I have, for weeks now, followed with keen interest what some people have chosen to call the merger of Christian and Muslim schools in Osun State. I had sought to understand the gist of the controversy but the matter got more intriguing by the day.
However, I was to discover, to my consternation, when I probed into the matter that the controversy is a needless exercise. What has been going on is sheer muck-raking borne out of mischief or a deliberate misinterpretation of the issue at stake. That is why an issue as straightforward as reclassification (not merger) of schools in Osun State has been made to assume a pugnacious dimension.
The Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has, in all of this, been accused of scheming to islamize Osun State. That accusation was a major spark that ignited my interest in the matter. I wanted to know how and why the governor would want to do that. I was interested in that because I had encountered the governor at close quarters where he had cause to explain the tag of Islamic fundamentalism usually placed on him. From his handling of the issue, the impression I get is that the man has nothing but pity for those who misread his intentions in this matter. He accuses them of intolerance.
That is why they cannot see beyond their noses and recognize that he has not allowed his religious faith to intrude into his official engagements. The governor would readily tell you that there are more Christians than Muslims in his cabinet. How then does this suggest that he is seeking to make Osun an Islamic State?
It is wild assumptions such as this that have been brought to bear on an issue that borders squarely and roundly on one of the action plans of the Aregbesola administration. On assumption of office in 2010, the administration outlined for itself a six-point action plan one of which was to provide the state with functional education. The plan became necessary in view of the rot that has taken over education in the state over the years.
The administration has since rolled up its sleeves in its pursuit of this objective. This has given rise to the reclassification of the schools in the state into Elementary, Middle and High Schools. The reclassification was one of the recommendations of the O’schools (meaning Osun schools) Committee set up to deal with the perceived issue of neglect and decay which schools in the state suffered over the years. Under the arrangement, the state is now building state of the art schools. The idea is to censure that the state meets the standards set out by the United Nations Educational and Scientific Organization (UNESCO) and by so doing consolidate the gains of  education in Nigeria.
However, the measure, as laudable as it is, had consequences for the old order. It has led to a situation where some existing schools have become empty. Under that circumstance, some schools within the same locality have had to merge in order to have the requisite enrollment figure.
Naturally, a situation such as this could cause disquiet in some circles especially since people are usually resistant to change. But one salutary thing about it all is that the government, from the information obtained from the Ministry of Education, never forced anybody into any school. The choice has remained that of parents and guardians of the schoolchildren. Going by the tone and direction of the controversy, you would think that there are schools in the state that are owned by Christians or Muslims.
But the fact of the matter is that all the public schools in the state are owned and run by the government. This is has been so since 1975 when the then Western State took over all schools in the South West. What this means is that mission schools exist only in name, not in fact. It is therefore difficult to understand how the issue was made to assume a religious connotation when it actually has none. For the rational analyst, it is easy to see why the wind had to blow in the direction of religion. We live in a land where politics is brought into everything we do.
For a state like Osun which will go into elections very soon, every issue can be made to take on a political colouration. For the opposition, politicizing the reclassification of schools could be a potent tool to discredit the administration in the state. To achieve this, situations have to be interpreted out of context or even falsified in order to score a cheap political point. This is what the Aregbesola administration has had to contend with recently.
But the issue must be divested of its hysterical undertone if we must arrive at the truth. And the truth here is that Osun is confronted with a man of conviction who pursues whatever cause he believes in single-mindedly. Having undertaken, in the best interest of the state, to give education a new lease of life in Osun State, Governor Aregbesola has been taking uncommon steps to realize his lofty dreams for the state.
I recall what transpired on the day Opoimo, the tablet of knowledge, was launched in the state. The innovation embedded in the computer tablet was real. It has, since then, effectively rendered books redundant in the school system in the state. This is because it contains over 50 books which cover the 17 subjects taught in schools in the state. With it, Osun will no longer have a situation where pupils will be deficient in certain subjects on account of their inability to buy the books prescribed for them. The tablet therefore makes education in the state cheap and affordable.
But it certainly will not make sense to just throw the opon -imo at the pupils without providing a proper learning and teaching environment. The reclassification of schools is aimed at streamlining the curricula of the school system and also eliminate multiplicity of schools in the state.
Beyond that, the new order in the state is bound to arrest out of school syndrome. The Elementary segment of the three categories of schools in the state ensures that pupils are provided for by the government. The pupils are given free meals and this has encouraged many who were out of school before to return.
Unlike the razzamatazz that obtains in some states in the name of free education or educational reform, there is something unique about the Osun example. The Opon Imo revolution and the reclassification of schools in the state are landmarks that cannot be wished away. They constitute a formidable challenge to those who seek to take over the affairs of the state from Aregbesola. The man came with these ideas for all times. It can be safely said that he has delivered on his promises. When he leaves, history will recognize him as someone who came and made appreciable impact on his environment. To seek to unseat such a man is therefore a tall order.
If our system permits meritocracy, those who seek Aregbesola’s job should be put on the spot. The people should be interested in knowing what they have in stock for the state. They need superior argument to do this. If they fail, then they would have given the man in the saddle a free ticket for his return trip. This should be the challenge the opposition should confront. Raking up muck over issues that are already settled will lead to nowhere.
BIO REPORTS

