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Category: Politics

The State of Osun House of Assembly has banned the activities of Timber contractors and Fletchers until the new guideline and regulations of forestry operation is provided in the state.

The Speaker, Honourable Najeem Salaam made this known on Tuesday at the stakeholders meeting held by the committee of the whole House in the State House of Assembly complex, Osogbo.
The stakeholders’ meeting comprises of sawmillers, fletchers, timber contractors, forest guides and officials of the forestry in the state.
Salaam observed that the meeting was called to shed more light on the allegations raised against the officers, which according to him, had been affecting the state economy.
He said a lot of fraud cases were reported during the committee meeting held with the Chairman House Committee on Environment and Sanitation.
According to him, “this meeting is necessary to clear some difficult issues in Osun forestry activities and we all need to redeem the forest from collapse for our next generation”.
The speaker who hinted that the state Assembly would make new rules and guidelines for forest activities in the state to save it from collapse said, “There is a need to get to the bottom of the fraud in our various forests in the state”.
He then urged the forest guides to be committed and sit tight in their duties to save Osun Forest against illegal lumbering.
He said, “Osun Assembly will review all forestry activity laws for the betterment of the state and its entire people”.
In their separate remarks, members of the Assembly urged the forest guides to desist from taking bribes from fletchers and timber contractors in order to avoid embarrassment.
They advised the forest guides to change their attitude towards the forest henceforth and appealed to timber contractors and fletcher to peacefully co-exist with the interest of moving the state forward.
In his response, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Environment and Sanitation, Mr. Tunde Ajilore urged the state House of Assembly to amend Osun forestry laws to save the forests in the state.

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Residents of Osun have commended the State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola for his exemplary leadership since he assumed office in November 2010.
This was even as the community leaders of Ile-Ogbo in Ayedire Local Government Area of the state asserted that no opposition party in the state has the leadership quality needed to govern the state as being done by the All Progressives Congress (APC) led government in the state.
The residents of Ile-Ogbo in Ayedire Local Government Area of the state threw their weight behind the administration of Governor Rauf Aregbesola for being committed to the electoral promises he made while contesting the governorship election in 2007 and at his re-election in 2014.
The residents who couldn’t hide their feelings made the statement at the ancient town while receiving the Governor and his entourage.
Aregbesola had earlier observed the Jumat prayers at the town’s Central Mosque before he proceeded to pay homage to the Olu of Ile-Ogbo at his palace.
The residents of the town trooped out en masse to welcome the Governor who led the chieftains of the APC and other top political functionaries to the ancient town for Jumat service.
The entire mosque premises were already agog before Aregbesola’s arrival.
Residents of the town were seen mounting several elevated places to register their support, love and endorsement to Governor Aregbesola.
Speaking on behalf of the traditional ruler of the ancient town, Oba Abeeb Adetoyese Agbaje, and the entire residents of the town, the Bashorun of Ile-Ogbo, Professor Pade Aderibigbe, applauded Governor Rauf
Aregbesola’s resilience in making Osun the cynosure of all eyes through infrastructural development across the nooks and crannies of the state.
Professor Aderibigbe asserted that Governor Aregbesola had laid a solid foundation in all sectors of the economy which would be very difficult for any opposition party to rival.
The Bashorun of Ile-Ogbo asserted that no opposition party in the state has the administrative acumen required to govern the state as majority of them had been tested and found to be political demagogues that cannot bring any good thing to the people of the state.
Professor Aderibigbe commended Governor Aregbesola for being undaunted and unwavering in bringing to the people the much desired dividends of democracy through critical social intervention programmes that have impacted greatly in the lives of the citizens.
According to him, “We have been having Governors in Osun but we have not had a Governor like Aregbesola who is so committed to human development like this.
“Our state has in no measure witnessed massive development in the last few years of this administration to the extent that every town was given each deserved attention and development.
“Aside the fact that we in Ile-Ogbo felt the presence of this government in the areas of education, health, security, among others, it is also known that Aregbesola’s socio-economic intervention cut across the state, particularly the rural areas.
“For us to continue to enjoy this level of good governance, we must champion the cause of continuity.
“We have seen what the previous governments did, but to be sincere, no government has done surprisingly well and excellently like our Governor Ogbeni Aregbesola as his impact is felt tremendously in all aspects of life particularly on school and road infrastructure”.
While advocating for continued support of the present administration in the state, Professor Aderibigbe assured that the residents of the town would not relent at given their ultimate cooperation and support to Aregbesola.
“It is in view of this that we in Ile-Ogbo would continue to show our sincere appreciation to the present government for being kind and good to us as a people.”
Earlier in his remarks at the Central Mosque, Governor Aregbesola implored Muslims to be more committed to the tenets of Islam and commandments of Allah in all they do.
Aregbesola said Islam is peace and that it is a religion of the pious, noting that nothing would be accepted by Allah except righteousness.
He charged Muslim on cleanliness, patience, tolerance and neighbourliness, saying without them, their faith is incomplete.
Responding at the palace, Governor Aregbesola reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to making Osun one of the states in Nigeria with high level infrastructural development.
He tasked the people of the ancient town on the need to continuously support his government by being hard working, productive and efficient in whatever they do, noting that the era of free money that comes from crude oil is gone.
He therefore implored them to embrace agriculture as the sure path to state and national development.
Governor Aregbesola also admonished the people to be wary of the antics of members of the opposition parties, saying “those people have nothing good to offer you”.

