Breaking News

Osun begins Interview for shortlisted Teachers across the State | OSUN GOVERNMENT RESOLVES ISSUES AROUND AMOTEKUN RECRUITMENT TRAINING | OSUN GOVERNMENT RESOLVES ISSUES AROUND AMOTEKUN RECRUITMENT TRAINING | Over 42,000 pupils, students receives free corrective glasses in Osun – Governor Adeleke. | GOVERNOR ADELEKE CELEBRATES HON KASOPE ABOLARIN ON HIS BIRTHDAY. | I Won’t be Distracted from Good Governance-Governor Adeleke | Osun Government Acted in Line with Public Interest by Submitting Petition to EFCC | Your Best Governor Award for Health Sector is Well Deserved – Telegraph Management | LENTEN: GOVERNOR ADELEKE FELICITATES CHRISTIANS | GOVERNOR ADELEKE CONDOLES AIDE, KAMIL ARANSI, OVER MOTHER’S PASSING | Osun LGs Governor Adeleke Briefs Traditional Rulers, Reaffirms that No Court Order Reinstates Yes/No Chairmen | GOVERNOR ADELEKE PRAYS FOR AND FELICITATES WITH DR DEJI ADELEKE AT 68 | Illegal Occupation of Council Secretariats: Osun Local Government Chairmen, NULGE Drag Yes/ No L.G Chairmen to Courts | Gov. Adeleke Eulogises Obasanjo at 88, Describes Him as Father of All. | Governor Adeleke Launches Stakeholders’ Consultation, Visits Chief Bisi Akande on Recent Developments | Governor Adeleke Launches Stakeholders’ Consultation, Visits Chief Bisi Akande on Recent Developments | GOVERNOR ADELEKE CONGRATULATES NEW NYSC DIRECTOR–GENERAL, BRIGADIER-GENERAL NAFIU OLAKUNLE. | GOVERNOR ADELEKE GREETS ALHAJA LATEEFAT GBAJABIAMILA AT 95 | GOVERNOR ADELEKE CONGRATULATES AIDE, TUNDE BADMUS, ON HIS BIRTHDAY | OSUN GOVT FAULTS MASTERMINDS’ POSITION ON THE LG CRISIS | Governor Adeleke Orders Investigation over Clashes at Egbedi Town

Category: General

Osun-Osogbo-event-Saidat-620×350

Osun-Osogbo-event-Saidat-620x350AS activities marking the 2014 edition of the annual Osun Osogbo Festival advance, notable individuals in Osogboland have commended the support from Goldberg, a high quality lager brand from the stables of Nigerian Breweries Plc., describing the support as enormous and encouraging.

 The commendations came during the Stakeholders Presentation Forum held at the palace of HRM Oba Jimoh Oyetunji Olanipekun Larooye II, the Ataoja of Osogboland. The Forum was organised to enable the corporate sponsors brief the Ataoja and members of his cabinet on their planned activities for the Festival.

First to shower encomium on Goldberg for its support was Oba Olanipekun, who noted that Goldberg’s involvement and planned leveraging activities have surpassed that of last year, which was the brand’s maiden effort.

 He said: “I must state that the support from Goldberg for this year’s festival has been outstanding and quite commendable so far. They came on board last year and as expected could not do so much. But this year, Goldberg has shown they mean business; their presence and support have been enormous”.
The royal father thanked Nigerian Breweries Plc., for the long standing support for the annual festival, which showcases the cultural values of the Osogbo people. He, however, urged the Goldberg Team to keep up the tempo.

On his own part, Araba Ifayemi Elebuibon, the Araba of Osogboland and member, Advisory Committee for the Osun Osogbo Festival, lauded Goldberg’s involvement with the festival, describing it as very good and welcome development.
He said: “I have personally observed that Goldberg’s involvement with the festival this year is actually taking the long-standing support from Nigerian Breweries Plc. to a new level with their planned activities. A look around the palace today tells me they are ready to do some outstanding things this year and I think that is quite good for the brand”.
According to the Araba, Goldberg is already gaining more market share around town since they started associating with the festival last year.
He said, “I noticed that a lot of beer consumers around here have switched to Goldberg since they started sponsoring the Osun Osogbo Festival. The reason is simple; anybody or corporate organisation that shows interest in what the people are passionate about will gain the people’s loyalty. Osun Osogbo is one thing Osogbo people are passionate about”.
Trailing the same path, Ayo Olumoko, Managing Director, INFOGEM Ltd., Official Consultants for the Osun Osogbo Festival also gave kudos to Goldberg Team for their level of involvement with the Osun Osogbo brand this year.
Olumoko said: “In the 26 years of Nigerian Breweries’ sponsorship of this festival, I have not seen the level of corporate presence that Goldberg is bringing to the festival this year. Their branding is unprecedented. Their presence is practically swallowing those of the other stakeholders. People around here are quite impressed with what they are doing”.
Mr Mfon Bassey, Brand Manager, Goldberg, Nigerian Breweries Plc. thanked the monarch and the people of Osogbo for giving the brand the privilege to be a part of the prestigious Osun Osogbo Festival this year, adding that the sponsorship is part of the brand’s policy of associating with and supporting events that are of traditional values to people around Nigeria.

