Governor Rauf Aregbesola of the State of Osun has disclosed that his passion with Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in developing people and economies has paid off, with the state’s monthly internally generated revenue now standing at N1.6 billion.
The governor said the deployment of ICT in the state has helped to boost its finances. According to him, as soon as he became governor of the state in 2010, he deployed the use of ICT in all government transactions and within a space of one year, its monthly internally generated revenue jumped by 100 per cent, from N300 million to N600 million, and now to N1.6 billion.
Aregbesola, who spoke at a recent telecoms lecture in Lagos tagged Nigerian Telecoms Development Lecture (NITDEL), organised by the Nigerian Telecoms News Magazine, said since his inception as governor of the state, he was able to use ICT to block all loopholes leading to financial leakages in the state, adding that the state now stands on a strong financial ground to serve the people better.
Aregbesola, who delivered a paper at the telecoms lecture with the topic ‘ICT, A Tool for Societal Development,’ urged the federal and state governments to conscientiously deploy ICT in governance to enable Nigerians enjoy its many benefits.
According to him, “Since I became the governor in November 2010, I have given an important place to ICT in the way we run the business of government. One of the first areas of ICT deployment in the State of Osun under my administration was revenue reform. We immediately moved to discard the old methods of payment system and tax administration which were fraught with leakages and loopholes that were exploited to divert revenues that should accrue to the state’s coffers”.
He added, “The result was instant and stunning; our monthly internally generated revenue (IGR) jumped by 100 per cent from N300 million to N600 million in less than one year. We have since moved to consolidate our public finance reforms by deploying an ICT-driven revenue and taxation management system, called the Osun State Government Electronic Banking System of Revenue Cycle Management (OSSG-EBS-RCM), and today our monthly IGR stands at N1.6 billion.”
The system, he said, allowed for online Direct Bank Lodgement System (DBLS) of the revenue collection process. The DBLS, with its communication, database software, accounting and reconciliation and monitoring components, enables the capturing of all payments information and other banking transactions on-line, he said.
The system also generates reconciled cash-book on all banks’ accounts for the Accountant General’s office; generates summary and specialised reports for tax stations and other agencies as required; and sets up electronic link between tax stations and other agencies with the central information pool incorporating applicable restrictions, the governor added.
THISDAY LIVE

The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NC), Dr. Eugene Juwah has called on the Federal, States and Local Government authorities to adopt the use of available Information and Communications Technology (ICT) tools in public service delivery.
Juwah, who made the call at the recent Nigerian Telecom Development Lecture (NITDEL), organised by the Nigerian Telecoms News Magazine, said the need to adopt ICT in governance was to enable the citizens feel the impact of government in their daily lives in today’s digital age.
According to him, “Governance and the delivery of public services can be performed more efficiently through the use of ICT, which he said, may include mobile/fixed telephony, internet, broadband and wide area networks.”
The ICT, he added, “opens the door to e-commerce, e-education, e-health and e-government, and this is why a number of government agencies at both the federal and state levels are developing ICT facilities to improve service delivery, information sharing and reduce delay.”
“There are many areas that have been positively affected by Nigeria’s ICT, including direct and indirect employment, new business opportunities, learning and skills development opportunities and in human relationships”, he said.
Juwah commended the organisers of NITDEL event, describing it as one ICT event out of many that are evaluating government performances in the adoption and use of ICT.
Speaking on the significance of ICT to national development, Governor Aregbesola of the State of Osun, in a paper titled: ‘ICT, A Tool for Social Development’, said the real significance of ICT to human existence could be summed up in one word – computer.  He said: “In its various forms – whether it is mainframe, desktop, laptop, tablet, palmtop, or handsets, the computer is the veritable centre around which human activities across the world now revolve.”
The governor added:  “Even farmers need the computer for soil testing and analysis, planning, operating certain machineries, tracking farm animals, diagnosing diseases in plants and animals, confirming bank balances, requisitioning farm inputs such as seedlings, fertilisers, agro-chemicals and for weather and harvest forecasting.
The infinite uses and applications to which the computer can be put are commensurate with the fertility of the user’s imagination. Hence, ICT has the potential to open up huge possibilities that can enhance growth and development of human society.”
(culled from THISDAY ONLINE)