It is yet another giant stride and a great honour bestowed on Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the Governor of the state of Osun by the world summit award (WSA)
The World Summit Award (WSA) is a global initiative for selecting and promoting the world’s best electronic media and applications. Comprising of eminent national experts from more than 100 UN member-states,
WSA nominated 461 national nominees to compete against each other to win the World Summit Award 2013 out of which 5 outstanding nominees of various WSA categories emerged from Nigeria namely with Opon Imo in the e-Learning & Science Category.
The Award Ceremony and Gala Dinner which will hold at Mount Lavinia Beach on the 26th of October will be the highlight of the WSA Global Congress wherethe 40 WSA and 18 WSYA winners will be celebrated for their excellence in a unique ceremony and winners from all over the world will receive their awards, handed to them by high-level international dignitariess.
Based on his achievement and style in facilitating a revolution in education and the agriculture sub-sector of the economy, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has been picked to be one of the guest speakers at this international event.
Constantly improving on the educational facilities needed by the students of the State, the idea and exceptional execution of Opon Imo (e-tablet) has earned the State this outstanding recognition.  Amidst recent distractions and citicisims, the fact remains that Ogbeni has made us proud yet again and we celebrate him.
Congratulations to the Governor for this award and  honour brought to the state of Osun through this creative project that cuts across every strata of his governance. We truly believe that there are more to come considering other ongoing projects in the State at the moment.
Long live Ogbeni , Long Live the state of Osun and Nigeria.

The Government of Osun on Thursday said it  had launched a sensitisation campaign to encourage payment of  tax by residents.
Mr Femi Balogun, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Internal Revenue Service, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN)  in Osogbo.
“Government sees the need to be proactive about the issue of tax so that our people can get to know what they stand to benefit from paying tax. It is also comfortable for us to go to the streets to educate our people on why they have to be part of positive change and contribute to the efforts of government. Apart from being a source of revenue for government, it is also a way of  ensuring  involvement in governance  and developments,” he said.
Balogun also said the sensitisation campaign was necessary  to  discourage tax evasion especially among business men and women.
He said revenue officers had been trained and equipped on how to approach traders on matters relating to tax, adding that it was imperative for people to see tax payment as their responsibility to the state.
“We have carried out a street sensitisation programme at the popular Oke-fia market and this campaign will be taken to other major markets in the capital and other towns. Our people are responsible, what we are doing now is to let them see reason why they have to be part of development. Tax payment is not punitive but a way of having a say in government,’’ he said.
(NAN)