The Guardian

Read More
coat of arms

coat of armsOsun State has declared today a public holiday in commemoration of the yearly Isese Day.
Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Sunday Akere, in a statement, said the day was set aside by the United Nations (UN) as the “Day for Indigenous Religions” globally.
He added that the day, since last year, has been part of the effort of the Aregbesola’s administration to ensure equality among all religions.
He said: “Traditional religion worshippers usually set aside the week running to August 20th every year for celebrating with their own adherents while the day usually witness parades, lectures and display of other traditional apparels to attract tourists from other parts of the world.”

Read More
8ecd62e4e320ebdb31cbdd1709e6ad52

Being the text of the acceptance speech by the governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, on the occasion of the presentation of certificate of return by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the winner of the August 9, 2014 gubernatorial election in the state.
8ecd62e4e320ebdb31cbdd1709e6ad52
I say without equivocation that those, on whose behalf, I receive the certificate of return, are the great people of Osun, who against all odds, stood by us and made this possible. Otherwise, if the wish of powerful forces prevails, we would have by now been eased out of the Government House, even though it is illegal by law because our tenure will end by November. Glory be to God and the people of Osun, who sacrificed everything; who risks everything, to stand and support us. I dedicate this certificate to you. I thank you. Through you, God delivered this to me, not by my might, not by my strength, not by my power, it is solely because of your zeal, commitment and total sacrifice and amazing support, under the direction of God, that I am happily today qualified to receive this certificate of return. I thank you.

I thank the leadership and members of my party all over Nigeria, most especially in Osun, for their support and diligence displayed before, during and after the election. Inspite of evil forces, you were determined to survive the will of the people. I thank all our party faithful and sympathizers across the globe; the human rights organizations, progressives in general, international and local observers, including but not limited to African Union (AU) and also to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). I congratulate you for the successful conduct of the election.

I have said it before and I will say it again, that we must not fail to remind INEC the obvious lapses, which could have marred the election. Without doubt, I scored INEC 75%. However, INEC must in future elections, take seriously, the security of election materials. Please, it is still right and appropriate to be extra-vigilant with election materials. We were victims of the similar poor management of election materials, which is more reason it is important to emphasize this. In 2007, the current Speaker, Rt. Honourable Najeem Salaam from Ejigbo, Honourable Abiodun Awolola, from Egbedore, and current Deputy Speaker, Honourable Akintunde Adegboye, from Osogbo, were victims.

In 2007, the election that was conducted, without any sin, had to be voided because of the compromise of some junior staff of INEC, who were custodians of those election materials. Some unscrupulous elements influenced them to tamper with the electoral materials, which led to the loss of electoral mandate. A recent reoccurrence happened in 2011, when Honourable Nathaniel Agunbiade was almost denied of his position, but for the wisdom of the judges, who refused their tricks. He still retains the office because during the examination of the facts available, it was discovered that some unscrupulous elements in INEC voided some of the ballots after election, but God caught them. The ones they voided did not match the serial numbers of the ones they originally used during election. Otherwise, there would have been a rerun in that constituency. That is why we are appealing to INEC to please to be on alert, extra-vigilant and more determined to secure the election materials. If you do not guard those materials, they are open to all sorts of manipulations. If the integrity of the organization, as important to us as it is important to you, you should be able to protect the materials. I trust that you will do your best to prevent compromise, manipulation and tampering of election materials.

