Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has disclosed that agriculture is an important component in the blueprint of his administration.
Aregbesola revealed this recently in Kigali, Rwanda in an interactive session with AgroNigeria after his keynote address at the EMRC 2013 Agribusiness forum.
He stated that there is no way economic development can take place if agriculture is not embraced.
According to him “you cannot talk about economic development in the rare sense without agriculture. We realized that most of the scourge plaguing our people is food and agriculture related; that is why we made it a major component of our administration”.
Speaking further, Aregbesola said there is no way poverty can be banished on a large scale outside agriculture, adding that besides the support agriculture gives to guaranteeing food security, it is the only occupation that can engage a large number of people.
While speaking on the importance of agriculture to his administration, the governor noted that three out of the six integral action plan of his administration are agriculture related.
In his word, I must let you know that the three core components of our six integral action plan are banishment of poverty, banishment of hunger and banishment of unemployment. All these are related to agriculture”.
“We have resolved to use Osun as a model through which agriculture can be used to bring about economic growth and sustainable development that would be solidly grounded in food security” He explained.
Aregbesola who bagged an award from EMRC at the Agribusiness Forum also hinted that he is out to make agriculture the platform for transforming the socio-economic growth and development of the society.
AgroNigeria

 
THE publisher of defunct Third Eye newspaper, Chief Akanni Aluko, has commended the urban and infrastructural renewal programme of the Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. The elder statesman gave the commendation yesterday while receiving an award by the International School, University of Ibadan (ISI) for his contributions to the development of education.
Chief Aluko, who urged the governor not to relent or be distracted in his effort to transform the state, however, advised the governor to desist from borrowing money to fund social projects in the state. Chief Aluko, while reflecting on the achievements of Governor Aregbesola ,said the state has witnessed tremendous growth in infrastructural development and urban renewal, a feat, he noted was very rare in recent years for any governor to achieve.He said: “My reason for speaking out is because of what Governor Aregbesola has done within a short time in office.
THE NATION

A former consultant to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, Dr. Amiel Fagbulu, has described the new education policy introduced by Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State as a good step in the right direction.
Fagbulu, in an interview with journalists in Ilesa, urged the governor to forge ahead with the policy of school reclassification, saying it was in the interest of the people of the state.
The ex-inspector of education in the defunct Western Region explained that the policy would enable government to expend its limited resources on fewer schools, which would bring about optimal results in the state’s education system.
He said, “The school reclassification is very good. It did not start today, it started in 1961 when few number of students were attending schools scattered all over.
“It is not right for the Christian Association of Nigeria to prevent boys or girls from being merged in any public school. The schools no longer belong to them since they have been taken over by the government. They cannot claim ownership of those schools any longer.
“The schools were taken over because their managements refused to pay teachers and teachers’ promotion was not based on merit, despite the fact that government was giving them grants to run those schools. They were compensated when government took over the schools.
“On the argument of single sex schools, it is even better for boys and girls to learn together because it promotes healthy rivalry among both sexes.
“Again, the pupils do not live in a single sex community, do they? So, what are we talking about?”
Fagbulu, who served as an adviser to the Asabia Commission, which recommended the schools’ takeover in 1975, advised Christians who were preventing hijab-wearing pupils from being merged with Christian missionary schools to have a rethink, adding that the development could precipitate crisis.
Also, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, has reportedly urged Aregbesola to continue with the implementation of his administration’s policy of reclassification of schools.
According to a statement by the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy Osun State, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, Ooni at, a public assessment forum held in Ile Ife, commended Aregbesola’s commitment to development and asked him to continue with the new education policy.
The Ooni, who was represented by the Obalufe of Iremoland, Chief Folorunsho Omishakin, was quoted in the statement as saying, “Your programme, too, will succeed like that of Obafemi Awolowo. When Awolowo started the reform, people antagonised him. They said the programme would not succeed.”
PUNCH