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In an attempt to revolutionise the development at the rural areas, the Agency for Community and Social Development Project (CSDP) was set up in some states of the federation. The State of Osun is one of the 27 states in Nigeria that currently participate in the World Bank assisted Community and Social Development Project. The Osun CSDP was set up in 2009 during the administration of Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola.

The administration of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has since inception upped the ante of support for the CSDP, by paying the counterpart fund of the state as and when due, with a view to ensuring development at the rural areas in line with the six-point integral action plan of the administration. Even in the midst of lean resources, records have shown that the government never reneged on payment.
The project which has the backing of the Federal government is established to assist development in the rural areas as it affects infrastructure like provision of transformer to aid the supply of electricity, road rehabilitation to ease movement of people and goods, provision of potable water and the construction of civic centres among others.
The beauty of the project is that projects that would be executed in any community are undertaken by the people who voluntarily and willingly choose among their pressing needs the one they need most. Whatever project the community overwhelmingly chooses would be the one, they will ask the CSDP to fund. They choose from at least three needs.
The idea behind the CSDP is community participation, as such community which desires the project will pay 10 per cent counterpart fund, while the state government through the CSDP pays the remaining 90 per cent for the cost of the project. The revenue from the government is subsequently sourced from the World Bank and is paid in stages within a certain period of time.
According to an official of the community, the various stages to be followed, include a formal application by a community in which officials from the CSDP would subsequently visit the community to assess whether the demand is real and just or a strategy by some few people to dupe the government and the community.
If the agency is satisfied, the community would have to forward them another letter inviting them for the Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) where majority of the residents are expected to be in attendance. At the PRA, election is conducted to choose members of the Community Project Monitoring Committee (CPMC) made up of eight people headed by a Chairman.
It is the apex body, under which there are three other sub-committees – the Procurement, Operation and Maintenance, and the Monitoring and Evaluation.
The CPMC is the body that ensures that the aim of the community is achieved by ensuring that money released is appropriately used for the purpose it is meant. The procurement committee is responsible for the purchase of any material or equipment needed to accomplish the task. The committee responsible for the operation and maintenance of the project is the Operation and Maintenance sub-committee, while the Monitoring and Evaluation committee is to ensure that the project is constantly being monitored and evaluated.
After all these committees might have been put its place, the Field Appraisal takes place where officials of the agency and other professionals from the relevant State ministries visit the community to appraise steps taken.
If satisfied with the steps taken so far, a one-day seminar is conducted where different officials of the agency sensitise and educate community leaders on how best to go about the project. The seminar which takes a whole day is a prelude to the presentation of cheque to the community.
At the seminar, the leaders of the community are warned against the abandonment of the chosen project, as the fund that would be made available would be enough to carry out the project. This is so because the agency would have done its research to ascertain the value of the project before directing the community to embark on it.
Elementary book-keeping and accounts are taught at the seminar which comes in handy to help streamline the spending habit of the community on the project. Women are encouraged to actively participate in the activities of the CSDP while in most cases they are elected treasurers.
Community leaders are encouraged to meet regularly to ensure that decisions are based on consensus and not at the whim and caprices of the chairman. They are however, warned that if they run foul of the regulations of the agency, the law will take its due course.
The total amount to be given is usually divided into three tranches. The first tranche is presented in the community usually by the General Manager, Mrs. Funmi Abokede. The subsequent tranches are released based on the judicious use of the first one and this takes place in their corporate head office at old Governor’s office, Osogbo.
Communities that benefit from such developmental projects are advised to make good use of it, because not every community that applies scale through. The inherent benefit is that such communities that benefit can also enjoy the bounty if the first money is properly utilized.
The local government council area which covers the community is involved because there are certain documents that have to be approved by it.
An account specially opened by the community is also demanded to which the agency’s cheque is paid. The account warehouses the community’s 10 per cent counterpart funding. Cash are not withdrawn anyhow except for purposes specifically meant for.
Commending the Abokede-led agency, the Chairman, Oloruntobi Community Ota-Efun Area, Osogbo, Murtala Agboola, while receiving a cheque of N5 million from the agency for the procurement of transformer last week said the agency has been very active in transforming the rural areas in Osun with the assistance of the state government.
He urged that the tempo should be sustained for more communities across the state to feel the impact of the government.