The government of the state of Osun has again been commended for its commitment to the employment of youths, thereby reducing the rate of unemployment in the state and Nigeria at large.
A representative of a US-Nigeria non-profitable organisation specialising in the training of youths to be self-employed and employers of labour, Generation Enterprise, Mr. Bunmi Otegbade, gave the commendation at a programme held at the Exco lounge of the state secretariat, Abere.
The programme, which featured the pitching of sixty O-YES cadets who have been trained in different businesses, has as its main targets individuals and youths without University education.
Otegbade said youths, who were admitted into the O-YES scheme of the state government and have been given exit opportunities, will forever be grateful to the present administration under the leadership of Governor Rauf Aregbesola, saying that the programme is another exit point for the O-YES cadets.
He then urged investors to be confident of investing in the youths as all they need to know have been instilled in them and can be sure of success in their respective businesses.
Director-General, Office of Economic Planning and Partnership in the state, Dr Charles Akinola lauded the efforts of the youths, saying if many join in the race of being self-employed and employers of labour, the unemployment rate in the country will be greatly reduced .
The programme afforded the youths the opportunity of showcasing their wares, the type of businesses they are in to, the amount they have invested into it, the profit made so far within the period of 3 months and amount needed from investors.
THIS DAY

The government of the State of Osun will on Wednesday, October 23, launch an awareness campaign for the organisation of Governor’s Cup U-17 football competition for the discovery and nurturing of young football talents across the state.

The Deputy Governor of Osun, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori, on Wednesday said that the implementation of the schools’ re-classification policy was aimed at overhauling the education sector. Laoye-Tomori gave this assurance in Osogbo when she addressed members of Osun Parents’ Association (OPA) who came on a visit to express solidarity with the government on the policy.
The deputy governor, who doubles as the state’s Commissioner for Education, said that a UNESCO report in 2010 placed Osun as second to the last state in terms of educational development in the country. Laoye-Tomori said that this was why the state government initiated the schools’ re-classification programme so as to improve the education sector of the state. She described the initial difficulties being encountered in the policy implementation as part of teething problems associated with change, adding, however, that the problems were being addressed by the government.
Laoye-Tomori said that as part of the efforts to improve the education sector, the state government had spent over N3 billion on its “O-Meal school feeding programme’’. She said that through the programme, more than 300,000 pupils in public elementary schools were being fed on a daily basis.
The Chairman of OPA, Dr Ademola Ekundayo, said that the schools’ re-classification programme would positively impact on the students’ learning ability in public schools. He said that the parents were at the secretariat to convey their support for the programme which was aimed at revamping the education sector. Ekundayo appealed to the critics of the programme to support the government in efforts to implement the policy.
(NAN)

Photos from the Legal Year Dinner with the President, Customary Court of Appeal, Justice (Mrs) Glorial Adegoke; Chief Judge of the State of Osun, Justice Adebola Adepele; Governor Rauf Aregbesola and his Deputy, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori, marking the Legal Year at the Government House, Osogbo, State of Osun on Tuesday
:

Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, amidst a Jubilant crowd who thronged out in large numbers in appreciation of the good works of the State during the Governor’s inspection visit to some projects in Osogbo, the State of Osun
 
 
 

 

 

 

Governor Rauf Aregbesola has given reason for the merging of schools in the state, saying the policy of reclassification of schools introduced by his administration was not aimed at inflicting pains on the people of the state.
According to a statement issued by Media Aide to the Governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, in Osogbo on Monday, Aregbesola said this in Lagos while addressing members of the Ijesa Society in Lagos State. The governor spoke just as members of the traditional religions in the state berated some Christian and Muslim groups for attacking the new education policy.
The traditional believers led by Mr. Kayode Esuleke, spoke at a press conference just as Parents Association and Parent Teachers Association in the state also rose in defence of the governor. Aregbesola stated enumerated other efforts made by the administration to revamp the sector trying the free distribution of Opon Imo ( iPad like device), free uniform, free meal and others had started yielding positive results in the sector.
The governor said: “On the surface, it looks as if we are deliberately out to inflict pains with the reformation of our school system. Nothing close to that is our intention. Not at all! We saw a hopeless situation of our basic education system. Because of my experience with the comatose educational system in the state that we were about to inherit, even from the days of my campaigns days, long before we assumed office, I made it very clear that we would carry out surgical attack on it during our campaigns.
“Very clear! We mentioned our intention to the whole world that we will address the issue of poor and totally dilapidated educational infrastructure of basic education to aggressively solve the problem. But as usual, people do not give politicians because of their experience much of thoughts before the campaigns. Some of our policies are necessary but painful and may not be well accepted now.
“We are however convinced that surgery is not always pleasing and soothing to those who need it but the joy of recovery and healing afterward more than compensate for the temporary pain of going under the knife.
“Rather than look at what we are doing as the best form to revamp education and ensure that our student have the best for our limited resource and maximisation of our resources for excellence and efficiency which has a whole of our efforts, sentiment and primordial issues were brought into it.”
SPY GHANA