The Chairman, RLG Communications, Mr. Roland Agambire, has enjoined Africans, including Nigerians to consider patronage of locally developed ICT products in order to boost Africa’s presence in the digital space.
Agambire, who gave the advice during an interactive session with journalists, said the company’s $10 million (N1.6 billion) RLG phone manufacturing plant, located in the State of Osun would commence initial production next month, while full production would commence in November this year.
“We are putting up one of the biggest assembling plant in Nigeria, precisely in the State of Osun. We have our Nigerian head office in Lagos, but we are building an assembling plant in Osun State, from where we will be able to produce and sell all RLG products in Nigeria,” Agambire said.
He however expressed regrets that Nigerians and Africans as a whole place priority on foreign made ICT products, over indigenous ICT products that were designed and developed in Africa.
“Africa has always been a source of raw materials for other countries that come to Nigeria and take away the raw materials and turn them into finished products. The finished products are later sold to us and Africans buy them. That is the situation with Africans,” he said.
He added:  “We are supposed to be richer than any other country in the world, but we have allowed ourselves to be poor because of our own mindsets. We have made ourselves a cash society, whereby we must save money for everything we want to buy, unlike developed countries that get what they want first, through credit facilities and then pay latter.”
According to him, if Africans would begin to believe in the African brand and begin to patronise them, then we would go places and compete well with the developed countries.
If we do that, we will be creating job opportunities for Nigerians and Africans.
The project has been described by the Osun Government as crucial in the government’s quest to make ICT accessible to all.
Mr Agambire later told newsmen, work on the ultra-modern facility is progressing steadily and that he was impressed with progress so far.
He said when completed, the plant will be one of the biggest in the region, assembling 5,000 phones and 2,000 computers daily.
“We have projected that some 1,000 direct and permanent jobs will be created when the plant shapes up fully”, he told reporters, promising his company’s huge investment towards Research and Development to improve on product quality and service delivery.
While expressing gratitude to the Nigerian and Osun State governments for the support offered so far, Mr Agambire said his company was open to discussion on collaborative strategies aimed at using ICT to advance socio-economic progress of African countries.
The Country Manager of RLG Communications Group in Nigeria, Tosin Ilesanmi said there was the need for the introduction of locally accepted applications to boost the creativity of the teaming creative minds of many young people on the continent.
“We should believe in our own, allow our own to learn from their mistakes, and this will go a long way in changing the mindset of our people. From our mistakes, we will learn more and become better manufacturers in the future,” he added.
(culled from THISDAY NEWSPAPERS & GHANAWEB)

The market, which was an initiative of the traditional ruler of the community, the Alowa of Ilowa, Oba Adebukola Alli, was established in collaboration with Obokun Local Government Area of the state.
Welcoming guests at the official inauguration of the market, Oba  Alli disclosed that he was fascinated by the quest for agricultural and community development of Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s administration.
He said his thirst to end the hardship been experienced by his people, who are predominantly farmers, in transporting their produce to urban areas and his vision for community development inspired him to establish the market in his domain.
He called for participation from government and corporate organisations to develop Ilowa Community which, he said, was blessed with land and several tourist centres, which could serve as source of revenue generation for the government and investors.
Speaking at the event, the Seriki Shasha, Alhaji Maiyasin  eulogised Oba Alli for his bold step towards developing his community and promised that Hausa merchants across the country would soon move their goods to the community for proper take-off of the market.
He, however, promised to contribute to the development of the market, in particular and the State in general.
The Chairman of Obokun Local Government Area of the state, Gbenga Ogunleye, who represented Governor Aregbesola, said the establishment of Ajibogun Market in Ilowa would boost the morale of the farmers and merchants in the rural areas, with the attendant effect of an increased productivity which would bring steady improvement in the standard of living of the people and also contribute to the development of the local, state and federal governments.
He praised Governor Aregbesola for developing infrastructure in the state, which he described as panacea for social and economic development.
NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