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The State Government of Osun has called on citizens, groups and corporate organisations doing business in the state to be up and doing in the fulfillment of their civic duty by paying their taxes regularly.
Government made this call after its weekly executive council meeting on Wednesday.
A statement by the Media Adviser to the Governor, Mr. Sola Fasure, said this became imperative after Council was informed that some organisations and business concerns had their premises sealed off for contravening the state’s revenue law.
Council warned that the state will no longer condone any act of economic sabotage by individuals and corporate organisations, which avoid or fail outright to perform their civic obligations to the state.
According to the statement, lack of fulfilment of such obligations might cause untoward repercussions to corporate entities and individuals if government wields the big stick.
The Council noted that in as much as government is doing everything humanly possible to provide conducive atmosphere for doing businesses as well as guaranteeing security of lives and properties, it behooves on citizens and business organisations to also pay their taxes promptly for government to be able to carry out its own obligations properly.
The statement averred: “This is clearly an avoidable situation. Council frowned at this and enjoined all residents and organisations doing business in Osun to be good corporate citizens by fulfilling their obligations to the state to avoid unpleasant consequences.”
In another development, Council approved the commissioning of Ilesa Government High School, which comes up on Tuesday 24th October, 2017.
Ilesa Government High School is one of the 11 state-of-the-art High Schools being built by the government across the state.
The commissioning, according to government, is in continuation of the government policy of expansion of the education space in the state for the turnaround of the sector.
As a follow up to this, the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), also distributed large consignments of instructional aid and sporting equipment to middle schools in the state.
The statement noted that the inclusion of sporting equipment is in tandem with government’s efforts at developing the total man (and woman) through learning and physical exercise.
In a similar development, Council congratulates and commends an indigene of the state, Islamiyat Yusuf, who represented Nigeria at the just concluded African Youth Games in Uganda where she participated in the event of weightlifting.
She won three gold medals for Nigeria. She had earlier represented Osun at the Nigerian Youth Games in Ilorin where she won three gold, two silver and two bronze medals.

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In continuation of its support to entrepreneurs across the country, the Bank of Industry (BoI) said it has disbursed loans in excess of N3.5 billion to support Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the State of Osun.

 

 
 
Managing Director of BoI, Mr. Olukayode Pitan confirmed the figure at a Business Summit held in Osogbo, the state of Osun capital
 
He added that the move was in tandem with the bank’s integral plan to develop small and medium enterprises in the state.
 
Pitan explained that the focus of the organisation was to make the accessment of loans easier for small scale business owners.
 
The BoI boss identified high interest rate as a bane of SMEs in Nigeria. He assured the small scale business owners that the bank would work assiduously to give them soft loans at affordable interstate rates.
 
“We are doing everything possible to reduce the adverse effects of high interest rates on small and medium enterprises loans by partnering with some micro-finance banks who could give loans at an affordable rates to our business men and women,” he said.
 
“I want to assure everyone that BoI is open for serious business,” he said.
 
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Commerce, Investment and Cooperative, Ismael Alagbada, has reiterated the commitment of the Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola administration to make the advancement of SMEs a priority.
 
“SMEs remain the cornerstone of industrial revolution any where in the world. That is why we make the development of the sector a great priority in our six-point integral plans,” he said.
 
“Without small scale industries, there can’t be big industries. It is small and medium enterprises that metamorphosed to big ones, “Alagbada added.
 
The Chairman of Nigeria Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME), Osun  axis,  Femi Ayedun, called on governmet to ensure prompt approval of land titles and Certificates of Occupancy which are key to banks and finance houses and for accessing bank loans.
 
Ayedun called on government to make bank loan process less cumbersome to make accessment easier for the people.

