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Category: General

12

Download and Share our Countdown Posters. It is 12 days to the Day Osun Decides. Who will you be voting for?  Share with us on Facebook (Government of the State of Osun) or Twitter @stateofosun
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OGBENILEKANSI

OGBENILEKANSIThe tone for this piece was set last Wednesday as an old school mate of mine from Anambra State sought my views on the Osun State governorship election “in the light of what happened in Ekiti”. He nearly provoked me as he asked for my “honest opinion”. I retorted, “Had I ever given you a dishonest opinion.” He merely smiled in response, fixing his gaze on me nonetheless, prodding for an analysis of the chances of the two parties.
As I told quite a number of others who asked me a similar question, no two political situations are ever the same. The Ekiti election was mainly between Ayo Fayose and Kayode Fayemi. Osun’s will be fought by Rauf Aregbesola and Iyiola Omisore. It is my view that the days of strong adherence to political parties are gone. It was so with the parties of the First and Second Republic and, at least in the West, with the Alliance for Democracy in 1999. The situation has since changed for reasons beyond the scope of this space.
Although Ekiti and Osun are neighbouring states, the sociological make-up are quite different. Osun is certainly more diverse than Ekiti and it is therefore easier to mobilise the Ekiti with one slogan than it would be in Osun.
Then, the candidates. Omisore is not quite a Fayose. Attempting to ape the Ekiti political warlord merely made the Ife man look pathetic. It was so  unnatural. It would be more difficult for any man to mount the soap box in Ilesa hoping to win over the Ijesa with two ears of roast corn in his hands than it was for Fayose. There are issues, too. Who killed Bola Ige is an issue in Ijesa land that shares the same senatorial district with Ile-Ife.
Mr. Omisore flaunts some credentials. He had been a deputy governor in the state. It does not matter if it remains a subject of dispute whether he was impeached or resigned. He later went to the Senate and could claim some “distinguished” representation on account of serving as chairman of the Appropriation Committee.
Like Fayose, he has access to the hugely important federal might and budget. The federal government controls the security apparatus and the electoral commission itself is a federal executive body. Money cannot be a problem. The federal government and the party in control are desperate to root out the opposition from the West with a view to boosting its chances at the polls next year.
However, Aregbesola is an unconventional politician, a doughty fighter and a a tested tactician. In the short period of his involvement in Osun’s political milieu, he has shown such dexterity that is uncommon. In 2011, he was the only governor who could rouse his people to vote for a weak Action Congress of Nigeria presidential platform, in addition to winning all the federal and state legislative seats. The scheme had failed even in Lagos State. He is a politician and has campaigned so vigorously that nothing was left to chance.
In terms of campaign style, he stood head and shoulders above the PDP candidate. In performance, he has enough to show and, in terms of perception, he is believed to have provided the now famous or infamous stomach infrastructure. The emergence of Mr. Omisore hurt even his party. Other aspirants are either out or are reluctantly trudging along. It could be asked, where are former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola and his deputy, Erelu Olusola Obada today? Are they with Omisore? Has a new political factor emerged in Ede to rival pioneer Governor Adeleke? In Okuku, could the Oyinlola influence be dismissed? In Igbomina land, is Chief Akande no longer relevant?
In Ikire, Alhaji Fatai Akinbade would probably have been a factor had he won the ticket of a contending party. But, in Osun, the Labour Party is not any stronger than it is in Ekiti. The party would be lucky to rake in as many votes as Hon. Bamidele.
The outlook appears bright for Aregbesola. The man knows that he carries a heavy burden- on his lean shoulders is laid the fortunes of the All Progressives Party in the march to 2015. If he wins, he brings the party back into reckoning and inflates an ego deflated by the results from Ekiti. But, should he lose, the PDP would once again have shown that its control of the national political machinery cannot be matched by any other party.
In a way, therefore, the Osun election is about the destiny of Nigeria. Those who believe that the PDP has failed Nigeria would be looking in the direction of APC to show that an alliance between the mainstream political forces of the far North and the West could save the country. Others would believe that a failure of the opposition in the region, following the installation of Labour PDP in Ondo and Fayose PDP in Ekiti signals a new national political equation.
If I were permitted a vote, my heart and head are agreed that Aregbesola is the true way to success and progress.
THE NATION