The election was largely successful, with the exception of some wards in Ife Federal Constituency, where by our own reports, a large section did not even have any election at all. Except these inadequacies, you have conducted a successful election. I congratulate my opponents, who participated in the election. I thank them for the spirit with which they contested the election. It is my belief that electoral process is an expression of a democratic process, so we must commend those who took the pains, who made the effort to strengthen our democratic process. I pray that in the same spirit of Olympic, in which they participated in the process, let them all come to us to advance the interest of our state and provide to our people, a better life. For those who chose legal option, we are not in any way inducing them not to pursue to any length the litigation of the election, but we are so confident that such process will further convince them beyond any doubt that we won the August 9, 2014 gubernatorial election fair and well. But even as they pursue the litigation, lets us all come together to advance the cause of our people by guaranteeing peace for our people, progress for all of us and ensure development.

I have no reason, since 2004, to be involved in this process, if not for the progress and development of black man on earth. It is my zeal and passion to use my God-given talent to give meaning to the black race, which today is underdeveloped internationally. I believe I can use my God-given talent, within this small pace, to make a difference in leadership. That is why since 2004, when I have privilege and opportunity that will make the world to know that the blacks are capable of effective leadership and I am proud to say that our 44 months in power has demonstrated what purposeful leadership could do. Who would ever thought that school children of close 300,000 could be eating delicious meals everyday? Who could have ever thought that 40,000 unemployed youths could be taken off the streets and made to serve their communities and yet get some remunerations or who could have ever taught that schools worthy of highly-wealthy children, could be built for children of ordinary people? Who could have ever thought that Osun could guarantee buses for our students and subsides the buses? Could anybody imagine that elderly persons, who are vulnerable, without fear, will get from government, monthly stipends? Who could have thought that every community in Osun will have sufficient government attention to make them feel that they are part of government? Who could have taught that farmers will need not to worry about money to buy agricultural inputs? Who could have taught that every child in our public schools will have their data on a computer base that will be permanent? Who could have ever thought that Osogbo, the state capital, will be gradually turning to be the Dubai of Nigeria and by 2018, by the grace of God, Osogbo will be so much transformed that any visitor, who has been away for a year, will certainly miss roads and this will not be limited to Osogbo alone; we are working on an ambitious nine-city urban renewal projects. US Habitat told me that there is no place in the world, where any government had ever embarked on the urban renewal of the size we are embarking on. We are not only developing Osogbo, we are doing Iwo, Ikire, Ede, Ila, Ilesa Ikirun and Ejigbo. Because of the predominance of Ejigbo people in French countries, that is why we take special interest in Ejigbo in addition to whatever support we are getting from the UN habitat. Also in Ile-Ife, and when I talk about Ile-Ife, besides urban renewal, there is an historical assignment we must do in Ile-Ife.

Ile-Ife is the source of all Yorubas across the globe, and there are over 33 million in the world. As the origin of our race, we are because of this rebuilding Ile-Ife. We will trace the history of Yoruba 500 years back before the contact of white men, and we are going to project where we want to be in the next 500 years. This historic assignment will be called Yoruba International Heritage City. We are going to start the project. There is no way we can complete it in four years, but with this, we are going to show the people of Ile-Ife that we are not parochial; that we are committed to the development of Ile-Ife, and we are going to see Ile-Ife in its historic and cultural context. We all go to Mecca, we all go to Jerusalem and in no distant time, we are going to have Ile-Ife that we will be proud of. At the same time, we are not going to relent in our efforts to meet other essential needs of our people. Our six-point integral action plan still stands to ensure that peace and harmony reign supreme; that we sustain sound health, qualitative and functional education.

We are grateful to God that we won this election and we want to assure our people that whatever we have done or we have seen is just the foundation of what is coming in the next four years. As I was saying, we want all, who are genuine in their profession; who are genuine in their commitment; who are genuine in their vision for Osun, to come to us, to collaborate with us to make Osun a model of progress, a model of development, a model of dignity. I thank you for your time. I pray that by the time we will be handing over again in 2018, there will be every reason to thank God.

OSUN DEFENDER

Read More
Osun-Osogbo-event-Saidat-620×350

This is in view of the mammoth crowd, local and foreign being anticipated at the festival whose grand finale comes up on Friday, August 22, 2014.

According to a statement issued by the organisers, “It is not a ruse but a fact that Ebola is here in Nigeria but our sincere prayers and hope is that it will not get to the State of Osun before it is nipped in the bud by the Federal Government of Nigeria with the assistance of the Government of the United States of America in which a relationship in ensuring that the cases we have in Nigeria are attended to. As enumerated by the State Government of Osun, we want to support their efforts and admonish our people to please inculcate the prescribed hygiene measures put in place as neither anybody nor religious group are being intimidated in performing their religious obligations.