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Aregbesola

The State Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has lauded the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) for its collaboration with government at making healthcare services accessible to all especially the rural dwellers of the state.

 
Aregbesola made this commendation at three days medical care outreach organised by the National Youth Development Center in Ode-Omu, Osun State where scores of the residents of the community were present to be attended to; by the medical team of the Scheme.
 
In the address of Aregbesola, he said, “The State Government is appreciative of this awesome contribution of NYSC in assisting the government to achieve her goal of giving her people quality health care, and for taking this healthcare to the grassroot level.
 
The inaugural edition was held at igbajo and its environs, the second also took pace in Sekona last year while the third programme was held in Erin Osun on July 2017.
 
The governor who was represented by the Commissioner for Empowerment and Youth Engagement, Mrs. Adetoun Adegboyega also stated that, “health is wealth. Quality healthcare delivery has always been one of the priorities of my administration. A healthy people are indeed productive people. If we are to achieve the goal of providing health for all, it is imperative that every community should at least have access to a health facility.
 
He noted that burden would have been too much for any tiers of government to bear alone if health is not on the concurrent list of the Federal, State and Local Government in the country.
 
He therefore urged Nigerians, group and organizations to arise and lend a helping hand to the citizenry.
 
Aregbesola also lamented that, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to meet all the needs of the people. But with the help of organization like NYSC, the needs of the people is being met directly or indirectly.
 
In his commendation address, he lauded the corps medical personnel for their participation and other activities at their places of primary assignment through which they have supported the State in improving the social health status of the people.
 
Addressing journalists, the NYSC State Coordinator, Mr. Emmanuel Attah, explained that, the programme is an Health Initiative for Rural Dwellers and is a way of NYSC imparting positively in the communities where the corp members are serving.
 
He said, “the Director General of NYSC, Brigadier-General Sule Kazaure is so passionate about these programme because he is concern about the welfare of both his corp members and their host community.
 
“This is a medical program that is free for all rural dwellers and the U-report that was flag off today is to get the feed back of the good people of the counrty about health situation in their areas; anybody can be part of it by texting ‘JOIN to 24453’, he added.

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Najeem-Salaam

State of Osun House of Assembly has passed the State of Osun Universal Basic Education bill, 2017.
The bill, which is one of the bills of which debates were suspended penultimate week, was passed at the plenary on Monday after the SUBEB team had convinced the parliament on the need for its passage.
 

 
According to the speaker, Honourable Najeem Salam, “The State of Osun Universal Basic Education law will accelerate the works of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) in the state”.
“The bill will give the board opportunity to operate in line with the laid down rules and regulation as well as advancement of the education system in the state.
He added that, “this is the best thing we can give to the state to ensure smooth running of education.
Salaam then urged the operators of the law, when eventually assented to by the governor to work within its ambit of ensure that the bill place the state’s primary education in its rightful position.
Meanwhile, the parliament has mandated the nominees to the state Judicial Service Commission to appear for screening from 16th October 2017 at the State Assembly Complex Osogbo.
Also, the House of Assembly ordered the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure to submit details of quantity design of major ongoing road projects across the state by Friday.
The projects include, MKO International Airport, Olaiya/Ita Olokan road, Oba Adesoji Aderemi East byepass road, Gbongan-Akoda road and Old Garage-Kwara state boundary amongst others.

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Aregbesola (1)

As the Guest Columnist of THISDAY Newspaperon Monday, September 18, 2017, Ms. Patience Oniha, Director General, Debt Management Office, wrote a well-articulated submission, titled “The Case for Nigerian Sukuk”. There is no doubt that her well thought and presentable piece was a delight, especially to the investing public.
 

