Mr Oladepo Amuda, the Special Adviser to Gov. Rauf Aregbesola on Works, on Monday said the Osun government would spend N30.5 billion on road construction projects in the state. Amuda spoke in Osogbo during the 2014 budget defence before the House of Assembly Committee on Finance and Appropriation.
“The budgeted sum will be used in the construction of 93 kilometres of roads in all the local government areas of the state,’’ he said. The special adviser explained further that three kilometres of road would be constructed in each of the 30 LGAs in the state.
Amuda said the 93 kilometres of road projects would be in addition to the ongoing 10-kilometre road projects in the LGAs. He said further that six billion Naira had been provided in the 2014 budget to commence the project.
Amuda however said the Ministry of Works might come up with a supplementary budget later in the year to finance the project. He also said about 900 kilometres of road projects were being executed presently across the state. The Special Adviser commended the state governor for his commitment to infrastructure development.
“This commitment has resulted in the economic development of the state,’’ he said.
PUNCH

Pursuant to the State of Osun Debt Management Office (Establishment) Law 2012, the Debt Management Office, hitherto operating as a department under the Ministry of Finance has been reconstituted. This is contained in a release signed by the Ag. Director General, State of Osun Debt Management Office, Mr. Tunde Adejumo.
The reconstitution according to the statement became imperative so as to fortify the office and give it the required statutory backing and autonomy. The release further stipulates that according to section 27 of the law, the powers of any Ministry or extra-ministerial Department over any debt involving the state shall, by virtue of the law and without further assurances, be vested in the office as from the commencement of the law (June 28, 2012).
The statement also stated that, the Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has approved the immediate implementation of the law and has consequently approved the appointment of a Director General for the office. The release further stated that, it has become mandatory for all Ministries, Agencies and Departments of the State Government of Osun to refer all issues relating to borrowing in consonance with the law to: State of Osun Debt Management Office, Finance Building State Secretariat Complex, Gbongan Road, Abere
 

Government of the State of Osun has announced the names of successful applicants for allocation of lands at Mokore, Ago Owu, Iwo, Pataara and Esa-Oke farm settlements.

 A statement from the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor in the Office of Economic Development and Parnerships, Hon. Oluremi Ajibewa directed all successful applicants to verify their names at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Securirty, Abere, Osogbo from Monday February 10, 2014.

 The statement further admonished applicants to also listen to Osun Radio for the list of successful candidates.

 All successful applicants are to commence collection of allocation papers at the O’ REAP Coordination office (OEDP) from Wednesday, February 12, 2014.

OSUNNEWS

The Executive Council of the State of Osun at its fourth meeting in 2014 has ratified two bills for onward transmission to the State House of Assembly for consideration and passage to laws.
In a statement signed by the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Sunday Akere, the bills are those asking for the amendment of the Cooperative Societies Law Cap 31 Laws of Osun State and the one on Provision for Registration of Hotels and Restaurants.2013 in the state.
The Cooperative Societies Laws, when amended and passed into law would have twelve parts and would ensure the promotion of membership entrepreneurial capacities to generate adequate surplus for their membership.
It would facilitate the smooth administration of cooperative societies in the state, ensure the appointment of a Registrar, Asset Registration and provide for   duties and privileges of registered societies.
Similarly, the proposed Bill for provision for the registration of Hotels and Restaurants 2013 when passed into law would guarantee the state citizens rights of access to hotels and restaurant operation.
The bill would also provide for regulatory framework for the institutions and other social services, as well as set standard norms for service provision and tariffs.
However, the two bills will become laws only after their passage and ratification by the State Assembly and final assent by the Governor.
OSUNNEWS

Deputy Governor of the State of Osun, Mrs. Grace Titilayo Laoye-Tomori, has restated the commitment of the state government to fully digitalize Osun State Broadcasting Corporation (OSBC) in no distant future.
Mrs. Laoye-Tomori gave this assurance in her address at the Motivation and Award Party organized for board members,management and staff of OSBC family held within the premises of Ile Awiye,Oke-Baale, Osogbo.
Reading from her speech titled; MOTIVATION, A KEY INGREDIENT FOR EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE, the state Deputy Governor described members of staff as greatest asset of any organization that is willing to succeed in her service delivery adding it is incumbent on organizations to place high priority on welfare of their members of staff with a view to bringing out the best from them.
Appreciating OSBC family for being a worthy partner to the state government through wide coverage, the corporation has accorded activities and programmes of the state government since its assuming office three years ago. The state Deputy Governor commended OSBC for all her educative and informative programmes as well as balanced news reporting.
Speaking on performance of members of staff of the corporation together with comparing the corporation with sister corporations across the country, Mrs. Laoye-Tomori rated OSBC 89% in terms of performance and urged members of staff to be dedicated to duty and join hands with the board and management of the corporation to become one of the best in the country.
She then enjoined staff of the corporation to be result oriented, make punctuality, neatness, hardwork and dedication to duty their watchwords in the New Year saying viewers of OSBC should find the station worthy of appreciation.
In his address, OSBC Board Chairman, Mr. Kola Akanji, appreciated the state government for equipping the station with latest working tools, appointment of new members of staff together with training and re-training of staff which have transformed into making television and radio stations of the corporation the toast of all.
He said the entire OSBC family will leave  no stone unturned in the quest to continue to educate, entertain and inform her listeners and viewers adding that dedication of members of staff is guaranteed.
In his keynote address, Director General of the corporation, Prince Soji Fadehan, thanked the state government for her unprecedented support to the corporation as well as the untiring effort of Chairman and Members of OSBC Board to make the corporation sit among the best in the country.
Prince Fadehan thereafter tasked members of staff to double their efforts and give their best to duty saying the proposed digitalization of OSBC is a challenge to them all and could lead to success if all hands are on deck.
OSUNNEWS