THE controversy embroiling education reform in the State of Osun is needless, if not contrived. It tends to reduce the significance of what Governor Rauf Aregbesola is trying to achieve in restoring the lost glory of education in the state. While it is perfectly in order for citizens or groups to show concern over the activities in the sector, bearing in mind that everyone is a stakeholder, the concern should be expressed with a view to preserving and indeed complementing government’s efforts at revamping education. In any case, the critics of government should not be perceived as throwing the baby away with the bath water. The state of education, throughout the country is pathetic; such that any serious attempt by a government to redress it deserves the support of the people.
In reclassifying the Osun schools system and merging some schools, it is conceivable that the state government may make mistakes or run foul of the preference of some groups; where any of these happens, it is the responsibility of government to listen and clarify or adjust its position. But the duty of the citizens in pointing out the possible mistakes should not be extended to undermining what is clearly a state policy aimed at the good of the majority. What is deductible from the present imbroglio is that some religious leaders in Osun suspect, rightly or wrongly, that the governor has religious motives in formulating or implementing some of his state policies. It would be worthwhile in the circumstance for the citizens to give the governor a chance, as the current bickering cannot help the generality of Osun people. In the same vein, the grouse of the people should not be dismissed by government.
As part of a reform process, the state government had reclassified the school system into Elementary, Middle and High School categories – a novel step by any education authority in the country. The elementary step comprises pupils from age six to nine, corresponding with the current school system’s Primary 1-4. The middle level takes care of primary four to junior secondary school III for ages 10-14, now classified as Grades five to nine. At the High School level will be children between 15 and 17 years, corresponding with senior secondary (SSS III) tagged Grade 10-12.
Instructively, there are no issues with the reclassifications, and the warring Christian community – particularly the Baptist denomination – made that clear in their protest. The sore point has to do with the merger of schools which became expedient in the re-classification targeted at a “speedy recovery” of the sector to “secure the future of the children”.The government is resolute on “going ahead…with developing the new man,” while the Christian community is afraid that the schools would lose their religious identity.  This mill of confusion should not be prolonged further, else it will negate the essence of achieving quality.
It is no use trading arguments on whether or not government informed or carried the other party along.  Those in opposition to government policy should at least appreciate that the schools in issue are already in government custody, and are no longer controlled by the missions. Luckily, the state has not discouraged the existence of private schools which can be nurtured to achieve particular culture. The protesters therefore would have no need to “compromise the legacy of forefathers and the missionaries…to affect our faith”.
However, the State of Osun which proudly claims the ‘Omoluabi essence’ should always be aware of the feelings of its people, and should strive to iron out all contentious issues with all parties. This is notwithstanding its explanation that it organised an education summit of stakeholders in February this year, which produced a communiqué endorsing the reform.    The state must not slip into a battleground between brothers on faith matters. Open protestations of blocking school gates against male students being merged with all-female schools, or female students of one faith being given dress codes of another school of opposite faith may be signals of clashes in future. But this can be prevented.
Interestingly, the protests against merger have been spearheaded by both Christians (in Iwo and Osogbo) as well as Muslims (in Esa-Oke). To ensure that it is on course with the people, government could compare the current reaction to the one it received at the launch of its novel, globally acknowledged Opon Imo – Tablet of Knowledge – that has become a reference material for other states across the country. More importantly, both sides should exercise restraint in the interest of the students, peace and justice. All told, we are fully persuaded that the Osun State government should continue to communicate the essence of this controversial education policy to the people. Education is too important to be trifled with.
THE GUARDIAN