 
As the title indicated, the piece x-rayed the recent public-financing tools, SUKUK, which was offered to the investing public between September 14, 2017 to September 18, 2017.Incidentally, the Guest Columnist, Ms. Patience Oniha is the Director-General of DMO that anchored the Islamic Bond.
As stated earlier, the offer for Nigeria’s debut sovereign SUKUK in the sum of N100 billion opened on September 14, 2017. This followed a roadshow, which took the (DMO), Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the transaction parties to Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja, Kano and Kaduna to engage with prospective investors on the issuance. The article was as a result of the need to throw more light on the issuanceof SUKUK. Madam DG explained the principle, rules, regulations and operating modalities of SUKUK. She explained further the benefits derivable from the issuance of SUKUK with specific mention of the fact that the SUKUK will be used to raise funds to finance infrastructure whichcontributes directly to achieving the objectiveof the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (2017-2020).This is to build a globally competitive economy and one of the plans for achieving this is by investing in infrastructure which the SUKUK tends to provide. According to her, the proceeds from the issuance of the N100 billion SUKUK will be used to construct and rehabilitate 25 roads in Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. These roads have been selected by the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing because of their strategic economic importance. The deployment of the SUKUK proceeds to these projects would improve road infrastructure, which because of the multiplier effect of good infrastructure, will translate to many benefits all over the country.
As explicitly stated in the article, good roads are important for Nigeria’s Economic Development and Growth; they actually connect different parts of the country; facilitate and foster trade relationship among different regions with each factoring its comparative advantages on natural and human resources; provide access to markets for farms produces onward to cities and townsand link villages, farmlands and remote areas to essential social services such as primary and secondary education rural dwellers; and primary and comprehensive health services. The goodness and greatness of Sukuk is that it is tied to projects and enquired about the specific roads towards which the N100 billion Sukuk would be applied. The level of disclosure and transparency for Sukuk financing which requires the issuer to present full details of how funds will be utilised gives investors information that will guide their investment decision whilst also giving them the ability to monitor the utilisation of the Sukuk proceeds after investing, to confirm that funds have been applied as proposed.
Other benefits of SUKUK was highlighted by the guest columnist, they include, deepening Nigeria’s financial market by increasing the variety of instruments available for issuers and investors; and benchmark for the pricing of future Sukuks that may be issued by other tiers of governments, corporate institutions and multilaterals. It should be noted that of the N100 billion, Sovereign Sukuk include the rental income, which will be paid to investors in the bond every six months at a rate of 16.47% per annum. It is a safe low-risk investment, as it is a direct obligation of the FGN, which is fully responsible for the payment of the rental income and the repayment of the principal at maturity. It is also backed by the full faith and credit of the federal government. On a final note, the CBN has conferred a liquid asset status, meaning that the low risk of the Sukuk and the liquid asset status make it relatively easy for investors to use the Sukuk holdings as collateral. This is to encourage the investment culture and mobilise savings; the rental income on the Sukuk is tax-exempt and will be listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and the FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange to provide an avenue for investors that may wish to sell part or all of their investment in the SUKUK before maturity.
Sadly enough, Madam D.G. and other writers have failed to acknowledge the pioneering efforts and achievements of the Osun government in deepening the financial market in Nigeria through Sukuk. Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola led Government of the State of Osun pioneered issuance of SUKUK in the country in 2013, four years long before the Federal Government of Nigeria explored the opportunity as a public financing alternative. The DG DMO and other enlightened commentators made no reference to his pioneering efforts of Aregbesola. Having laid the foundation, teething problems surfaced with issuance of SUKUK and verifiable solutions were proffered by Ogbeni Aregbesola, his government, advisers and transaction parties. It is a notorious fact that several pioneering programmes of the State have been Internationally recognized and emulated by the Federal Government and others States; these programmes include but not limited to School feedings, Tablet of Knowledge (Opon Imo), Free provision of School Uniforms, Agba Osun, OYES, at least one or more is replicated in KEBBI, KADUNA, ONDO States and by the Federal Government of Nigeria. Various pioneering programmes and models of Aregbesola have no doubt raised the bar and become point of reference of good governance in Nigeria. Again, garland for Ogbeni for deepening the Nigerian Financial Market through issuance of Sukuk. He was called all sort of unprintable names but his doggedness, visionary leadership and uncommon managerial (to some controversial) style saw the Osun Sukuk through against all odds.