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Eid-el-fitri free train – 1

Pictures of the Omoluabi Free Train Ride offered by Governor Rauf Aregbesola for this Year’s Eid-Ul-Fitri Celebration at Iddo Terminus, Lagos State. Insert: Indigenes and non-indigenes of Osun stood in line to board the Free Train Ride on Saturday 26-07-2014

The Omoluabi Free Train Ride offered by Governor Rauf Aregbesola for this Year’s Eid-Ul-Fitri Celebration at Iddo Terminus, Lagos State. Insert: Indigenes and non-indigenes of Osun on queue to board the Free Train Ride on Saturday 26-07-2014

The Omoluabi Free Train Ride offered by Governor Rauf Aregbesola for this Year’s Eid-Ul-Fitri Celebration at Iddo Terminus, Lagos State. Insert: Indigenes and non-indigenes of Osun on queue to board the Free Train Ride on Saturday 26-07-2014

The Omoluabi Free Train Ride offered by Governor Rauf Aregbesola for this Year’s Eid-Ul-Fitri Celebration at Iddo Terminus, Lagos State. Insert: Indigenes and non-indigenes of Osun on queue to board the Free Train Ride on Saturday 26-07-2014

The Omoluabi Free Train Ride offered by Governor Rauf Aregbesola for this Year’s Eid-Ul-Fitri Celebration at Iddo Terminus, Lagos State. Insert: Indigenes and non-indigenes of Osun on queue to board the Free Train Ride on Saturday 26-07-2014

Indigenes and non-indigenes of Osun rushing to board the Omoluabi Free Train Ride offered by Governor Rauf Aregbesola for this Year’s Eid-Ul-Fitri Celebration at Iddo Terminus, Lagos State on Saturday 26-07-2014

Indigenes and non-indigenes of Osun rushing to board the Omoluabi Free Train Ride offered by Governor Rauf Aregbesola for this Year’s Eid-Ul-Fitri Celebration at Iddo Terminus, Lagos State on Saturday 26-07-2014

Indigenes and non-indigenes of Osun rushing to board the Omoluabi Free Train Ride offered by Governor Rauf Aregbesola for this Year’s Eid-Ul-Fitri Celebration at Iddo Terminus, Lagos State on Saturday 26-07-2014

Indigenes and non-indigenes of Osun rushing to board the Omoluabi Free Train Ride offered by Governor Rauf Aregbesola for this Year’s Eid-Ul-Fitri Celebration at Iddo Terminus, Lagos State on Saturday 26-07-2014

Indigenes and non-indigenes of Osun rushing to board the Omoluabi Free Train Ride offered by Governor Rauf Aregbesola for this Year’s Eid-Ul-Fitri Celebration at Iddo Terminus, Lagos State on Saturday 26-07-2014

Indigenes and non-indigenes of Osun rushing to board the Omoluabi Free Train Ride offered by Governor Rauf Aregbesola for this Year’s Eid-Ul-Fitri Celebration at Iddo Terminus, Lagos State on Saturday 26-07-2014

Indigenes and non-indigenes of Osun rushing to board the Omoluabi Free Train Ride offered by Governor Rauf Aregbesola for this Year’s Eid-Ul-Fitri Celebration at Iddo Terminus, Lagos State on Saturday 26-07-2014

Indigenes and non-indigenes of Osun rushing to board the Omoluabi Free Train Ride offered by Governor Rauf Aregbesola for this Year’s Eid-Ul-Fitri Celebration at Iddo Terminus, Lagos State on Saturday 26-07-2014