The Ijesa, a term also denoting the people of the state of Ilesa, are part of the present Osun State of Nigeria, Osun State was part of old Oyo state. Some of the popular towns of the Ijesa are Ibokun, Erin Ijesa, Ipetu Jesa, Ijebu Jesa, Esa-Oke, Ipole, Ifewara, Ijeda,Iloko, Iwara, Iperindo, Erinmo, Iwaraja, Idominasi, Ilase, Igangan, Imo, Eti-oni,Iboku, Erin-Ijesa and many others.
The Ijesa are very good in commerce and have cut a niche for themselves as the architect of ‘osomalo’ business which is a popular trading method that allows customers to pay for goods installmentally.
Ilesa is home to the famous Fajuke Family and prestigious Ilesa Grammar School, a school founded by Egbe Atunluse Ilesa and alma mater to many Nigerians including a former Chief Justice of the Federation, Alfa Belgore, a former Governor of Lagos State, Alhaji Lateef Jakande, the former Vice Chancellor of University of Lagos, Prof Oye Ibidapo Obe, the former Vice Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University Ile Ife, Prof Omole and the current Vice Chancellor of University of Ibadan, Prof Isaac Adewole.
Ilesa, a major city in the State of Osun is very strategic because it is a major gateway to the north, south and eastern parts of Nigeria. It is located on approximately 70 N 50E. A rain forest zone known for its agricultural potentials. The major crops produced includes cocoa, oil palm, kolanuts, cotton, pumpkins.
People from this part of the state are called Ijeshas and they are known to be very hardworking, industrious and widely travelled. Local governments making up Ijeshaland includes, Ilesa East, Ilesa West,  Obokun, Oriade, Atakunmosa East and Atakunmosa West.  Major towns are Iperindo, Ijebu- Jesa, Osu, Esa Oke, Ikeji Arakeji, Owena Ijesha, Imesi Ile, Ifewara and others  villages numbering over two hundred.  The total population of Ijesaland according to the 2006 Population Census is put at 620,109.
Ilesa is known to have large deposits of gold in commercial quantities and other minerals in considerable proportion.
The traditional ruler of Ilesa is called the Owa Obokun of Ijesaland who is the paramount ruler and head.
Ilesa is home to the International Breweries Limited, Wesley Guild Hospital, the famous Ilesa Grammar School and Osun State College of Technology, Esa Oke.  Tourist attractions in this part of the state are Erin Ijesa Waterfalls, Kiriji War Museum and the annual Iwude Festival.
For more on the Towns of the state of Osun click here

Nigerian fast rising singer, Leo Wonder, was recently honoured with the ambassadorial office of Face Of Entertainment at the 2013 Osun Entertainment Awards.
The music sensation whose singing abilities came to limelight after his collaboration with Tiwa Savage on her love song, Ife Wa Gbona, hails from the state and has represented the state well according to members of the State Executive Council.
The award was presented to Leo Wonder by Oba Sijuade at the event which was attended by members of the State Executive Council and other dignitaries.
On receiving the award, Leo said “I feel so humbled and honoured to receive this kind of recognition from my home state and I’m determined to make it more about service than just bearing the title.
Entertainment in the state of Osun has just embarked on a fresh journey to greater things, I’ll need the support of everyone to be a deserving driver for that journey”.
CHANNELS TV

A CALL has gone to Nigerians to use the opportunity offered by access to the Internet facility to promote positive things that can portray the image of the society instead of engaging in rather negative moves.
This call came from the Osun State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Chief Sunday Akere who deplored gross misuse of Internet connections to present Nigeria and Nigerians in bad light to the outside world.
Addressing a press conference on Monday in Osogbo, Osun state on the hosting of the 44th edition of the National Council on Information by Osun State Government, Akere noted negative media report has affected the nation’s investment drive.
He said media practitioners should use the opportunity at their disposal to promote reports that would attract investors to invest in Nigeria.
About 600 participants from 36 states of the federation including the Federal Capital Territory {FCT} are expected at the event, which would be declared open on Friday by the Governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola with the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku presiding.
Akere, who noted the council is the highest policy organ for formulation of information policies in the country assured participant of adequate security throughout their stay in the state.
He said the meeting with the theme, “Social Media and Public Information Management” is not only germane to life and its existence but relevant to the country’s democracy development.
He therefore charged participant to rise up to its responsibility particularly in the area of provision of broad and specific guidelines for development, management and operation of print, electronic and social media for education, public enlightenment, entertainment, socio-economic, and political development.
THE GUARDIAN