It would be recalled that on 10th October 2013, the State of Osun issued N11.4 billion ($70.6 million) seven year SUKUK under the Osun State N60 Billion Debt Issuance Programme to fund the development of 20 High Schools, 2 Middle Schools and 2 Elementary Schools in the State. The SUKUK was issued at a rate of 14.75% per annum at N 1,000 per unit and matures on 08 October, 2020. Although two other African countries (The Gambia and Sudan) are known to have issued small amounts of SUKUK in their domestic markets; the State of Osun SUKUK is widely viewed as the first SUKUK to be issued by the government of a major African economy. The SUKUK is structured as a SUKUKAL-IJARA, a commonly used structure by sovereign issuers, which is based on a lease arrangement supported by rental payments generated from the underlying SUKUK assets. Using this structure, Osun State incorporated a special purpose vehicle, Osun Sukuk Company Plc (the SPV), to which it transferred the land for construction of the schools. Official rating for investors was done for the SUKUK and it was rated ‘A’ by Agusto& Co, a local credit rating Agency, and listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. It is understood to have been taken up by local banks, fund managers, insurance companies and high-net-worth individuals will eventually pay SUKUK holders a fixed return of 14.75%. Though the Pension Funds Administrators (PFA’S) were disallowed from investing in the SUKUK as the National Pension Commission (NPC) then maintained that existing regulations on the investment of pension assets did not explicitly provide for pension fund investment in Islamic financial instruments; it would have been massively subscribed by them. For right and appropriate financial and management decision, and as required by the Securities Exchange Commission, the transaction was signed off on by Dr. Mohamed El-Gari, Prof MonzerKahf and Prof. M.L Bashar as Shariah Adviser.
State of Osun SUKUK Bond did not happen without its challenges; sources close to the offering revealed some of the challenges that were encountered in structuring and successfully marketing the SUKUK. Some of the challenges noted were the lack of a solid regulatory framework in Nigeria, institutional investors’ limited understanding of certain structuring aspects of a SUKUK when compared to conventional bonds, and a general lack of awareness of Islamic finance as an alternative source of public funding.
The subscription rate was very high andthe product was well received. The SUKUK Bond was oversubscribed by N1.4bn ($8.7m), which appears to indicate a measure of appetite for that asset class in Nigeria as well as a measure of confidence by market participants in the structures that are already in place in Nigeria to support Islamic finance. We should be reminded that Osun Sukuk Company Plc; the SPC, carried out the investment transaction. Osun Sukuk Company Plc is a wholly owned Special Purpose Company of the Osun State Government incorporated with an authorised share capital of N1, 000,000.00 (One Million Naira) with 99 per cent of the shares held by the Osun State Government and One per cent held in trust by the Attorney General of Osun State on behalf of the State, owing to the fact that a Nigerian Company must have at least 2 Shareholders. It is worthy to mention that the Osun Sukuk Company Plc. issued SUKUK certificates to the investors and the SUKUK investors’ payment for the certificates represents the cost of construction of the schools. In accordance with Islamic law principles, each certificate represents an undivided beneficial ownership interest in the SUKUK assets, that is the School.
The SUKUK assets are however, held in trust for the SUKUK investors by the Issuer, the Osun Sukuk Company Plc. Also, the land upon which the schools will be built was transferred by the State of Osun Government to the Special Purpose Company and a Certificate was issued under an Agency Agreement; appointed the State of Osun Government as its agent to inter aliaengage a construction company to construct the schools, obtain all government approvals, manage the operational and financial aspects of the construction for a prescribed fee and transferred the agreed cost of construction to the State of Osun Government. The SPC leases the schools to the State Government against rental payments which will be remitted to the Issuer to make distributions to the SUKUK investors; thus earning income for the investors during the construction of the schools. However, a Purchase Undertaking was executed by the State of Osun Government in favour of the Issuer to give assurances that at the end of the lease or maturity of the SUKUK or upon the occurrence of an event of default or early termination of the lease under the Ijara Agreement, the State of Osun Government will purchase the SUKUK assets; with the purchase price being used by the Issuer to redeem the SUKUK certificates at maturity.
It is no doubt that the success of the Government of Osun actually attracted the Federal Government of Nigeria as such Ogbeni’s achievements could not but be noticed and commended. That kudos and recognition should be given to Ogbeni Aregbesola cannot be a thought  wrongly conceived. True and resourceful leaders need to be celebrated while they are live.
Having tolled the same line with confronted challenges which were well addressed, there is a lot more that the Federal Government can learn from Ogbeni Aregbesola on the workability of SUKUK; challenges will sure arise from the N100 billions SUKUK Bond but same can be resolved same way Ogbeni and his team handled the N1.4bn ($8.7m) oversubscribed SUKUK in the State of Osun and for once Ogbeni will receive the accolades.