Indigenes and non-indigenes of Osun rushing to board the Omoluabi Free Train Ride offered by Governor Rauf Aregbesola for this Year’s Eid-Ul-Fitri Celebration at Iddo Terminus, Lagos State on Saturday 26-07-2014

Indigenes and non-indigenes of Osun rushing to board the Omoluabi Free Train Ride offered by Governor Rauf Aregbesola for this Year’s Eid-Ul-Fitri Celebration at Iddo Terminus, Lagos State on Saturday 26-07-2014

Indigenes and non-indigenes of Osun rushing to board the Omoluabi Free Train Ride offered by Governor Rauf Aregbesola for this Year’s Eid-Ul-Fitri Celebration at Iddo Terminus, Lagos State on Saturday 26-07-2014

Indigenes and non-indigenes of Osun rushing to board the Omoluabi Free Train Ride offered by Governor Rauf Aregbesola for this Year’s Eid-Ul-Fitri Celebration at Iddo Terminus, Lagos State on Saturday 26-07-2014

Indigenes and non-indigenes of Osun on queue, waiting to board the Omoluabi Free Train Ride offered by Governor Rauf Aregbesola for this Year’s Eid-Ul-Fitri Celebration at Iddo Terminus, Lagos State on Saturday 26-07-2014

Indigenes and non-indigenes of Osun on queue, waiting to board the Omoluabi Free Train Ride offered by Governor Rauf Aregbesola for this Year’s Eid-Ul-Fitri Celebration at Iddo Terminus, Lagos State on Saturday 26-07-2014

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sss-officials-nigeria

sss-officials-nigeriaOsun State Government yesterday condemned the Department of State Service, DSS over the invasion of the corporate head office of its client, TNS-RMS, holding its staff hostage for 7 hours before detaining some of them.

Speaking through the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Sunday Akere, at a briefing, it said the company, a duly-registered research agency, engaged in empirical surveys across the country for government agencies and private individuals, and had been conducting Needs Assessment Performance Evaluation Study, NAPES, for the government periodically since the advent of the administration three and half years ago.

Akere said the administration took the periodic survey seriously and as a matter of duty since it served as a feedback mechanism to test the impact of government policy on the populace.

The Commissioner said though the DSS was at liberty to seek inquiry into whatever TNS-RMS had been doing, but it would not accept any act of infringing on its constitutional right as a registered company in Nigeria.

He said: “What is not acceptable and open to resistance is for the DSS to present itself as an agency in the manipulative control of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and a direct threat to citizens’ liberty and the Nigerian nationhood. The DSS must be wary of returning Nigeria to the inglorious era of General Sani Abacha when might was right and the citizens became serfs in their own Republic.”

VANGUARD

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_DSC0423

Osun State government yesterday said it has uncovered plans by some people, said to be going round major cities in the state marking buildings for demolition in a bid to incite the populace against the government.

A statement signed by the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Sunday Akere and made available to newsmen, said the state government was not embarking on any kind of demolition.

Akere told residents of the state to challenge anyone that marks their building for demolition and report such to the police for proper action.

Akere also denied claims by the opposition party, particularly, the People Democratic Party, PDP, that the state government has concluded plans to introduce a new tax regime, if Aregbesola is reelected, adding that Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s administration neither intends to introduce any tax regime nor intend to increase its usual tax levy as allegedly claimed by the PDP.

He said: “It has come to the notice of the state government that the PDP in a leaflet it is distributing claimed that Governor Aregbesola is planning to introduce a new tax regime on operators of private schools. This claim is fictitious and a figment of the author’s imagination.

“It’s problem is lack of ideas and wondering how the present administration raised its internal revenue from a mere N300 million when the party was in power to N1.5 billion within three years, hence it attempts to incite the populace against the All progressives Congress, APC-led administration.”