Roland Agambire is a Ghanaian and Chairs RLG Communications, Ghana. The company, with support from the Government of the State of Osun , will commission a $10 million manufacturing plant in Nigeria by next month. He spoke with journalists in Lagos about the potential and challenges of the Nigerian market. Excerpts Below
CAN you tell us about RLG Communications?
RLG Mobile has been in operation, manufacturing mobile phones in the past 12 years, and has just entered into the Nigerian market. In the last 12 years we have improved our products to a quality that now appeals to the people. The products are much stronger and better now, compared to what it used to be in the past. We have learnt from our mistakes and we remain a better product the markets today. RLG has regional operations in Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, China and United Arabs Emirate. Each region or country has regional autonomy and a legal entity.
The focus of RLG today is to become a leader in innovation with a vision of creating a strong African brand. If you ask me if we have an African brand today, my answer will be in the negative because Africans cannot single our something we can attest to.
Our relationship with various countries is to create jobs and promote technology development. It is important to note that one can create jobs if he or she has the product. In creating jobs, we offer the society, valuable skills and gainfully engage the youths in the society.
You planned commissioning an assembling plant for the manufacturing of ICT products in Nigeria, what is the status of that project now?
We are putting up one of the biggest assembling plant in Nigeria, precisely in Osun State and currently, we have spent close to $10 million and we are aware we will still spend more. But that is not to say that it is a very big investment because we believe we can do more than that.
We have our Nigerian head office in Lagos, but we are building an assembling plant in Osun State, from where we will be able to produce and sell all RLG products in the country.
We have a tagline, which is “Proudly Yours’ this means we have brought the brand to Nigeria and it is owned by Nigerians and will be promoted by Nigerians. RLG is about the people of Africa, giving them the confidence that Africans can start very small in business, but can grow very big in the same business. Africa has always been a source of raw materials for other countries, who come to Nigeria and take away the raw materials and turn them into finished products. The finished products are later sold to us and Africans buy them. That is the situation with Africans. We are supposed to be richer than any other country in the world, but we have allowed ourselves to be poor because of our own mindsets.
We have made ourselves a cash society, whereby we must save for everything we want to buy, unlike developed countries that get what they want first through credit facilities and then pay latter. If we begin to believe in the African brand such as RLG products including mobile phones, laptops, among others and patronise them, then we will go places and compete well with the developed countries. If we do that, we will be creating job opportunities for Nigerians.
On the challenge of electricity in the country, yes, we are aware of it but electricity challenge is everywhere in Africa and we cannot run away from it. In Ghana, we have electricity challenge and we have been coping in the last 12 years of production. We will have a way to overcome it in Nigeria, since we are very much aware that steady electricity is key to manufacturing.
What is the job creation potential of the plant when completed?
The assembling plant is designed in such a way that it will create nothing less than 1, 000 jobs at a time in the factory alone. Then the after sales service and product marketing will create over 10, 000 jobs. In the market strategy of the RLG products, we have three lines of business, which are the enterprise business, after sales service, and the turnaround production time. The Enterprise Business is a very detailed plan that allows the youths to trade with RLG and establishes meaningful jobs for themselves, by selling RLG products.
The After-Sales Service has to do with aligning some of the people with various shops that will be dealing with RLG products by detecting defects and making repairs and replacement of faulty parts, and this will create over 500, 000 jobs across the country.  The Turnaround Production staff are factory workers that will be engaged with factory production, and this alone can create over 1, 000 jobs at a time.
From the production capacity, the plant is designed to produce a minimum of 5, 000 phones in a day. But as we progress, and the workers understand the working principles of the machines perfectly, the number can be doubled as time goes on.  The plant is today, the biggest manufacturing plant of RLG and we are citing it in Nigeria, and we are proud of that.
The plant we have in Ghana does not have that capacity as that of Nigeria, and we have made it so because of the huge market in Nigeria, and the warm reception given to us by the government and people of Osun state.
Invariably, the plant is ready. We will start test running in the middle of October this year and by the first week in November this year, we will begin full production.
Nigerian government is very keen about local content. What percentage of local content are incorporated in RLG products?
In terms of local content, everything about our products has 100 percent local content. What most manufacturers do is to outsource some of their production line, but I promised that 100 per cent of the production contents will be sourced from Nigeria.
Also, as part of the local content infusion in all that we would be doing in the assembly plant, we will be seeing a lot of local applications from the phone. We are looking at local contents and our Research and Development Desk is already compiling various forms of available Nigerian software applications that will run on the phones.
We will have apps on local culture, e-commerce, e-education that are tailored to the Nigerian market. We are in the ICT world that create local contents to solve local solutions, and that is exactly what we are doing with the RLG phones.
The Nigerian market is getting saturated with several OEMS competing, how will RLG cope in this environment?
We are passionate at collaborating with other Original Equipment Manufacturers in Nigeria. We strongly believe that it is better to play as a messenger in a $1 billion-investment company than to play as a boss in a zero-balance investment outfit.
It is of no use playing alone in a market that needs collaboration, so we are willing to collaborate in the interest of the countries where we operate. For example, the phone assembling plant in Osun State is not 100 per cent owned by RLG Communications. It is a partnership business between RLG and the Osun State government and we are happy to partner with the state because we believe in healthy collaboration.
On why we have chosen Osun among other states of the federation as the site for our assembly plant, the reason for this is simple: Osun State became the choice state because of the warm reception given us by the Osun State government and the people of Osun State.
THE GUARDIAN

