The state of Osun House of Assembly has reiterated its commitment to enacting laws that would enhance the welfare of the people.
 

 
Speaker of the Assembly, Dr. Najeem Salaam made the remarks on Tuesday while presiding over the plenary of the house at the Assembly complex, Osogbo, as the parliament gave further consideration to the State of Osun Asset Management Agency Establishment Bill 2018.
The bill was considered at the committee of the whole where the lawmakers proceeded with further scrutiny of the document.
Areas of the bill meant for the attention of the legislators were thoroughly debated, as contributions were made towards effecting necessary corrections in clauses 31-42 of the bill.
The amendments made as agreed were included to form part of the original bill, just as the clerk at table was directed to prepare a clean copy of the document for third reading and passage.
Also, the report of joint House Committees on Health and Judiciary on the State Health Insurance Scheme bill 2018 was read on the floor.
Therefore, this elicited comments by the lawmakers in which they lauded the two committees for a job well done, just as the speaker stressed the need to compare the report alongside the original copy of the bill.
Similarly, the State of Osun Parks and Gardens Agency bill 2018 was also read for the first time at the plenary on the strength of the motion moved and seconded.
The speaker had earlier in a remark stressed the need to fast track the business of legislation, noting that the House would soon proceed on recess.

Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s administration has for the umpteenth time been commended for his unprecedented track record in youth employment and empowerment in the annals of the State of Osun.
 

 
The commendation came from the State Coordinator, Osun Youth Employment and Social Support Operation (YESSO), Mr. Olufemi Ifaturoti while delivering his remarks at the orientation of 1278 beneficiaries of the Public Work-Fare (PWF) component of Osun YESSO held recently in Osogbo, the state capital.
Mr. Ifaturoti who was represented by the Communication Officer, State Operation Coordinating Unit, Osun YESSO, Mr. Oluwamayowa Fagbohungbe maintained that, YESSO is an offshoot of the highly successful Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES) Initiative of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s administration which he said had received several accolades, laurels and awards.
The State Coordinator, who equally enjoined the beneficiaries to count themselves lucky to have been part of the laudable programme, admonished them to make the best use of the golden opportunity.
The Commissioner for Empowerment and Youth Engagement, Mrs. Mofolake Adegboyega equally harped on the need for the beneficiaries to allow the globally lauded programme to be a success by giving it 100% commitment.
Mrs. Adegboyega who was represented by Mrs. Omobola Odediji maintained that to whom much is given much is expected, adding that they should endeavour to constantly give the programme their best with a view to coming out very strong at the end of it.
In his address at the event, the Head, Project Implementation Unit (PIU)- PWF, Osun YESSO, Mr. Olugbenga Odulaja congratulated the beneficiaries for being part of the programme, enjoining them not to leave any stone unturned at ensuring that the objective of the support operation is constantly upheld by embracing diligence, responsibility and commitment which are pivotal to the success of the initiative.
Each of the beneficiaries who will be earning the sum of Seven Thousand Five Hundred Naira (N7,500) at the end of every month will be deployed to identified sub-projects across their communities which include cutting of grass verges on roads and footpaths in the communities, proper waste disposal and filling of potholes. They will equally enjoy skill acquisition training once a week for them to be self reliant at the end of the programme.
The objective of the public workfare program is to provide immediate labor-intensive work opportunities for unskilled youths from poor households.

State of Osun has taken refuge in technology to nip potential farmers/herders clash that has claimed millions of lives in some parts of the country in the bud.
Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Oluremi Omowaye, who spoke in an interview with The Nationin Lagos, said the government has put in place an inquiry call centre and invested heavily in unmanned aerial vehicles that would gather data and relay same to the centre which would be analysed for action.
 

 
According to Omowaye, the response of the Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s government to the menace of herder/farmers incessant clashes was to think out of the box for a technological solution that would allow seamless flow of information about the movement of livestocks and their owners across the state.
He said: “We needed to set up an inquiry call centre and we needed a short code so that it will be easy for people to reach us.  We approached the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) which granted us the code after detailed presentation by our team.
“This technology will be deployed this week using unmanned aerial vehicles that would interface with the call centre. We want a scenario whereby all livestock in Osun would have a unique individual identity so that when a livestock strays into your farm, all you need to do is text the first three digits to the short code issued by the NCC and once you do that you will get a response from the call centre to check the owner.