Calling on members of the public to ignore the claim by the PDP, Akere challenged the PDP and its candidate to make their campaign issue-based, “rather than playing dirty politics by playing with the peoples’ intelligence.”

NATIONAL MIRROR

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JUMAT SERVICE IFE-ODAN 1

JUMAT SERVICE IFE-ODAN 1Speaker, Osun House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Najeem Salaam has felicitated with Governor Rauf Aregbesola, Muslim leaders and faithful across the state as the end of Ramadan fasting session is being marked.

In a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Mr. Goke Butika, Speaker Salaam said the import of Ramadan teachings of piety, good neighborliness and sacrifice must not be lost on the people of faith.

He said Nigeria in general and State of Osun in particular need fervent prayer from the people of faith, for the nation is faced with principalities of terrorism, poor leadership and discordant tunes, while the state faces governorship election.

Speaker Salaam frowned at the level of politicization of religions, saying that those who ought to intercede for the people of little faith have been exploiting the name of God to negotiate for their selfish interest, while some religious leaders are confusing their followers on the way to go, having mixed religion with politics of self aggrandizement.

The state parliament then admonished the religious leaders in Osun to preach peace, tolerance, good neighborliness and service to humanity, urging them to close the fault lines instead of widening the gulf of differences in the state.

Signed:

Goke Butika

Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker

State House of Assembly of Osun

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Cocoa-farmers

Cocoa-farmersThere is no doubt about  the fact that agricultural policies and programme of the current administration in Osun State headed by Rauf Aregbesola remain a key factor for economic transformation through food security, job and wealth creation especially for the youths.
It is not an overstatement that the state’s agricultural programme called Osun Rural Enterprise and agriculture programme (O-REAP) has been very strategic to the Six Point Integral Action Plan of the Rauf Aregbesola administration targeted at farm estate development through the upgrade of infrastructures in the existing farm settlements  such as rural roads, construction of culverts, channelization, river crossing among others.
The roads completed are Iwo-Pataara (12km), Esa-Oke-Esa-Odo Farm Settlement Road 5km, Mokore Farm Settlement Road (17.8km), Orile-Owu-Ago-Owu Farm Settlement-Ogedengbe Road (30km), Idiroko-Akinleye Farm Settlement Road (10.8km), Farmers Plank Sellers, Ido-Osun Road Network (5.5km) and Alaguntan Forest Reserve Road (20km).
Also completed are QIIP Farm Road, Kuta (9km), Okinni-Igbokiti-O-Fish Farm (9.8km), Reclamation of Olufi Market, grading of Iyanfoworogi-Orisunbare-Ajobo Junction and Aba Opa (10km), Fashina-Agbagba-Adekanye-Osu Express Road (5.5km), bridge on Saasa river to link Akinlalu, Oyere, while several other are on-going.
The O-REAP programme is an innovative programme and unique in its design as it focuses on a very ambitious and aggressive programme of mass food production through the implementation of different component activities by an array of ministries, departments and agencies of government.
It was also designed to strengthen farmers’ cooperatives associations, expand land available for food crop production and promote ground breaking investments and partnerships in agriculture.
Contrary to some spurious and very frivolous allegations in a section of the media by an opposition party that sees nothing good in the Aregbesola administration,off-handedly declaring that the O-REAP programe was fraudulent and amounts to nothing for the farmers, over 150 rural roads especially those leading to the existing the farm estates have indeed been constructed with river crossings and culverts where necessary amongst many other landmarks as will be revealed presently.
As at the time of filing this report, all the nine farm estates in the state including the ones established by chief Obafemi Awolowo in the 60s have been upgraded with necessary infrastructural facilities including electricity and potable water.All these were provided for the entire population living in the estates.
The government has also set up farm service centres in the nine federal constituencies in the state to enable farmers have access to agricultural inputs.
It was further gathered that 78 hectares of cattle hub was established at Oloba farm with the capacity of 10,000 cattle at full operation ,while an additional 400 hectares and 1,600 hectares of land had been secured by the state government for development of two additional cattle hubs in Ede and Ejigbo.
In the provision of storage facilities, one 500 metric tonnes capacity warehouse abandoned since 2009 has been revisited and completed in Osogbo; another 1,000 metric tonnes capacity warehouse abandoned since 1991 when the state was created has been completed while one hundred 10metric tonnes cribs have been constructed across the state to serve as on and off farm storage facilities.
The present administration has also empowered youth cooperative groups consisting of 40 youths engaging in cattle fattening, as part of first phase of the O-Beef empowerment programme across the State of Osun.
“N40million has been given as loans to support Piggery Farmers in the State, 3,645 Farmers across the State benefited from the sum of N476,350,000 from the Government Guaranteed Agriculture Loan Scheme; 268 Farmers benefited from the sum of N45,662,065 from O-REAP Loan Scheme, N153.6m ($952,000) agriculture finance loan for 66 farmer cooperative group”
The State Government procured 5,000 metric tons of fertilizers and sold it to farmers at 50% subsidy over the last 2 years; 1,830 rural farmers in 61 local communities received farm inputs from the state in collaboration with UNICEF. The government also re-constituted the fertilizer distribution committee to block leakages and ensure that the fertilizer gets to the farmers directly through innovative private sector led agricultural input supply programme.
It is on record that the state government sponsored 40 youths to Germany for intensive training in modern agriculture and 96 secondary schools assisted in arable crop production, fisheries and livestock production systems since 2013.
The government also established (O-REAP) Youth Academy as a deliberate effort towards giving youths a sustainable career in modern agriculture and 1,606 OYES Cadets have been trained in Modern Agriculture at the newly established O-REAP Youth Academies located in the nine federal constituencies of the state for increased food production.
Corroborating the feat recorded by the current administration in the agricultural programme, the Director General of the Office of Economic Development and Partnerships(OEDP) and  Coordinator of the O-REAP Program, Dr. Charles Diji Akinola said that the state government further went into partnering with private sector such as TUNS Farm Nigeria Limited to promote broiler production to empower poultry farmers and create jobs under the Osun Broilers Out-growers Production Scheme (OBOPS) with the sum of N539, 435,200. 578. Farms have been stocked with over 3,654,612 Day-Old-Chicks from inception in 2011 and Over N200 million have been made as profit by the Out-growers in the Scheme.
He stated that these schemes are meant to supply chicken and fish to O-MEAL Food Vendors to feed the Grade one to four pupils in the state public schools under the free school feeding.
Akinola also stated that the state government has for example, through an O-REAP programme activity QIIP encouraged rice production at Onilapa (Ogbagba) on a 410hectares of land aimed at increasing production yield from 1.5tonnes to 5tonnes.
On Tree Crop Production, Akinola noted that 64,000 oil palm seedlings and 25,000 cashew seedlings have been raised for sale, 500,000 cocoa seedlings, 6,000 Kola and 6,000 bitter kola seedlings distributed free to cocoa/bitter kola farmers respectively across the state while an all year round vegetable production project in Kuta on a 210 hectares of land is now fully operational.
He explained further that 2,000 farmers were supported to plant 1.3 million plantain suckers for refined plantain flour production, encourages cooperative groups to cultivate 80 hectares of yam farm cluster, for yam flour production adding that over 5,000 new farmer cooperative groups have been registered in the state by the Ministry of Commerce, Cooperatives and Empowerment.
Under the agricultural land expansion programme, Akinola noted that land validation and perimeter survey in nine farm settlements using GIS and Remote Sensing Technology, has been carried out under the O-REAP programme.
While noting that Aregbesola’s agricultural program has within the last three and half years put food on the tables of the people of the state, created jobs and wealth especially for the youths,Akinola described the wild and unfounded allegation of the opposition that the programme was fraudulent and meaningless to farmers in the state as reckless and mischievous in intent and should be dismissed by the good people of State of Osun.
THE NATION