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Osun Calisthenics programme, the initiative of the Governor Rauf Aregbesola-led administration has fully gained ground and attracted attention from many observers, even critics of the administration, particularly now that it has been institutionalised in schools across the state. This report by GBENGA ADENIYI traces the background and its benefits so far.  

 
 

The history of Callisthenics could be traced to the era of Chief Bola Ige, as governor of the old Oyo State. When it was introduced in the Second Republic, it was a toast of all and was well applauded all over the country. It was later discontinued as a result of military incursion into government.
Callisthenics, a physical gymnastic training exercise, which combines the use of signals with the parade of colours, designs and patterns with body movement, gestures, music rhymes and gesticulations to create impressions and pass messages. The body exercises that are displayed include bending, jumping, hopping, twisting, wriggling, turning, swinging and spinning. The long history of calisthenics and gymnastics among others, and the full importance of physical training in the development of healthy and wholesome human personality may likely not be fully appreciated, documented and understood until one turns to history, culture and traditions of ancient Greece. With its various city states specialising in one form of gymnastics or the other, the central doctrine embraced by all was that the human body was regarded as a temple that provided a sacred abode for the human mind and soul. Among the Greeks of old, the belief was held in high esteem that gymnastics and callisthenics were necessary to keep this temple healthy and functional.
However, after a very long period of time – government of Osun recalibrated Callisthenics in 2012 when experts were brought to Osun, by the Governor Rauf Aregbesola-led administration to instill the exercise in the pupils of public schools in the state. It started with the assistance of two Cubans, Francis Rodriguez and Raiza Guerra, who trained the first set that performed during the 21st anniversary of the creation of Osun. They also trained the trainers who have since taken over from the Cuban and now engaging the students in the feat.
The first public artistic display of the trained 8,000 pupils on Tuesday, August 28, 2012 at Osogbo City Stadium as part of the 21 years celebration of Osun was nothing, but indeed a model brought in by the administration to inspire a new generation of leaders with team spirit, collaboration, concentration and commitment. It was a memorable day, as the atmosphere was impressive; the highly elated crowd did not only feel it, they saw practical demonstration and marvelous delivery of coded messages and signs.
The second major display of the public school pupils was in June 3, 2013 when the Osun government hosted the Oodua World Children Day where the pupils again displayed at the same Osogbo City Stadium. At the Callisthenic stand, which is directly opposite the main pavilion of the main bowl of the stadium, the students that comprised the inscription display team were already on with various displays. Their displays include the following: The National Flag, the State Flag and colours, E Kaabo, State of Osun, the State of Osun Welcomes You, The State of Osun Welcomes Oodua’s Children, Ipinle Omoluabi and We Are the World. Other displayed writings and inscriptions include We Are Marching On, Rauf: A New Era, We: Pride of Osun, Eko Dara Pupo, Omo L’aso L’aye and Osun: Going Places. These beautiful writings and inscriptions, boldly presented in the form of callisthenics display were enough attractions which held the audience spell-bound and perpetually glued to their seats pending the commencement of the programme of events. They were simply “extra-ordinary, displaying dexterity, creativity and ingenuity. The display brought out an uncommon degree of social coordination which was inculcated into the students through six months of rigorous trainings conducted by Cuban experts and Osun trainers”.
When the programme started in 2012, those dazed by the uncommon phenomenon, rushed to town, criticised the feat and alleged that the government was training the youths as armed militias with the aim of using them to secede from Nigeria. Though ridiculous, the wave at which the allegations travelled, coupled with the political differences between the state government and the then federal government made many to wonder how children holding flags and making artistic display could be used to secede from Nigeria
It was not too long for people, especially those hearing “Callisthenics” for the first time to know and believe that it was a philosophy of education introduced to inculcate the values of unity, harmony, discipline, teamwork, hard work and creativity into the school children. It can be seen from callisthenics display that the whole is the sum of the parts. You must do your part for the team to succeed and your own success is only meaningful with the success of others. If one athlete should be out of sync with the team, the formation fails.
Callisthenics, is known to have the substance of unity, harmony, balance and team work and thus presents one of the best engagements for teaching young pupils the cooperative spirit in a simple, delightful and interesting way. In other words, virtues such as team work, esprit de corps, which are highly desirable in every society and social interactions are also derived from and fostered by callisthenics. This is in addition to its health benefits for the body such as flexibility, physical strength, agility and the capacity for endurance.
The governor had sometimes in 2016 during one of the Callisthenic display at the celebration of the Osun at 25, said that “the Osun School Callisthenics is not a frivolous brainwave that will be swept away by the tide of time. Rather, it is a well-conceived programme as part of the overall redesign and reorganisation of the education system in Osun. Our administration views physical education with all seriousness, and we regard formal education as incomplete without its physical development component. Accordingly, we give it the required priority in the restructuring of education.
“As we have emphasised, the callisthenics programme is not only an out-of-school sports activity but a lifestyle-changing project for building a new generation of students who are physically fit, mentally sound and socially well-adjusted. And we are not alone in this view. We have history to draw upon, and this is also supported by practices in other lands and climes. Even the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) regards physical education programmes as part of its crucial brief”.
The 2016 display involved 4,000 pupils between the ages of 9 and 14, drawn from 17 Middle Schools in Osogbo and Olorunda Local Governments.
However, the new dimension of institutionalisation of callisthenics and its adoption as an integral part of the curriculum in all the schools across the state cannot be over emphasised. This has been capped with callisthenic competition among students of secondary schools across the nine federal constituencies in the state.
Speaking at the flag off of the competition, the Director of Social and Grassroots Mobilisation and Guidance, Office of the Governor, Mr. Adebayo Ojo commended the students for excellent performance, saying with their display, it shows that the values of unity, harmony, discipline, teamwork, hard work and creativity had been inculcated into the school children.
Ojo also lauded Governor Rauf Aregbesola for adopting callisthenics as a co-curriculum activity for students in more schools across the state, saying callisthenics game has enhanced organisational capacity and understanding among the youth.
The competition was held simultaneously in all the nine federal constituencies and rounded off in Osogbo City Stadium, with winners from each Federal Constituency presented cash gifts. A cheque of N1 million was presented to the Winners in each of the three Senatorial Districts, and N750,000 to the first runner up while the second runner up got N500,000.  Ede/Ejigbo Egbedore Federal constituency came first in Osun West, Ikire and Iwo federal constituencies came second and third respectively. In Osun Central, Irepodun zone came first, while Ila and Ikirun zone came second and third respectively. In Osun East, Ilesa came first, Ijebu–Ijesa came second while Ife came third.
The competition was organised by the local coaches who are trained secondary school teachers. It was held on volunteering basis with the parents providing the sport kits for their children, unlike in the past when the government was responsible for all the expenses, including the provision of kits for the participating students. The responses received from parents in terms of provision of kits for their kids clearly showed that the programme is well appreciated by the generality of the people of the state.
Some of the participating students described the programme as enticing and dedicating, saying, in the course of their participation, they have learnt that concentration and commitment to duty must be imbibe in the course of their academic pursuit and their future endeavour.
One of the student from Ede Federal Constituency, Islamiyah Adebayo said, “what I have learnt from this is that without concentration and commitment it will be difficult to achieve meaningful thing, either in your academics or anything you engage in outside academic.
“I thank the government of Osun for exposing me and my co-students to a feat like this because for me, it is not about the physical exercise, it is about the concentration and focus that is required. If is about physical exercise, as a young school girl, I do more than enough everyday”.
Another student from Ilobu zone, Badiru Idris, said, “participating in callisthenics was fun and interesting, appealing to the government to also expose some of the interested to coaching of callisthenics, which, according to him, might also be a means of self-dependent for them in future.
A parent, whose child was part of the exercise, Mrs. Juliana Adegbenro said, she was impressed by the show of concentration, commitment and dedication of the students during their callisthenic display, urging the government to ensure the sustainability of the programme.