 ILESA, October 2013 – Taiwo Adedeji launched a startup company 4 months ago. She had no more than N3,000 capital given her by the State of Osun (www.osun.gov.ng ) and Generation Enterprise (www.generationenterprise.org) partnership.
In that short time, she has put that little money to hard work and generated more than 100 times the amount, even gaining a profit up to ten times the capital. In business-speak, her return-on-investment (ROI) in the 16 weeks is a remarkable 960%.
Now, having proven her mettle as an entrepreneur, she will be pitching for equity investment at OYES-GEN Pitch for Investment Day on 21 October 2013. Taiwo’s pitch will be directed at local investors and Generation Enterprise, the business incubator that helped her launch her startup.
Saudat Raheem also launched her startup company 4 months ago. She as well received her N3,000 seed capital. She has generated more than 20 times the amount, and gained a profit more than three times the capital. Her return-on-investment (ROI) in the 16 weeks is 365%. Having proven that she is a worthy entrepreneur able to triple whatever is given to her, she also will be pitching for larger equity investments.
On 21 October 2013, at the OYES-GEN Pitch for Investment Day, a Dragons Den meets The Apprentice pitch event, Taiwo, Saudat and 58 others will pitch for equity investments in their startup companies.
This pitch event, is a major milestone, within an innovative entrepreneurship development programme being piloted by the State Government of Osun in partnership with groundbreaking youth driven NGO, Generation Enterprise. The programme provides a platform for Osun youths to launch startup companies and pitch for investments to scale their companies.
The State of Osun through the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES) partnered with Generation Enterprise, a US-Nigeria NGO to discover high-potential youth entrepreneurs who will launch high-growth businesses to create jobs for themselves and for other youths in the community.
Generation Enterprise business labs, prototype and test business models that start by addressing Bottom of the Pyramid problems but can grow to become made-in-Nigeria franchises employing 10, and then 50, otherwise unemployed local residents.
Ten and fifty employees are the thresholds determined by SMEDAN (the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria) separating micro enterprises from small enterprises, and small enterprises from medium enterprises.
Already, the 60 young people have launched 17 startup companies after testing various business solutions to problems in the Ilesa community. For example, given the poor access to high quality bags at inexpensive prices in Ilesa, Reality Bags has been producing top-quality school bags and fashion bags for the community at affordable prices. Using basic manual sewing machines, the startup company has been able to produce about 350 units per month. Now, Reality Bags is pitching for equity investments that will help it increase production capacity to 3000 units per month to meet demand in Ilesa and surrounding communities.
Goodness Insecticides, another consumer brand has been tackling the malaria problem. Malaria kills nearly 1million Africans each year. The problem is especially severe for pregnant women and children under five. Those who cannot afford treatment or have limited access to healthcare are most vulnerable. Goodness Insecticide has been producing sweet-smelling but effective insecticides to combat mosquitoes and the malaria parasite. The company will also be pitching for equity investments to increase output from 400 units a month to 6000.
Delight Company is fighting the PHCN-induced darkness that continues to loom in Nigeria by providing alternative lighting solutions to students, homes and traders. After acquiring d.light products, solar-powered lanterns that can also charge a variety of phones, Delight has helped students study longer, keep homes free of kerosene soot and increase sales by traders who can also stay open longer into the night. Delight will be pitching for equity investments to acquire larger stock of d.light products.
The State of Osun continues to engage its youth in innovative and large-scale enterprise. A visionary government, Osun through this pilot programme, is helping its youth see problems around them as business opportunities, supporting the launch of those businesses and providing a unique platform for the youth to pitch for and receive funding for their startup companies. As the youth grow their companies, they not only increase income for themselves and their families, but also create jobs for other youths and a resultant income increase for their entire community.
The multiplicative effects of this model are mind-boggling. This pilot programme targeted only 60 youth who are set to create more than 300 jobs. At that rate, with 20,000 youth put through the program, Osun could easily create 100,000 jobs, thereby tackling the unemployment problem as well as creating wealth for residents.
By democratizing access to pragmatic business education, using the Generation Enterprise model and providing a platform for additional investments, Osun could well be on it’s way to banishing unemployment.
About Generation Enterprise:
 
Generation Enterprise (“GEN”) employs an innovative knowledge transfer model to integrate vulnerable and so-called “unemployable” young people into their communities as entrepreneurs, employers, and leaders, jumpstarting local economies in the urban developing world.
Since 2010, Generation Enterprise’s global team has been operating small business incubators in Lagos & Osun, Nigeria and New Delhi, India. The organization aims to co-create and launch differentiated micro-businesses in developing markets. It was launched as a US – Nigeria collaboration by Harvard, Wharton, and Stanford business students, McKinsey consultants, and young Nigerian leaders.
For more information, Please write to: public.relations@osun.gov.ng, bunmi@generationenterprise.org

The Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, on Thursday told Christian leaders that his administration would relentlessly explain the essence of his administration’s reforms policies and programmes on education until all the dissenting voices sea reasons why the rot in education must be halted.
He also said his administration’s policies are not tailored towards suiting any particular group, noting that fairness is at the centre of all the programmes.
Aregbesola, who spoke before the umbrella body of Christians, the Christian Association of Nigeria at the swearing in ceremony of the newly constituted executive of the association in Osogbo, the state capital, urged Christian leaders both within and outside the state not to put religion to negative use.
In his speech, titled: Empowered for Service, Aregbesola, who was represented by his Deputy, Otunba Grace Titilayo Laoye-Tomori, stated that Osun has enjoyed peace since the inception of his administration due to the demonstrated equity among people of all faiths; people-focused programmes that take care of the interest of all regardless of their religious beliefs.
Aregbesola told the Christian leaders, “Let me restate it here again that our government will never be found guilty of privileging any group above another. The state belongs to all of us. The mandate I was given applies to all people, all gender and all faiths. I am fully determined to defend this with all that it pleases the good Lord to give me. Government’s programmes will fail where they are meant mainly for a group, rather than for all the people. We will never compromise on our resolve to make Osun a thriving hub of socio-economic development. This is possible when all groups work harmoniously together.”
Speaking on the on-going reform of education in the state, Governor Aregbesola said the criticism against the reforms were understandable noting major reforms that would halt the rot in the education sector would generate apprehensions.
He said further, “In recent times, there have been vibrant exchanges between us over the reforms we are carrying out in schools. Let me assure you that these reforms are without malicious intentions.
“I am quite aware that revolutionary changes of this nature will surely bring some discomfort. The first generation of educated citizens of this country was produced by Christian missions, mostly. You will agree with me however that the state of our schools when our administration came on board on November 27, 2010 was not what you could be proud of anymore. On this, our purpose and goal (to provide education for the total man in spirit, soul and body) are coterminous.
“We only have differences on the path to take. We can easily maximise our areas of agreement and work closely on our differences in an atmosphere of mutual respect and understanding.
“Let us avoid name calling, confrontation and making false and unfounded accusations that are capable dividing our people, creating tension and heating up the polity.”
Speaking with journalists shortly after the event, the Commissioner for Finance in the state, Dr. Wale Bolorunduro, said Christians have no reasons to be apprehensive over Sukuk, which he said is a normal bond like any other bond around the world.
“The only difference is that the interest rate on Sukuk makes it the most development-friendly financial instrument in any part of the world now.
“Yes, its name sounds Islamic but it is being regulated under the same capital market culture in Nigeria. Above all, the proceeds from Sukuk will finance massive capital projects that people of all faiths will benefit from.”
Aregbesola said he needed the prayers of all Christians just as those of people of other faiths for his administration to come up with more legacy projects that will in no time make Osun the pride of the Black race.