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O-Meal – 1b

O-Meal - 1b‘Stomach Infrastructure’ is the lesson we are supposed to take away from the recently concluded Ekiti Gubernatorial Election.  Stomach infrastructure is what it says, and refers to politicians providing handouts for the voters to fill their stomach (primarily on voting day or few days before). A PDP chieftain was quoted as saying derisively; “We know the Osun voter is not worth more than N10,000 (ten thousand Naira) and a bag of rice and we definitely have that in abundance”. Such is the disdainful conclusion and the pitiful value they have placed on the state and the Osun Voter! A huge slap on the Yoruba race!

This cynical theory goes along the myopic lines of “it’s when your stomach is totally taken care of that you can think of making use of the social amenities and infrastructure”. The better saying in my opinion is “give a man a piece of fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish and you feed him for life.” Stomach infrastructure without investing in more sustainable social amenities and infrastructure, such as schools, hospitals, roads, etc., inadvertently condemns the population to famine after feasting for one day.

The generally held belief in relation to Dr Kayode Fayemi’s defeat in the 21st June, 2014 election is that while he was busy developing social infrastructure, his opponent was taking care of the stomachs of the people in form of distribution of rice and cash. The rest is history as Fayose with his theory of ‘stomach infrastructure’ outsmarted the man ensuring the availability of social infrastructure.

Looking beyond than the initial description, some academics have gone further to say that ‘stomach infrastructure’ does not rest on food alone; it includes the politician’s personal relationship with the people; his regular and constant interaction and socializing with them. There have been several tales of how Fayose developed cordial relationship with the ordinary citizens in Ekiti State, interacting with them, attending their social functions, eating with them and of course, constantly giving them food.

There have been several tales too, of how that theory will be ‘imported’ to Osun State to assist the PDP candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore, in winning the 9th August, 2014 gubernatorial elections in the State of the Virtuous. Unfortunately for PDP in Osun, Omisore is no Fayose and he is up against a man of the people, one with such a popular touch that even the Governor-Elect of Ekiti State will acknowledge.

The sight of Omisore trying in vain to convince the people that he too can ride on “Okada” has crept into our consciousness. An Omisore going to the market to buy roasted corn but guarded by masked security men, inadvertently scaring away the people he is trying in vain to impress…?We see an Omisore awkwardly holding two ears of corn, a failed publicity stunt!

PDP and its backers have forgotten other things, including the important fact that dynamics in Osun are clearly different from that of Ekiti State; that they are dealing with an Aregbesola who is no just more popular than Fayose but who has also invented and developed his own brand of ‘the stomach infrastructure’ which has proven more profitable, more positive and more progressive than the shallow and retrogressive intent bandied about by the PDP and its backers. Suffice to add that Ogbeni, inadvertently through his actions in and outside the government house has invented a ‘stomach infrastructure, that has stood the test of time.

As a commissioner in Lagos State, his office received the highest number of visitors, more than that of the then Governor with his residence always a beehive of activities. Even after leaving office as a commissioner, Aregbesola never alienated himself from the public. It is on record that he always attended to visitors in his private offices in Lagos up until the wee hours of the morning; selflessness that is so ingrained in him, he continues to do so with relish even as a Governor.

Aregbesola’s personal life thus defined, his programs as Governor evidence a people-oriented administration. His six-point Integral Action was anchored on providing programs and projects that will positively and directly impact on the ordinary man on the streets. By so doing, Aregbesola has invented a more expansive ‘stomach infrastructure’ program in Osun to the extent that even though PDP have come with their cosmetic ‘stomach infrastructure’ the people are not in any way impressed because they have a better and longer lasting form in the programs of the Ogbeni.

