The coach of Osun United Football Club, Duke Udi, has promised that  the team  will gain promotion  to play in the Premier League  with the crop of players at his disposal.
Udi said this in a statement  by the Media Manager of the club, Tunde Shamsudeen ahead of the commencement of the 2017 National League scheduled for this weekend.

The former Super Eagles midfielder said the  Osogbo side were ready to win  the majority of their  matches  to gain promotion and play in the top flight next season.
He stated that he and his assistants did not have any excuse to fail in getting their desired result with the quality  of players they have.
Udi added that he was determined to succeed, saying he would not disappoint  the management, supporters and the people of the state.
The former Spain-based player said, “We have the support of the chairman, the board members, the supporters and the good people of the state and I think this will be a season of happiness for Osun United.”
Meanwhile, the Omoluabi Giants have signed  Soga Sambo,  Edebiri Amaefe from Kwara United, Obasi Chigozie from Samvic Academy, Mojeed Yusuf from Gateway United, Emmanuel Osigwe from Jigawa Golden Stars, Sunday Afolabi from Crown and Dangbin Gosselle from Giwa.
Others are Jide Fatokun from Gray, Kunle Ashiru, Dare Olatunji from Police FC, Tosin Omoyele from COD United and Mustapha Ramoni from Ebedei.
The club retained   Olalere Akeem, Ayo Ojo, Bisi Olagunju, Lekan Oseolohun, Olusola Akilapa, Tosin Olabode and Damola Fakayode.

 
The Chairman of Osun State Tourism Board and Tourism Authority Mr Abimbola Daniyan has commended the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies for renewing its commitment to positioning tourism through practical promotion and marketing of tourism sites domestically.
Daniyan who received a delegation Western Zone of NANTA in the state recently said the state is delighted to meet with reputable stakeholder with sincerity of purpose to take tourism to an enviable level.
“Osun State is blessed with lot of tourist sites which are also in the forefront delight of tourist. He said the state today is the safest for tourist from all over the world and has had tremendous inflow of visitors within and outside the country, with credit to the keen interest and investment of Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State.
“We have in Osun tourists attraction that are breathtaking like the Olumirin waterfall in Erin Ijesa, Osun Sacred groove in Osogbo, Oranmiyan Staff, Ife Museum in Ile Ife among others.
“Our culture of keeping statistics and data annually has help us to frequently assess out sites and visitors comment which has helped in improving the sites regularly.
He pleaded with the association as a major player in tourism sector to ensure that they promote and market the different sites in the state to domestic and foreign tourists. He said he believes the visit with enhance a mutual and progressive result from both parties.
In his response, the Vice President of National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies, Western Zone, Mr Olatokunbo Dagunduro who led other executive members of the association to the state appreciated the effort of the Tourism Board in the state for doing a good job. He urged the board to do more for the sector by waking up to the reality that oil is exhausted, while tourism is sustainable and reliable.
The travel and tourism sector today is one of the largest employer of labour and low hanging fruit in terms of revenue generation globally.
He pleaded that the state governments need to create the enabling environment for stakeholders to thrive. He decried the deplorable state of road network across the country which is a serious challenge to timely access sites in the country.
Dagunduro also said it is high time that the Federal Government should looked into marrying the ministry of Aviation together with Tourism and Culture instead of marrying information, culture and Tourism together.
He further explained that Aviation cannot survive without tourism and vice-versa, calling the Federal Government to emulate the tourism policies of other Africa countries which have positively tourism potential to boost their economy through IGR from Travel and Tourism sector.

The House of Representatives has urged the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, to urgently send relief materials to the displaced victims of the  communal disturbances at Ile-Ife, Osun State, who are at various facilities across the state.
It also urged the Osun State government to compensate victims of the crisis to accelerate the return of normalcy in the area.
 
The lower chamber also resolved to send a five-member delegation to convey its sympathy to the government and people of Osun State, as well as the leaders of the Hausa community and other stakeholders.
 
It urged the Federal Government to liaise with the state government to demilitarise and disarm members of the community.
 