To this end, we want to implore each and every one of us to ensure that we moderate our reception of our visitors, either from overseas or most especially from other states within Nigeria, where cases of this deadly disease are being managed. Also, we the organisers of the festival are in total support of the State Government’s crowd control measures being put in place to minimise the risks of the spread of this disease during the Osun-Osogbo Grand Finale coming up on Friday, August 22, 2014.

We want to thank the press for the steadfastness in the coverage and reportage of the newly packaged Osun-Osogbo Festival since 2002 which earned the Osun Grove the enlistment by United Nations Educational Scientific Organisation(UNESCO) at Durban, South Africa, on 15th July, 2005. We reiterate that the Osun-Osogbo Festival is the way and life of the Osogbo community and its organisation and presentation has been accepted by all, not only in Nigeria, Africa, but in the whole wide world.

Read More
DEMOCRACY FOUNDATION GROUP (ALGON 1999) 1

Photos of the Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola,  his Deputy, MrsTiti-Laoye Tomori and the  1999 Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) during a congratulatory visit to the Governor on his victory in the 2014 governorship election at Government House, Osogbo

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (middle); his Deputy, MrsTiti-Laoye Tomori (2nd left); Chairman, 1999 Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON),Osun Chapter, Alhaji Kareem Afolabi (2nd right); Public Relations Officers of the association, Alhaji Rasheed Oyedele (right) and others, during a congratulatory visit to the Governor on his victory in the 2014 governorship election at Government House, Osogbo

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (middle); his Deputy,
MrsTiti-Laoye Tomori (2nd left); Chairman, 1999 Association of Local
Governments of Nigeria (ALGON),Osun Chapter, Alhaji Kareem Afolabi
(2nd
right); Public Relations Officers of the association, Alhaji Rasheed
Oyedele (right) and others, during a congratulatory visit to the
Governor
on his victory in the 2014 governorship election at Government House, Osogbo

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (middle); his Deputy, MrsTiti-Laoye Tomori (2nd left); Chairman, 1999 Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON),Osun Chapter, Alhaji Kareem Afolabi (3rd right); Public Relations Officers of the association, Alhaji Rasheed Oyedele (2nd right) and others, during a congratulatory visit to the Governor on his victory in the 2014 governorship election at Government House, Osogbo

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (middle); his Deputy,
MrsTiti-Laoye Tomori (2nd left); Chairman, 1999 Association of Local
Governments of Nigeria (ALGON),Osun Chapter, Alhaji Kareem Afolabi (3rd
right); Public Relations Officers of the association, Alhaji Rasheed
Oyedele (2nd right) and others, during a congratulatory visit to the
Governor on his victory in the 2014 governorship election at Government House, Osogbo

Read More
Ifedayo – 2

Ifedayo - 2“In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better”. Harry Truman

The Governorship election in the State of Osun has come and zoomed off. All the hoopla and hullabaloo in the media and by party people on both sides of the isle about who was going to be hacked and bombed to death became a mere musing. No drop of blood was shed as I predicted two weeks ago. I know some politicians who relocated temporarily from Ibadan to Ilorin and Lagos because of their envisaged spill-over of pandemonium to contiguous states. Many families who worked and lived in Oshogbo escaped from the ‘belly-of-hell’ far away from a possible AK-47 attack that had been predicted would come without any shadow of doubt.

But there were still thousands of people who stood firm to have their voices heard. In the thick of it all, I too stood defying several warnings from my loved ones not to touch Oshogbo. Many prayed with and for me as if it was going to be my last weekend on the face of the earth. Some thought I came all the way from the US to die in a process from which I have never benefitted either as a contractor or a politician. I just believed that I was doing the right thing by my people in Osun, for this is my home. Here we are still in the guide of our God who alone has the power to kill and make alive. He is always our shepherd.

Whenever there is a missing puzzle in the lives of a people, God provides a filling. Anytime a people yearn and thirst for water that will never run dry, God springs forth water in abundant proportion, and many times from unusual sources. When there were problems for the children of Israel in Egypt, God raised a Moses; when there were problems in the hands of the Midianites, He raised a Gideon for Israel. God even raised a man who neither served nor worshipped Him, a heathen, unbeliever king called Cyrus, and He called him “my anointed”, to fulfill a purpose. (Isaiah 45). God is not interested in frivolous mind-sets of men; where there is a leadership vacuum, He installs a person who will carry out His agenda and bring about a relief. God will use anybody.