“From the call centre too, the owner would be called. Aside that, we are also going to use it for other services such as ambulance services because in the call centre, you have the security operatives too so, we thank the NCC for quick response.
‘’I know the NCC is trying to establish a call centre at in Osun so we have an agreement that when they come up with their own, we will.’’
On supportive infrastructure on which the technology would ride, he said the state is one of the leading states in the federation in terms of the providing infrastructure.
He said:  “Osun is one of the leading infrastructure states in Nigeria. Governor Aregbesola has opened up a lot of roads, health and educational infrastructure. The government is even working in the area of electricity since it is the major challenge IT has. We are working on boosting power generation in the state but one thing that is unfortunate is that companies do not pay tax.
“There is no government that can function well without paying tax. What is coming from Abuja cannot pay salaries so we enjoin the companies to cooperate with the state government and pay tax. I am sure with the level of investment in infrastructure so far, Osun is the place to be for investors, both local and foreign.
“We are deploying IT solutions to ease tax collection but no matter the solution you deploy, computer is garbage; garbage out, if they do not cooperate, it won’t work. But we have deployed a lot of solutions that will enhance tax collection. There is always this allegation of multiple taxation by state governments too. We have also deployed solution that would end the regime of multiple taxation in the state.”
On the monthly internally generated revenue (IGR) of the state, he said it is less than N1billion while the wage bill for both employees of the state and local governments is above N5billion, stressing that a lot needed to be done in the area of increasing the state’s IGR so that the monthly wait for Abuja would become a thing of the past.
On the state of the art infrastructure put in place in the state, he said: “What Governor Aregbesola has done Osun is a world-class design, world class standard. The government encourages that the two ducts were built so that not only fibre optics would fly. The government is also thinking of building an industrial park so that the infrastructure would not be scattered all over the state. We are working on the industrial park. We are also talking to some Chinese investors for the industrial park and in the park, there will be a segment for IICT park,” Omowaye said.

United States of America-based non-governmental organisation (NGO), DuniaFore Foundation, has screened the popular Afrocentric movie, Black Panther, to children of traditionalists in Osogbo, Osun State capital.
 

 
 
The screening was part of the grand finale of the NGO’s annual month-long programme, tagged: Asalaye Academy, an initiative that enriches traditionalist children with academics while emphasising Pan-African awareness and pride in African culture.
The NGO’s founder, Dr Nzinga Olabisi Metzger, who is an African-America anthropologist with Sierra Leonean origin, told reporters her passion for the emancipation of the African traditional religion made her to set up the annual academy, which holds in classrooms provided by the Araba Awo of Osogbo, Chief Ifayemi Elebuibon.
The Asalaye Academy project, according to Dr Metzger, seeks to give a sense of belonging to children of traditional worshippers, who are condemned to the curriculum of Western education, which centres only on Islam and Christianity.
The academy, in the past four weeks, has trained 125 children, aged seven to 17 in Osogbo.

It has been feeding them, providing instructional materials and tutoring them in courses geared towards re-awakening the consciousness of traditionalist values in the religion.
It has also been motivating the children to pursue their futuristic dreams without minding the social stigma on them.
Dr Metzger said: “There is a kind of societal colouration to being a traditionalist. We have discovered that the normal school curriculum in Nigeria does not create a space for the traditional religion to be learnt as we have in the two religions brought by missionaries to Nigeria.
“We are also trying to establish the Pan-Africanism in the values of the traditional religion on them in a bid to change the idea of backwardness and illiteracy associated with the traditional religion and its worshipers. The curriculum also opens the children’s minds to the history of their continent, fusing it with the current trends in the global space.
“So far, some of the students have the full knowledge of the African continent, the countries, cultures and tradition. They have also been taught how to become self-reliant pan-Africanists.
“What has excited me more in all of these is the ability of those participants who have been able to learn more and become better traditionalists and contributors to their society.”

Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has called on the Federal Government and stakeholders in Nigeria to decentralize the Nigeria Police Force in order to enhance growth and productivity in the country.
 

 
Governor Aregbesola made the call in Osogbo at the weekend when he met with the leaders and members of the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) in the South West zone who visited him at Government House.
He noted that the present Police system in Nigeria would never create room for civilization which would enhance growth and productivity in Nigeria.
He stated that in all Federations such as we have in Nigeria, there is none that has centralized police system that Nigeria currently practiced.
“The Nigerian Police as it is already currently overburdened with task of keeping the Federal laws. Therefore any other assignment from the States is just a further burden.
“Let us be sincere with ourselves, there is no way a single man can sit somewhere and effectively control 36 police commands in a way that will bring about effective policing in all the commands.
“Why must each Commissioner of Police in the states take order from the Inspector General when we have the zonal police, which at present is just there as retirement forum. What is the work of the zonal Police now? Nothing.
“For effective policing, you must restructure the Police. The way to go is for the state to have its police.
“There is the question of where will the state get the money to fund the police. It is a good question but that cannot be a reason not to have an effective policing system in the country. The judiciary is a federated system. My high court here in Osun is a federated unit of the Nigerian judiciary system. It draws its funding from the Federation account and in that account, judiciary money is a first line charge. If the state judiciary can be funded from the federation account, state police can also be so funded.
“Nigeria has a federation account and the state police fund should be first line charge too on that account as the state judiciary commissions are funded.”
The governor pointed out that restructuring the Nigerian Police will bring civilization which, he said, was only possible where peace and security existed.