 
I read this piece on the back page of Punch of today 17^th Oct 2013 by Abimbola Adelakun and commend the writer’s informed views on many of the issues.
I however have serious disagreement with the writer on some issues below.
The writer wrote “My preliminary assessment of the re-classification remedy masquerading as a revamp of the education sector is that it is meretricious, and does not demonstrate genuine commitment to resolving the problems of education …. Why do governors go for artificial restructuring while they neglect the real issues of funding, curriculum content development, continuous teacher retraining among others? “
The question is a valid question when asked generally. However in the spirit of responsible intellectual discuss, I would have expected the writer to have made an effort to find out (through any sources) what  Aregbesola’s government may have done/or failed to do on these specific issues raised and then comment agreeing, disagreeing, or advising in relation to them.
Otherwise how do you expect a thinking government to respond without restructuring to optimise resources, between for example a school with 15 teachers and 120  students population and another with 30 teachers and 600 students, both with dilapidated structures which are in such sorry state that even animals will complain being there.
It is widely reported that Aregbesola’s government increased running cost of schools – given to Principals to maintain schools – which he met at between N200 to N600 per month depending on the size of the school (Two hundred to six hundred Naira) to N400 per pupil per term implying a movement from N600 Naira per term to N40,000 (forty thousand) per term for a school with hundred pupils. It has also been reported that more than 2000 teachers have been retrained in collaboration with Osun State University in a continuous process of teacher re-training while substantial work has been done in terms of curriculum and provision of instructional materials including books, learning aids and Opon Imo, the internationally acclaimed Tablet of Knowledge.
Same government has been commended by UNICEF and several international agencies and won awards for providing nutritionally rich free meals to pupils in primary 1-4, provision of free school uniforms to about 750,000 students in public schools, increase in examination and running grants to schools and reduction in school fees in state-owned tertiary institutions.
Going by the National Education Policy there is no secondary school as we used to know it in the 70s and 80s. Now what we have is the 9- years  Universal Basic Education – which enjoys financial support from the Federal Government – and 3 years Senior Secondary School which is entirely state funded. The 9-years is further divided in Lagos and some states which have attempted to implement it properly as 6 years primary, 3 years Junior Secondary and 3 years Senior Secondary. The Junior and Senior Secondary Schools are run as distinct schools with different structures and administrative heads.
Aregbesola’s government’s reclassification has not done anything to affect this 9-years, 3-years structure and it is not the basis of any of the current complaints from CAN or any of the religious organisations.
The current complaints are fall – outs of the infrastructure upgrade and the need to maximise physical, human and financial resources.
Has the writer checked the state of any of such schools before and the replacement structures constructed by Aregbesola’s government which necessitated the restructuring and reclassification before using words like meretricious or madcap to describe such efforts? (Please see attached file,  Salvation Army School before and after.jpg and  http://osun.gov.ng/education/oschools/model-middle-school/ )
Must we in the name of demonstrating writing skill use such a word that if incorrect in usage portrays the user as not only unfair and discouraging of genuine efforts at nation building, but also as indecent?
Osun Baptist Conference has a mixed-sex secondary school in Osogbo founded in year 2000 – Zion Baptist  High School (in the premises of a school formerly called Newton memorial ) but are against mixing boys and girls in government -owned school which name was retained as Baptist school.
Same Baptist changed Baptist Boys High School in Iwo to Baptist High School to put girls there several years ago and it is still a mixed –sex school till today after government take over.  So in Iwo the complaint is different from Osogbo, it is Hijab and not mixing of sexes.
It is because we run a deceptive and lawless society that any group of people can claim ownership of whatever kind, on schools taken over 38 years ago through the instrumentality of the law which they have not challenged in court.
They have for all intent and purposes not contributed to further development of the schools and do not pay teachers or any of the workers in the schools. They have gone ahead to found and run new schools with permissions from government.
In other places where people have respect for rules and laws and respect for the rights of other citizens, they will be prosecuted and fined for disrupting the peace. They will be held in very low esteem by the populace as liars and people working against the interest of the common man. But here religious leaders buy private jets without any other means of income beyond exploitation of the gullible and the society idolises them.
If we must call a spade its name, CAN, Baptist,  Muslims  and any other so called religious organisations claiming ownership on the schools, are being economical with the truth and except society rises up irrespective of our faiths against the indefensible, the self emancipation desired to make positive changes in our lives will continue to be illusory.
Governments in the South West have been bound to free education , not necessarily willingly but because Awo succeeded in making a positive difference in this region with it. We are yet to see any of the so called mission schools – Christian, Muslim or whatever – being free or even affordable to the widow, whose mite is collected everyday to build and run the schools in the name of God, while proceeds are used to pay salaries of missionaries.
I also disagree with the writers comments on Hijab in public Schools. We are a multi-religious and not a secular state as many people tend to proclaim. See section 38, Subsection 1-4 of the Nigeria constitution. Subsection 2 says and I quote :
“No person attending any place of education shall be required to receive religious instruction or take part in or attend any religious ceremony or observance if such instruction ceremony or observance relates to a religion other than his own, or religion not approved by his parent or guardian.”
The implication of this is that no child must be discriminated against by virtue of religious beliefs. If a child has grown up from childhood with the head covered or in any way that is not offensive to society at large, going to school should not impose on the child a contrary way of dressing in the name of uniforms. This writer knows at least a Nigerian girl attending Christian secondary school in the UK without restrictions whatsoever on wearing of Hijab not to talk of those in public schools. No school uniform should restrict one’s rights to practise his/her faith.
It is also condemnable in Yoruba land to discriminate against anyone because of religion. Yoruba have been the most tolerant of nations with everyone free to practise his/her faith under the same roof and within same family without hindrance. Agents of foreign domination should be condemned unequivocally for fanning intolerance amongst our people.
Finally a fair appraisal of Aregbesola’s actions in relation to religion which the writer unthinkingly labelled as ‘‘pandering’’  and ‘’madness without methodology’’ will show clearly that he is simply being fair and just to all, whatever their religious beliefs – upholding the Constitution of the Federal Republic – without denying his own right as a citizen to hold and practise his personal religious tendency.  It is simple enough for discerning people to understand without resulting to demeaning vocabulary.
If Aregbesola is guilty, it will be in his failure to get his information handlers to do the needful, by educating the generality of people about his actions in simple language they can understand, so they do not get deceived by the posturing of those whose stock in trade is exploitation of the gullible masses for personal aggrandisement.

Kola Omotunde-Young is an IT and Human Development practitioner resident in Oke Fia, Osogbo.