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In continuation of its support to entrepreneurs across the country, the Bank of Industry (BoI) said it has disbursed loans in excess of N3.5 billion to support Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the State of Osun.

 
Managing Director of BoI, Mr. Olukayode Pitan confirmed the figure at a Business Summit held in Osogbo, the state of Osun capital
 
He added that the move was in tandem with the bank’s integral plan to develop small and medium enterprises in the state.
 
Pitan explained that the focus of the organisation was to make the accessment of loans easier for small scale business owners.
 
The BoI boss identified high interest rate as a bane of SMEs in Nigeria. He assured the small scale business owners that the bank would work assiduously to give them soft loans at affordable interstate rates.
 
“We are doing everything possible to reduce the adverse effects of high interest rates on small and medium enterprises loans by partnering with some micro-finance banks who could give loans at an affordable rates to our business men and women,” he said.
 
“I want to assure everyone that BoI is open for serious business,” he said.
 
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Commerce, Investment and Cooperative, Ismael Alagbada, has reiterated the commitment of the Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola administration to make the advancement of SMEs a priority.
 
“SMEs remain the cornerstone of industrial revolution any where in the world. That is why we make the development of the sector a great priority in our six-point integral plans,” he said.
 
“Without small scale industries, there can’t be big industries. It is small and medium enterprises that metamorphosed to big ones, “Alagbada added.
 
The Chairman of Nigeria Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME), Osun  axis,  Femi Ayedun, called on governmet to ensure prompt approval of land titles and Certificates of Occupancy which are key to banks and finance houses and for accessing bank loans.
 
Ayedun called on government to make bank loan process less cumbersome to make accessment easier for the people.
 

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