Government of Osun has on Thursday described the allegation of the Forum of 2011/2012 Pensioners that the State paid political office holders between November 2010 and November 2014 the sum of N50 million each as severance allowance as‎ preposterous, malicious and false in its entirety.
 
 
Osun Government held that It is absolutely unreasonable for anyone to suggest that a state government will give each political office holder a N50 million severance allowance at a period when every available kobo is being used to pay salaries, pensions, provision of infrastructure and social services.
In a statement signed by the Media Adviser to the Governor, Mr. Sola Fasure, ‎Government noted that severance allowance of political office holders has been set in accordance with the State of Osun Public/Political Office Holders and Revised Remuneration Package Law 2007, section 4 (1) and (2) schedule (B) which recommends 300 per cent of basic salary as severance allowance.
Fasure also noted that the recommendation was also taken on the advice from the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) which recommends 300 per cent of basic salaries.
‎
According to him, the Osun law has a proviso of beneficiaries having successfully completed a full term or on pro rata basis, after a minimum of two year period of tenure.
“With this arrangement, only the governor and his deputy are entitled to N6.6 million and N6.3 million respectively. However, the governor returned his cheque to the treasury, having waved his right to earn salary since he assumed office.
“Two principal officers qualified for N4 million each, 15 political office holders received N3 million each, and while 18 others received N2.8 million each. This was over a year ago.‎
“Governor Aregbesola demonstrated sensitivity to the financial situation in the state when he did not constitute a cabinet for more than two years. When he eventually did, he put all political office holders on half salary. How then could he have paid N50 million to each to political office holders as severance allowance?” The statement said.  ‎
Government advised the Ilesanmi led Forum of 2011/2012 Pensioners to stop its campaign of calumny against government, hiding under the plight of pensioners, making outrageous claim and inciting the people against the government.
“He has constituted himself into an insidious political opposition, riding on the sentiment of the sympathy and respect the larger society has for retirees and senior citizens.
“Mr Ilesanmi and his group openly campaigned for the opposition party candidate in the 2014 governorship election in the state, hiding under the cloak of retirees.
“He used the same platform to openly campaign for the candidate of the same opposition party in the last senatorial election in the state, curiously only in the cities where election held.” the statement noted.
‎
Government noted that Ilesanmi as a private citizen, has a right to join any political party and exercise his freedom of association as he deems fit, but should however not drag the respectable, decent and cultured Omoluabi retirees into his filthy political waters.
Osun Government however emphasised that It is the professional duty of a newspaper to investigate a claim and establish its truth before publishing, if it wants to serve the cause of truth and justice.
“It is a cardinal principle in journalism that while comments are free, facts are sacred. A newspaper that publishes a false claim assaults the sensibilities of its readers, betrays public trust and is an enemy of the open society.
‎
“The media are therefore enjoined to first investigate and verify any claim made by any group or individual before publishing in order not to drag its integrity in the mud”.

As each State is looking inwards on Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), press men in the State have been charged to be of help in revenue generation in their various beats through conscious efforts to always report information that can have positive impact to Revenue generation in the State.
The Commissioner in charge of informal sector, Osun Board of Internal Revenue, Mr Wole Adesanya gave this charge while representing the Special Adviser (SA) to tge Governor on Tax and Revenue Matters, Mr. Gbenga Akano during the public lecture organized by the Nigeria Union of Journalists, State information chapel to mark its 2017 press week.

The event took place at the Local Government Service Commission Hall, Government Secretariat Abere.
According to him, Advocacy for Tax should be seen as a collective responsibility of all especially journalists, who by virtue of their profession ,are the mouthpiece of every  Agency of Government.
He therefore enjoined them to use their professional acumen to support  Revenue drive in the State.

The Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology has commenced four  (4) weeks training  on Information Communication and Technology (ICT)  organised for Civil Servants in the State of Osun.
The event was declared open by the by the Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology Engineerg Oluremi Omowaiye.
Training which began  on 14th day  of August will end on 8th September 2017 as scheduled to hold between 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm.
Engineer Oluremi Omowaiye then enjoined the  participants to attend the training punctually.

The Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Barrister Kolapo Alimi said that Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola will never play politics with workers welfare.

Barrister Kolapo Alimi made this known today while interacting with the management and staff of Odo-Otin Local Government, Okuku.

The Commissioner explained that welfare of the workers is very dear to the present administration in the state saying that it was the economic recession that necessitated the current modulated salary.

Barrister Alimi enjoined workers to continue to support the programmes and policies of government. He prayed for economic recovery as better time awaits the entire workforce in the state

The commissioner reiterated the fact that power and positions are transient hence we should be conscious that we hold whatever post we found ourselves in trust and be of good conduct.

The Executive Secretary of Odo-Otin Local Government, Hon. Samson Oduoye appreciated the visit of the Commissioner to the Council and used the opportunity to itemize some of the projects he had executed which include provision of free eye glasses, renovation of health facilities among others.

The Council Manager of the Council, Mrs Fola Owolola pledged the continuous support of the workers in the Council to the present administration in the state.

The Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has reiterated the call for a united and strong Nigeria whose central and historic position on the black continent must be realised for the black race to take its rightful position.
 
 
 
He made this call when the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) paid him a courtesy call cum condolence visit on Thursday.
The National President of CAN, Rev. Dr Samson Ayokunle, had led some Christian Associations to the government house to pray for the repose of the soul of the late mother of the Governor, Alhaja Saratu Aregbesola, who passed on recently.
Aregbesola said Nigeria must not fail as a nation if it is to fulfil the roles and responsibilities history placed at its doorstep as the champion of the black race.
According to him, a united Nigeria is capable of taking the black race to its rightful place, stressing that Nigerians should always remember that they are the only race that can make a mark in the world.
The Governor, who called for other bodies like CAN to support and pray for the country, added that for the black man to have headway in the world, then Nigeria must not fail.
He explained that for Nigeria live up to performing its roles in uplifting the black race in the world then all hands must be on deck to support it to achieve the goal of making the black man important.
He said, “We need to begin to realise as a nation that we are the only black nation that can assist the black man to make a name in the world.
“Nigeria must not fail, if we must achieve  this task and play this big role on behalf of all black race,  we  should all begin to work towards supporting Nigeria to achieve it.
“I want to call on all well meaning groups and bodies in Nigeria to believe in the Nigerian dream and work towards realising it.
“We need to believe in ourselves as a nation for others to believe in us because this is the only way the black man from any part of the world can have a face.
“We need to begin to see Nigeria as project which must not fail and must never fail.  Failure of Nigeria will be a disaster for the black man anywhere in the world,” Aregbesola stated.
He thanked the CAN president for the condolence visit saying that he is happy that his mother died at a good time without stress, praying for all to have the opportunity of exiting the world at a time one will be celebrated.
“For my mother to have had the privilege of giving birth to me, I can say that she died a very good death and am grateful for that.
Delivering his condolence message, CAN President, Rev. Dr Samson Ayokunle, said it is worthy of note that the late mother of Governor Aregbesola spent quality life while on earth, saying the quality of the life she lived was portrayed through the achievements of Aregbesola as a governor.
Ayokunle, who is also the President of the Nigerian Baptist Convention,  also added that Alhaja Saratu Aregbesola died at a good time because she died at time when her demise brought about a lot of honour to her.
He noted that the quality of life she lived is made manifest in the lives of her offspring, Governor Aregbesola inclusive, saying the good and hard work of the Governor must have been taken from Alhaja Saratu Aregbesola.
“We at the CAN Headquarters received the news of the death of Alhaja Saratu Aregbesola with a great shock.
“We are grateful to God that she led a quality life, which is made manifest in the lives of her offspring of which you are one of them.
“It is my prayer that God strengthen you, the Aregbesola family and the entire state to overcome the loss.
“He will strengthen you so as to continue to impact on your generation positively,” Ayokunle said.