Now that the election is over, we should be able to express how we feel without any assumption of prejudice. My wholehearted belief is that RAUF AREGBESOLA, the man who won Saturday’s election, was born for this time, and it’s about destiny. Not all governors are leaders, and not all who occupy leadership seats can be called such. Many are dealers. Rauf is more than just a Governor, he is a leader. After Saturday’s election, he became a Nigerian fore-front leader. Any Governor who is able to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence is not just a governor, he is a leader. With him, it’s the people first.

Rauf’s work is not just noticed outside of Nigeria, it is reverenced. No governor in the history of the State of Osun and possibly in Nigeria has ever been invited to address the prestigious British House of Commons in London. In recognition of the O-MEAL food project in Osun, Rauf was asked to address the House in January this year. He is a governor out-of-the-box catching a lot of global attention. Rauf, the work-horse is not a hoax. This work-horse is tried and tested. This was some of the things that Osun people remembered on Saturday. Is Rauf Aregbesola a perfect man? No. Has he been a perfect Governor of the State of Osun with no errors and mistakes? No. Has he equally impacted every city and village in Osun? No!Is life in Osun State better under Aregbesola than it was in the preceding years? Absolutely yes! And voters remembered this last Saturday.

They remembered the free computer tablets preloaded with different tutorial notes, past examination questions, and textbooks on 17 subjects freely distributed to students to optimize learning. They remembered free protein-rich meals served to 300,000 elementary School students (Grade 1-4). which costs this government 3.6 billion Naira annually. They remembered N84, 000 have so far been spent on each elementary student and N30, 000 on each secondary school student. They remembered 750,000 pieces of new uniforms that have been distributed free to students. They remembered the brand new factory producing computer tablets, cell phones, plasma TV in Ilesha that will offer employment to tens of thousands of unemployed youths and help them raise a family. Anyone can disagree with Aregbesola on personal style and mannerism, but voters agreed that this governor has achieved so much in so short a period that he easily passes as one of the best governors in Nigeria today. These are some of the reasons why he won last Saturday’s election.

Every word Aregbesola promised during campaign Osun people believed. They have come to see him as the Messiah of this time. When people from this part of the country mark you as a liar, they are through with you. When they certify that you fight their fights and fight for them, they will stand with you. Old people crawled and limped to the polling booth to express their unalloyed support for the man who pays them 10,000 Naira per month regularly for many years now; they felt they couldn’t have done otherwise. It was difficult for those who live in big cities and small villages to close their hearts against the man who tarred their roads and gave their unemployed children jobs through several youth empowerment programs. It was almost impossible for members of the National Union of Road and Transport Workers (NURTW) to walk away from the man who gave them 70 new Toyota Hiace air conditioned buses for interstate transport services. What about the beneficiaries of the over 2,000 shops, stalls and warehouses at Ayegbaju Ultra-Modern Market? It was difficult for them to say ‘O-NO’ to Aregbesola, so also was it for the 800 displaced Oshogbo train station traders.

I drove around town during the week and counted 27 groups of people with a minimum of 17 people per group shrouded up and scattered all over Oshogbo with CD players and heavy loud speakers blaring into the streets in a continued celebration for the reelection of their governor. This man’s popularity has shot through the roof here. There is so much joy in this state, and that’s why the people said “O-Yes’ to Aregbesola last Saturday. What’s next now that the people have said ‘O-Yes’ to Aregbesola? A lot in this guy’s agenda. Stay tuned.

BIOREPORT

Read More
883822439_e3f0e430ab

883822439_e3f0e430abLocal and foreign investors have shown interest in partnering the Osun State government to develop some of its tourist sites.
The Chairman of its  tourism board, Abimbola Daniyan, announced this yesterday at a media briefing to herald this year’s edition of Osun Osogbo festival.
He said Olumirin Water Falls in Erin-Ijesa and Ayikunugba Water Falls, Oke-Ila were among the sites the state government is planning to raise to international standard.
Daniyan, who said the state could not alone fund tourism because it is capital intensive, said that the  Olumirin Water Falls has been declared the most popular tourist site in Nigeria.
He added that no fewer than 40,000 tourists visit the site yearly.
His words: “As parts of efforts to harness tourism potentials, our board has been implementing Osun Tourism Master Plan (OTMP) in the last one year. Already, we are negotiating with some private investors to hand over Oluminrin Water Falls, Erin Ijesa and Ayikunugba Falls, Oke Ila, to them for further development.”
On the events lined up for the festival, Daniyan said the board would organise Osun Talents in-Culture, as parts of efforts to fight poverty and empower the youths.
He added that Oodua Fashion and Beauty Fair would also be organised, including a film show on Yoruba culture.
On concern about Ebola Virus Disease, he said proper measures have been taken by government to ensure its prevention during the festival.
THE NATION

Read More
Nigeria Governors Forum

Nigeria Governors ForumThe Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF, congratulates Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the governor-elect of the State of Osun on his re-election at the just concluded gubernatorial elections in the State.

