kohain Halevi , the Executive Secretary of Panafest Intternational;  Mama Imahkus Njinga Okofu, CEO of One African Resort and Restaurant and Nana Kobina Nkatsia V, paramount chief of Essikodo.
Mr. Kehinde Oluwafusho, who along with his twin brother, are Panafest representatives in Nigeria, took the stage to introduce the governor of Osun State to the audience, in his words. Kehinde described Ogbeni as a leader of leaders who drives the vision of others, a man of robust ideology, a strong and formidable Pan- Africanist , a strong advocate of the people’s culture who talks Africa, eats Africa  dreams Africa.
Aregbesola, in his paper, took the audience through popular African proverbs, traditional songs, properly interpreted, interjected at intervals. Bob Marley’s freedom song; was interjected into his address.