The government of the State of Osun wishes to state that it is aware of reports of the situation at the Baptist High School Iwo, in Iwo Local Government Area of the State, by a section of the press.
Preliminary investigations reveal that 92 out of the 2,500 student population in that school were involved in a protest over the wearing of hijab.
In view of the development, government has therefore invited parents of the 92 students involved in the protest for a meeting at 4 p.m. on Friday in Osogbo with a view to finding a lasting solution to the issues.
The government also wishes to state that a panel of inquiry is to be constituted in the immediate to investigate remote and immediate causes of the perennial disturbance at the Baptist High School, Iwo.
The panel is to comprise representatives of the relevant organisations such as the All Nigerian Conference of Principals of Schools (ANCOPS), Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Parents Teachers Association and community leaders with the officials of the Ministry of Education.
It must be stated that the government recognises protest as a legitimate avenue for registering grievances in a democracy which must be peaceful and decent. However, it will not condone acts of indiscipline in any form from any quarters.
We restate our commitment to the total reform of the education sector just as we are determined to bring reforms to other aspects of our people’s lives in Osun.
Osun a Dara
PREMIUMTIMES

Photos from the Inauguration of New RTEAN Executives and Endorsement of the Governor for second term in Office.

 

Over the years, many Nigerian youths have had to enlist in Internet fraud as a means to eke out a living in the midst of the burgeoning unemployment market.
But had such youths deployed their rich knowledge in ICT into meaningful endeavours, the economy of the country would have been enhanced.
This could have been the reason why the State of Osun government under Rauf Aregbesola decided to go into partnership with RLG, an information communication technology (ICT) company owned by a Ghanaian entrepreneur.
Under the joint venture, the state government said it would train twenty thousand (20,000) youths of the state in computer and GSM repairs and assembling.
Out of the proposed number, 5,000 have already been trained by RLG some of whom travelled to Ghana for higher training. The graduates are already back in the state and have been deployed to various ICT centres in the state, including the RLG-Adulawo Technology City located along Ilesha-Akure Expressway, Ilesha.
The $50 million investment was formally launched and commissioned by Rauf Aregbesola last Thursday. The collaboration is directly under the Oyestech initiative of the state government.
Why the partnership
Roland Agambire, chairman, RLG and Agams Group, said: “RLG has an ambitious dream; a dream to lead Africa out of poverty. ICT is going to be the driver of revenue and of creation of decent jobs in the state of Osun”, he said.
“Our dream is to make so many phones available. It will be cheap and it is for the Nigerian people. So, people do not need to steal other people’s phones. I do not believe there’s poverty in Africa, what we have are challenges, and we shall overcome the challenges. RLG will remain loyal and committed to the partnership. It is not only the state of Osun that will benefit; what we have started in Osun will have a multiplier effect that will positively impact on the lives of other people across the country.”
Osun and ICT
Governor Rauf Aregbesola said the computer tablet innovation, Opon Imo, distributed to senior secondary school pupils in public schools in the state was part of the fulfilled dreams of the state government on ICT.  According to him, “We have also established the OYESTECH as an institution for vocational training in ICT, in partnership with RLG. Through OYESTECH, we aim to train 20,000 youths in four batches. It has successfully trained 5,000 youths out of which 100 went to Ghana for further training. We are preparing to send another batch of 50 to Ghana.”
The governor further said: “More than 100 graduates of OYESTECH have been absorbed into this factory; 50 are working at the Opon Imo factory in Osogbo while more than 400 have found jobs with Chams Plc in Osun. About 2,200 have been empowered to be self employed and are earning decent income.
“The culmination of our ICT endeavours so far is the RLG Adulawo Technology City. The factory will be producing mobile phones, tablets, television sets and computer systems, both desktops and laptops. When in full production capacity, it will directly employ 800 people while over 15,000 indirect jobs would be created round the state through the enterprise scheme from sales and repair points. It will impact the state’s economy through taxes, rates and levies, add to the state’s GDP, create real wealth and bring development to the community where it operates.”
Worthy of emulation
The journey that led to the commissioning of the technology city started about three years ago, according to the governor. It is believed that if other state governments can emulate Osun, the unfortunate unemployment level in the country will be scaled down.
“When they came to me in 2011 to discuss the project, I told them it must be a win-win thing for the state. I am happy to tell you today that our contribution to the $50 million investment is the training of our youths.  RLG is training 20,000 of our youths. The other investment outside the manpower training is the procurement of the land on which the facility is built and the plant (the generator). No cash contribution was made”, the governor said.
It is good to hear that some other states are talking with Osun to adapt the initiative. “Opon Imo has won numerous awards in Nigeria and abroad and for which we have received expression of interest from other states, corporate bodies and individuals”, Aregbesola said.
The testimony
Ade Adefioye, chairman, Oyestech, said the dream of the state government was to take Osun to the status of Lagos State ICT-wise. According to him, the dream is being realised with the ICT initiatives already running.
“We have the people, we have the culture. We are the most literate per 1000 in Nigeria. We have youths here (Osun) and they are blessed with sound intellect”, Adefioye said.
The technology city, according to Adefioye promises to be one of the most productive assets in the State of Osun, creating employment and revolutionising the industry through assemblage of electronic communication devices.
Abdulrazak Oshodipe, supervisor, mobile phone assembly line of the technology city said over 1000 handsets could be rolled out in a day. According to him, those who had undergone the training by RLG are capable of handling any repair on mobile phones.
Temitope Mustapha, an HND Marketing graduate and one of the beneficiaries who currently work with the facility, said she was among those who went for training in Ghana.
“I can repair and assemble any GSM phone. It is lovely because we’ve not had such an initiative before. Before receiving the training, I had joined the Oyestech; it was from there that I got the opportunity of receiving the training,” Temitope said.
BUSINESSDAY