What stomach infrastructure can be more effective than provision of employment for youths? This was the first thing the Aregbesola administration tackled in his first 100 days in office. Through the Osun Youths Empowerment Scheme (OYES), 20,000 youths were employed and today the number has risen to 40,000. Most of these youths now work as teachers and computer analysts in the various agencies established by the Governor.

PDP and their candidates’ stomach infrastructure is based on distribution of N10,000 and a “Kongo” of rice; Aregbesola’s administration has introduced an education reform program, a longer lasting formof stomach infrastructure, for thousands of people. Through the education reform program, 300,000 pupils are fed daily in public elementary schools in the state while 750,000 students were given free school uniforms (with more still reeling out). The ripple effect of the reform program has been the creation of sources of income for up to 3,000 vendors who serve the pupils daily, with the free school uniform programcreating jobs for more than 3,000 fashion designers. The free meal program has greatly encouraged poultry farming in the state so much so that at the last count, the number of poultry farmers in the state had risen to over 1,000. In addition, over 1,000 farmers have been empowered by the Aregbesola administration to provide the needed raw “food” materials to sustain the free meal program.

Still on education, just last Friday, 18thJuly 2014, the Aregbesola administration rolled out its Omoluwabi Free Scholars’ Bus, which will take students to and from schools daily. The free scholars’ bus is providing “stomach infrastructure” to drivers and conductors who have been employed to operate the fleet of buses.

Aregbesola administration recognizes the Old and the Vulnerable and extends N10,000 (Ten Thousand Naira) monthly stipends to over 1600 beneficiaries in the “Agba” Osun” Scheme.Yet again, on Thursday, 17thJuly 2014, 2,250 households in Osun State benefitted from another program called “Conditional Cash Transfer” (CCT). Selected households headed by women will be given stipends of N5,000 (Five Thousand Naira) monthly for 11 months during which time they will undergo free vocational training. At the end of the 12th month, each will be given N100,000 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) to start the trade in which they have undergone training. Can there be a better or more sincere  ‘stomach infrastructure’ compared to this?

Can anybody say there is a better ‘stomach infrastructure’ than thousands of employment to youths working in the urban renewal program of the Aregbesola administration in agencies such O’Clean, O’Ambulance, O’Renewal, O’Yestech and O’School? Definitely not!

Wherever he goes, wherever he works and wherever he resides, Aregbesola has always been and continues to identify with the ordinary man on the streets. On assumption of office, it was always common sight, the governor stopping his convoy to interact with people. He introduced the ‘Walk to Live’ where he, alongside members of the State Executive Council, as well as the people on the streets embarked on fitness walk monthly.Through this program Governor Aregbesola walked in the midst of the people, interacting and joking freely with them with the climax of such events being a rally where he addressed the people on the importance of keeping themselves fit and other salient state issues.

He is arguably the only Governor in Nigeria who regularly communicates and intermingles with the people of his state wherein the people are free to engage the Governor in no holds-barred interactive sessions about the programs of his administration. “Ogbeni Till Daybreak” is an eight-hour non-stop interactive program from night till dawnin which the people are invited to engage the Governor in a no holds-barred interaction, they are given free time to ask ANY QUESTION. Another of such programs is ‘Gbangba Dekun’ which is also interactive and involves the Governor and the people.

To show Ogbeni’s love for the people and his desire to always mingle and interact with them, the three programs i.e. Walk To Live, Ogbeni Till Daybreak and Gbangba Dekun, are rotated round the major communities in the state with the people given the opportunity to air their views on the Aregbesola administration and directly contact the Governor. Because each community has peculiar problemsdistinctive from others, the Aregbesola administration has painstakingly taken its time to address each problem, the result being the ongoing massive development in Osun, a marriage of stomach infrastructure and its social counterpart.

For Osun voters, stomach infrastructure is NOT about being given a fish today but about learning to fish for tomorrow. It’s about empowerment. It’s about employment. It’s about functional education. It’s about efficient and effective health care delivery service. It’s about durable social infrastructure. All these THEY DEFINITELY HAVE ALL in abundance, hence their rejection of the strange, narrow-minded and retrogressive ‘stomach infrastructure’ or the Greek Gift imported from Ekiti.

