All interested and qualified students of the Higher Institution who are indigenes of the State of Osun have been called to participate in the year 2014/2015 Nomination Interview for Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) Scholarship Award tenable in Russia, China, Cuba, Morocco, Turkey, and Mexico among others.
This was contained in a press release signed by the Coordinating Director, Office of Higher Education, Bursary and Scholarship in the Ministry of Education, Mr. Tunde Ajiboye.
According to the release, the selection interview for all interested and qualified candidates in the State of Osun would hold on Thursday, March 27, 2014 at Osogbo High School II, Osogbo, between 9am to 5pm in the evening.
The release equally advised all interested candidates to visit Federal Scholarship Board’s website (www.fsb.gov.ng) for determination of their eligibility, or contact the scholarship unit of the office of Higher Education, Bursary and Scholarship, Block D, Ministry of Education, Government Secretariat, Osogbo for enquiries.
OSUN NEWS

Photos from the governor’s Endorsement for Second Term in Office and Inauguration of State Executives of Nigerian Automobile Technician Association (NATA) at Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo on Thursday 20-03-2014

From right, Deputy Governor State of Osun, Mrs Titi Laoye Tomori; Governor,
Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; National Secretary, Nigeria Automobile Technician
Association (NATA), Comrade David Ajetunmobi; South West President, NATA,
Comrade Dele Odewale and others, during the governor’s Endorsement for
Second Term in Office and Inauguration of State Executives at Nelson
Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo on Thursday 20-03-2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (2nd right); his Deputy, Mrs
Titi Laoye Tomori (2nd left); Chairman, Nigeria Automobile Technician
Association (NATA), Olorunda Local Government Chapter, Comrade Ajileye
Olawale (left) and NATA Chairman, Osogbo Local Government Chapter, Comrade
Oyewole Kamorudeen (right), during the governor’s Endorsement for Second
Term in Office and Inauguration of State Executives at Nelson Mandela
Freedom Park, Osogbo on Thursday 20-03-2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; his Deputy, Mrs Titi Laoye
Tomori with the Executives of Nigeria Automobile Technician Association
(NATA), Osun Chapter, during the governor’s Endorsement for Second Term in
Office and Inauguration of State Executives at Nelson Mandela Freedom Park,
Osogbo on Thursday 20-03-2014

Stakeholders in water management have been challenged to define a sustainable policy that would give Nigerians access to drinkable water.
This was the submission of  various speakers at an event organised by Osun State government  in partnership with Association of Water Drilling Rig Owners and Practitioners (AWDROP) to commemorate this year’s World Water Day in Osogbo, on Friday.
The United Nations general assembly has declared March 22 of every  year as World Water Day which was  set aside for the implementation of United Nation’s recommendation and promotion of concrete activities within members of the states as regard water resources.
Speaking on the theme of this year celebration, ‘Water and energy’, the President, AWDROP, Mr Micheal Ale, said energy generation and transmission required optimal utilisation of water resources.
Ale, who called on the government to give necessary priority to provision of water, noted that water was key to life, energy service as well as economic survival of the nation.
He urged government to focus on rural communities  to give them access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation, noting that the gesture would go a long way in improving standard of living of rural dwellers.
Another speaker on the occasion,  Bola Ogunjinmi, who maintained that water was crucial to all sources of energy, advocated effective management of water resources.
Ogunjimi emphasised the need for government to make water resources available for human consumption and domestic purposes,submitting that water was germane to agricultural production.
Ogunjimi further used the medium to commend the Osun State government for providing drinkable water for the people of the state.
In his remarks, the state Special Adviser to the state governor on Water Resources, Rural Development and Community Affairs, who represented the governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, Mr Kunle Ige said the government had provided over 2000 motorised boreholes for rural communities as part of efforts to enhance their living standard.
He hinted that the present administration in the state was committed to rural development through provision of basic amenities like water, electricity and health facilities among others.
TRIBUNE

The present 36 states that make up federating units of Nigeria are defective as they were not arrived at on the basis of any rational, cultural, linguistic, political or economic parameters.
The states were products of whims, caprices and hegemonic designs of privileged past Heads of State or Presidents, who used their position to the advantage of their people.
This position was contained in the report of the Osun State Committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria made available to newsmen in Osogbo at the weekend.
As a panacea to the defect, the state recommended the adoption of regional or zonal structure, which should be accorded constitutional recognition.
It was also agreed that each region or zone should have its own constitution or be constitutionally empowered to enter into such agreements on administrative, economic and other activities as may be approved by their State House of Assembly.
On the creation of additional states, the state agreed that rather than creating more states, the existing ones should be synergised into regions, which will allow them to tap each other’s resources and strength for faster growth.
“This position, we hold in recognition of our agitation for geo-political zone and devolution of power”.
On the proposed role of traditional rulers in the new proposed constitution for the country, it was agreed that in view of the fact that traditional rulers must be respected as the custodian of custom and culture of the people and because of the historical and cultural values bestowed on the traditional institutions, which must be at all be protected, it was advocated that the call for constitutional role for traditional rulers is unnecessary and uncalled for.
It was argued that this is because the jurisdiction of each traditional ruler is restricted to his local government area, or a part therefore, with respect to their Majesties.
It was further argued that since Nigeria, being a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural country, which precludes it from having a unified traditional system, it is therefore submitted that the Federal Government should not accord or include any role for the traditional institution.
“At best, each State House of Assembly should, in pursuance of its residual power, make such laws as it may deem fit to accord honour and specific responsibility to its traditional institutions.
DAILY INDEPENDENT

Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola will receive the National Infinity magazine’s Man of the Year 2013 award next month.
He will be presented with the award during the Third Babatunde Jose Lecture on Media and The Society.
The presentation will be preceded by a lecture to be delivered by eminent journalism scholar, former Executive Editor of The News and Managing Editor of Premium Times.com, Dr. Dapo Olorunyomi, at the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding in Osogbo, the state capital.
The magazine’s Editor-In-Chief, Olajide Ige, said the editorial board singled out Aregbesola for the honour because of his “radical approach to governance”.
The magazine listed Aregbesola’s ground breaking achievements in youth employment, infrastructural development, education and agriculture as the basis for his choice.
In a notification letter to the governor that he is the Nigerian of the Year 2013, the magazine said it is proud to be “celebrating a man, who took over a state that was moribund and near comatose and turned it into a viable and fast developing state through ground breaking, innovative and progressive policies that have revolutionised the state and set it on the path of progress, economic and infrastructural development, which has gained international attention over the past three years.”
Past winners of the magazine’s Nigerian of the Year are businessman Alhaji Aliko Dangote in 2010 and House of Representatives’ Speaker Aminu Tambuwal in 2011.
The honour comes with a N100,000 prize, which will be donated to the winner’s charity organisation of choice.
THE NATION

The Osun Government on Friday said it would initiate a sensitisation campaign on the importance of acquiring technical and vocational skills.
Mr Abraham Owolabi, the Director of Schools, Osun Board for Technical and Vocational Education, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Osogbo.
According to the director, the state government had made provision for publicity and other instruments to create awareness.
“Publicity about technical and vocational education in the state is not yet adequate, we need to let our people know the relevance of vocational and technical education to development.
“So the government should sensitise the parents and let them know that technical education is not inferior to other forms of education.
“If it is encouraged in the society, parents would not discourage their children from pursuing their gifted areas of learning and skills acquisition,” Owolabi said.
Owolabi also said the entry qualification into the nine technical schools in the state was the Junior Secondary School Certificate.
The technical schools are located in Osogbo, Ife, Iwo, Ara, Inisa, Gbongan, Osu, Ijebu-Jesa and Otan-Ayegbaju.
THE PUNCH

The state of Osun is on the verge of industrialisation with a formal plan of the construction of five modern mechanic villages worth N5 Billion in the state.
Governor Rauf Aregbesola disclosed this Thursday (yesterday) in Osogbo when members of National Automobile and Technician Association of Nigeria, Osogbo and Olorunda chapter gathered to publicly declare their unflinching support for the governor’s second term ambition.
As part of the industrialisation effort of his administration, Governor Aregbesola disclosed that arrangements have been concluded to build 5 ultra modern mechanic villages in various locations across the state.
The planned mechanic villages arrangement is in collaboration with a Neitherlands company, Rebe Group and the National Automobile Council. Eleven of such is actually approved for the entire country out of which five will be established in Osun.
Aregbesola said the five ultra modern mechanic villages which can also be described as auto cities will begin operations this year and will be located in Osogbo, Ile-Ife, Ikirun, Ilesa and Iwo.
The Osun governor added that a mechatronic village will be established at the premises of the Osun State College of Technology, Esa Oke for the training of NATA members on modern ways of automobile repairs.
“The mechatronic village will cost us N1 Billion and will be manned by a team of 30 engineers who are already undergoing training on modern day automobile repair in Germany.
Governor Aregbesola marked out NATA as a strong pillar behind the economic growth of the state and “they always cooperate with government to move the state forward”.
On the open expression of support for his second term ambition, he said his “administration is spiked to continue to strive to move the state forward with the realisation of people like members of the association supporting government.
“Thus endorsement is a huge sign that members of NATA and the state at large appreciates the good governance which the state is presently enjoying”, Aregbesola said.
The occasion was ecstatic as governor Aregbesola spurred members of the association as well huge members of the public who graced the occasion at the Mandela freedom Park, Osogbo. The people chorused and danced to several songs that the governor occasionally introduced as he addressed the people. The occasion was indeed an expression of popularity and general acceptance.
OSUN DEFENDER