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed March 12 to March 19 for the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) for Osun and Ekiti governorship elections.
INEC Director (Voter Registration) Emmanuel Akem made the disclosure at a Stakeholders’ Forum on the “Status of Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) toward the 2015 general elections’’, on Thursday in Abuja.
According to him, this will enable the commission to accommodate all complaints that may arise from voter registration before the governorship elections.
He said that the commission would use Registration Area Officers (RAOs) for the registration at ward levels.
Akem added that INEC was looking at the possibility of using mobile platforms to carry out the registration.
He said that the CVR would correct some of the anomalies detected in the 2010 voter register, stressing that the CVR was not for those that could not register in 2010.
“We want to use the opportunity of the CVR to correct some of the mistakes in terms of biometrics in the previous registration.
“The choice of the registration centres at the ward has to do with increasing the participation in the process,’’ he said.
He, however, noted that those who could not register at the ward could come to the INEC Local Government offices to register.
The director also said that the commission would comply with the Electoral Act that places N100,000 fine on any person involved in multiple registrations.
Earlier, Dr Hussaini Abdu, Country Director, ActionAid International, Nigeria, said that the credibility of the voter registration was a major determinant of a credible election.
Abdu  said that the civil society organisation had been clamouring for credible voter register since 1998.
He noted that the country had not voted with a permanent voter card since 1999, adding that the development informed civil society organisations to engage in the proposed Electoral Act.
The country director emphasised that the INEC was approaching the continuous voter registration in a seasonal manner.
“You do not need a particular date to secure an international passport. You just walk into the office of the Immigration service and apply for one as long as you meet the requirement.
“That is the same way voter registration should be done. So, the continuous voter registration, as the name implies, should be continuous in its actual meaning,’’ Abdu said.
He suggested that INEC should have offices at both local and state levels where people could go to vote.
Abdu said that the civil society organisations were concerned about how to have systematic approach to the continuous voter registration.
The event was organised by the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) and four other international agencies.
 BUSINESSDAY

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola sensitizing his ward members on the importance of his All Progressive Congress (APC) Membership Registration in Ward 8, Ilesa East Local Government, State of Osun on Friday 07-02-2014

From left, Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC) Osun Chapter,
Elder Adelowo Adebiyi; Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola;
his Wife, Sherifat; Mr Kabiru Aregbesola and others, during their
Registration as Members of APC in Ward 8, Ilesa East Local Government,
State of Osun on Friday 07-02-2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (sitting) registering
as a member, All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ward 8, Ilesa East
Local Government, State of Osun. With him are, his Wife, Sherifat
(right); Mr Kabiru Aregbesola (2nd right); Chairman, Osun Registration
Committee, Mr Yunus Akintunde (3rd right) and others. on Friday
07-02-2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola sensitizing his ward
members on the importance of All Progressives Congress (APC)
Membership Registration in Ward 8, Ilesa East Local Government, State
of Osun on Friday 07-02-2014