Need we say it loud and again: In Osun, Stomach infrastructure is not about a “Kongo” of rice and N10, 000. Osun is not Ekiti!

Adeyanju Binuyo

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JUMAT SERVICE IFE-ODAN 1

Photos of  the Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Senator representing Osun West Senatorial District, Hon. Mudasiru Hussain, during a prayer session for Governor Aregbesola’s re-electoon on his visit to the town on Friday 25/07/2014

From right-* Speaker, State of Osun House of Assembly, Hon. Najeem Salam, Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Senator representing Osun West Senatorial District, Hon. Mudasiru Hussain, during a prayer session for Governor Aregbesola's Re-election on his visit to the town on Friday 25/07/2014

From right-* Speaker, State of Osun House of
Assembly, Hon. Najeem Salam,
Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Senator
representing Osun West Senatorial District, Hon. Mudasiru Hussain,
during a prayer session for Governor Aregbesola’s Re-election on his
visit to the town on Friday 25/07/2014

From left-* Adimula of Ife-Odan, Oba Adeyemi Emmanuel Morontade, Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Speaker, State of Osun House of Assembly, Hon. Najeem Salam and Senator representing Osun West Senatorial District, Hon. Mudasiru Hussain,during a prayer session for Governor Aregbesola's Re-election on his visit to the town on Friday 25/07/2014

From left-* Adimula of Ife-Odan, Oba Adeyemi Emmanuel Morontade,
Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Speaker, State of Osun
House of Assembly, Hon. Najeem Salam and Senator representing Osun
West Senatorial District, Hon. Mudasiru Hussain,during a prayer
session for Governor Aregbesola’s Re-election on his visit to the town
on Friday 25/07/2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola addressing some traditional rulers gathered at the Adimula of Ife-Odan’s palace , during a prayer session for Governor Aregbesola's Re-election on his visit to the town on Friday 25/07/2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola addressing some
traditional rulers gathered at the Adimula of Ife-Odan’s palace , during a prayer session for Governor Aregbesola’s Re-election on his visit to the town on Friday 25/07/2014

JUMAT SERVICE IFE-ODAN 4A

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola enthusiastically acknowledging cheers from the ecstatic people of Ife-Odan who trooped out en masse to receive him during a Prayer session for his Re-election at Ife-Odan on Friday 25/07/2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola enthusiastically
acknowledging cheers from the ecstatic people of Ife-Odan who trooped
out en masse to receive him during a Prayer session for his Re-election at
Ife-Odan on
Friday 25/07/2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola enthusiastically acknowledging cheers from the ecstatic people of Ife-Odan who trooped out en masse to receive him during a Prayer session for his Re-election at Ife-Odan on Friday 25/07/2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola enthusiastically
acknowledging cheers from the ecstatic people of Ife-Odan who trooped
out en masse to receive him during a Prayer session for his Re-election at
Ife-Odan on
Friday 25/07/2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola enthusiastically acknowledging cheers from the ecstatic people of Ife-Odan who trooped out en masse to receive him during a Prayer session for his Re-election at Ife-Odan on Friday 25/07/2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola enthusiastically
acknowledging cheers from the ecstatic people of Ife-Odan who trooped
out en masse to receive him during a Prayer session for his Re-election at
Ife-Odan on
Friday 25/07/2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola enthusiastically acknowledging cheers from the ecstatic people of Ife-Odan who trooped out en masse to receive him during a Prayer session for his Re-election at Ife-Odan on Friday 25/07/2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola enthusiastically
acknowledging cheers from the ecstatic people of Ife-Odan who trooped
out en masse to receive him during a Prayer session for his Re-election at
Ife-Odan on
Friday 25/07/2014

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