Dr. Wale Bolorunduro graduated with a Bachelors degree in Engineering from the Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife and was awarded the best faculty grade, Miccom Award for the best graduating student, Society of Engineers Award for the best graduating student in the Faculty of Engineering and University Award for the graduating student with the highest Cumulative Grade Point Average for the year 1990.
He started his Accounting career with Arthur Andersen & Co. Lagos (Audit and Chartered Accounting firm) in 1991. He subsequently picked up an appointment with Zenith Bank and rose through rank and file to become Deputy Manager, Strategic Planning & Financial Control from 1994 -1997. He joined Arthur Andersen & Co. Vancouver B.C. Canada in 1997 as a Senior Consultant and moved to BMO Nesbitt Burns (Investment Banking Group) Vancouver, B.C. Canada in 1999 as a Manager (Project Finance). He took up a teaching position as a Teaching/Research Associate at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C, Canada in 2001 and subsequently returned to Zenith Bank Plc as Senior Manager, Energy Division (Oil & Gas) in 2003.
He continued his career at Zenith Bank Plc between 2003 and 2011 in various capacities as Senior Manager, Energy 2003, Assistant General Manager, Deputy General Manager, Group Head, Telecoms & Technologies Businesses (Corporate Banking) 2003 – 2007 and General Manager, Head of the Infrastructure and Power Sector (Corporate Banking) from 2007–2011. Dr. Bolorunduro also obtained with awards, Masters Degree (Business Management) and PhD degree from the University of British Columbia in Canada in 1999 and 2002 respectively.
He later obtained Masters degree in Corporate Governance from Leeds Business School, United Kingdom in 2009. He has attended numerous courses all over the World such as Wharton Business School Executive Course and has been involved in numerous landmark transactions. He pioneered construction financing in Telecom industry between 2003 and 2006, and iconic project finance transactions in upstream Oil and Gas, Telecoms, Power and Infrastructures. He is currently authoring a book on Project Finance.
Dr. Wale Bolorunduro is happily married with children.
For more on the Executives of the Government of Osun, click here.

Pictures from the Nigerian Telecom Development Lecture held at the Muson Center Onikan on Friday, September 20 2013

From right – Chief Exécutive Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Mr Segun
Ogunsanya, Governor Sate of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Chief Biodun Ajiboye, during a development lecture organiséd by Nigerian Telecom, at Muson Center, Onikan, Lagos on Friday 20-09-2013

From right-Director, Public Affairs Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC), Mr Tony Ojobo, Governor Sate of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Chief Exécutive Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Mr Segun Ogunsanya, during a development lecture organiséd by Nigerian Telecom, at Muson Center, Onikan, Lagos on Friday 20-09-2013

From Right – Chief Exécutive Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Mr Segun Ogunsanya, Governor Sate of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Chief Biodun Ajiboye, during a development lecture organiséd by Nigerian Telecom, at Muson Center, Onikan, Lagos on Friday 20-09-2013

From right – Chief Biodun Ajiboye, Governor Sate of Osun Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Chief Exécutive Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Mr Segun Ogunsanya and Country Director of Orlg, Mr Tosin Ilesanmi, during a development lecture organiséd by Nigerian
Telecom, at Muson Center, Onikan, Lagos on Friday 20-09-2013

From right -Chief Exécutive Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Mr Segun
Ogunsanya and Governor Sate of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, during
a development lecture organiséd by Nigerian Telecom, at Muson Center,
Onikan, Lagos on Friday 20-09-2013

From right- Governor Sate of Osun Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and
Chief Biodun Ajiboye, during a development lecture organiséd by
Nigerian Telecom, at Muson Center, Onikan, Lagos on Friday 20-09-2013