While we congratulate the governor for his victory, we also salute the people of the State of Osun for their conduct during the election. We also congratulate all the other 19 candidates and their parties for their peaceful conduct before, during, and after the election, and for demonstrating a rare spirit of sportsmanship by accepting the outcome of the poll.

We urge them all to work with Governor Aregbesola in taking Osun State forward.

The people of the state have made all Nigerians proud by demonstrating, again, that Nigerians, on their own can choose their own leaders on their own terms, in an ordered manner.

The peaceful conduct of the election assures us all that the future of democracy is bright in our country.

As he continues to savour the joy of his triumph at the keenly contested election, we call on Governor Aregbesola to be magnanimous in victory. He should consider the election as one in which there was no victor and no vanquished. We urge him to put behind him the acrimony and controversy that characterized electioneering in the state in the past few months and continue to work on his master plan of giving quality governance to the people of the state.

We also urge the governor’s opponents in the election to be gallant in defeat, and demonstrate the requisite large-heartedness to warm up to the governor to take Osun State forward.

We commend the handling of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission [INEC]. The commission’s near-perfect handling of that election gives us hope that the 2015 elections would most likely be free, fair and credible. We urge the commission to remain focused and continue to perfect its processes ahead of the forthcoming elections. We in the NGF are ever ready to partner the commission in whichever way we can to ensure that it delivers on its mandate.

We urge all other national institutions and security agencies to emulate INEC, eschew partisanship and learn to discharge their responsibilities with professionalism. They should put their services at the disposal of all Nigerians irrespective of political affiliations. Our security agencies are important national assets in which all Nigerians have stakes and must not only be fair to all parties during elections, but must be seen to be so.

Once again, congratulations.

Asishana Okauru, Esq.

Director General

Read More
image_thumb12

image_thumb12

As this year’s edition of Osun-Osogbo Festival progresses, the various marked-out activities/events are gradually being checked out. One of the most exciting events at the festival is the lighting of the 500-year-old sixteen-point lamp called Àtùpà Olójúmérindínlógún. During this event, the ancient sixteen-point lamp is kept burning from dusk to dawn while the people celebrate around it.

The lamp significantly exemplifies the beauty and glory of the environment at night. It can also be likened to the modern day electrification of a community area. During the ‘watch night’ event, the people of Osogbo came out in throngs, featuring a mix of old, young, females and males, mischief-makers and fun-lovers, core-traditionalists and tourists.

The Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji, Olanipekun Larooye II and his wives danced round the burning lamp at three intervals in the course of the night. The fire was fed with oil all night long to keep it burning.

NAIJATREKS

Read More
coat of arms

coat of armsThe government of Osun State in Nigeria is issuing a new smart identity card integrated with biometrics to all public school students in the state, according to a report by This Day Live.

Launched at the Salvation Army School, Alekuwodo, Oshogbo, the new biometric ID cards support the state government’s initiative to deploy technology to boost the overall planning, allocation of resources and service delivery in the education field.

The Osun Smart ID, an initiative of Chams Plc, is linked to a central database providing the state government with accurate data on the identity and number of students enrolled in its public schools.

According to its website, Chams Plc’s biometric solution is a “complete end-to-end biometric database” that provides a “secure platform for gathering and storing records/information and details of enrollees through automatic association of same identities, hence track trust related transactions.”

“The smart ID card which is embedded with biometric features is an ingenious technology solution that we have adopted to further raise the service delivery levels in the education sector” said Osun State governor Rauf Aregbesola. “Effortlessly, government can identify all students in public schools, and have access to their information at the push of a button. The Smart Card makes tracking possible, implying that we are provided with more accurate information on the exact number of beneficiaries which eliminates fraud and accounting error of any type.”

Aregbesola added that the card will ensure that each student would remain a unique and identifiable individual and would not be confused for another person.

“The Osun Smart ID card provides biographical and biometric identification of public school children from elementary schools to middle schools and high schools, equipping government with reliable demographic data of the student population in the state,” said Chams Plc managing director Demola Aladekomo.

BIOMETRIC UPDATE

Read More