These decisions followed a call  by a member of  the House of Representatives, Mallam Muhammed Zorro (Jigawa-APC), who urged the media to exercise discretion and utmost restraint in reporting crises.
He made the call yesterday, while moving a motion on the communal disturbances at Ile-Ife.
Zorro appealed to newsmen to avoid raising undue anxiety capable of aggravating crisis situations.
 
He recalled that the unfortunate disturbances between the Yoruba and Hausa communities in Ile Ife began last Wednesday, but that efforts were ongoing to restore normalcy.
 
According to him, the Osun Government, the Nigeria Police Force, traditional rulers and other stakeholders are making efforts at de-escalating tension and restoring normalcy.
 
“I appeal to the media, particularly the social media, socio-cultural organisations and all other commentators to exercise discretion and utmost restraint in reporting and commenting on the incident. “This is to avoid raising undue anxiety capable of aggravating the situation,” he said.
 
In his ruling, Deputy Speaker of the House, Mr Yussuff Lasun, mandated the Committees on Police Affairs, Human Rights and Emergency and Disaster Preparedness to monitor the unfolding events.
 
Kwankwaso visits
Meantime, the former governor of Kano state, Alhaji Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, yesterday assured the Yoruba living in the northern parts of the country that his people would not lunch reprisal attack against them following last Wednesday’s bloody clash in Ife. The Senator representing Kano
 
The Senator representing Kano Central  who visited the Sabo area of Ile-ife, where the crisis ensued between Yoruba and Hausa in the ancient town allayed the fear of Yoruba of possible attack on their lives and property.
 
Speaking with newsmen  after the meeting held inside the mosque with some of the victims of the crisis, Kwankwaso assured that his people would not launch reprisal, saying “the purpose of my coming here is to appeal to my people to continue to be law abiding.”
 
According to him, “I told them that when I get home, the Kwankwasiya Foundation will plan how to send our own support.
 
The former presidential aspirant of the ruling APC urged the Hausas in Ile-Ife to remain calm, saying they should desist from any action capable of disrupting the peaceful move by all stakeholders to settle and forestall  recurrence.

The Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun Larooye 11 and all Osogbo Chiefs have commended the various developmental strides of the Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola at the state capital and indeed the whole of the state.‎‎
The Ataoja of Osogbo land, leading other chiefs of the ancient town on a courtesy visit to the Governor at the Government secretariat, stated that ‎the state capital has never had it so good under any administration.‎
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He described the various intervention of the Governor as unprecedented in the history of Osogbo land and Osun in general.
The Royal father expressed delight at the new look the ancient town is now wearing as a result of various infrastructural developments going on in every nook and cranny of the state.
Oba Olanipekun, who particularly commended the efforts of the governor in the area of peace and security in Osogbo and environs also lauded the efforts in ensuring that health services in the state are at its best.
He said the level of high standard and quality being employed at executing road projects and school buildings across the state are such that the projects will stand the test of time.
He recalled that because of the deplorable state of what used to be called school buildings in the state before the present administration, the then schools served as hideouts for miscreants, a situation which the royal father said has stopped.
He said, “This visit became necessary because this administration has done what we never expected or dreamt of in Osogbo land.
“Osogbo is now gradually becoming one of the most beautiful cities in Nigeria because of the efforts of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.
“We have come to show our solidarity and support to Aregbesola. We shall continue to show our loyalty to this administration in all ways we can because our town is now the cynosure of all eyes for good things.
“The roads and schools that are being constructed are of high quality and standard which we are so sure will stand the test of time. He has also done so much in the health sector. Osun is also very safe and secure as at today,” the royal father said.
Responding, Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola who expressed gratitude to the royal father for the thank-you visit reiterated the commitment of his administration to continue to work assiduously to develop Osogbo and the entire state.
He said it has always been his determination to develop every part of the state in terms of infrastructures even before he became the governor.
Aregbesola who pointed out that all the projects being executed by his administration in the state presently are projects which ought to have been done stated that he has vowed never to leave Osun the way he met it.
He said more focus is being given to Osogbo because it is the state capital and whoever wants anything to do with Osun must first get to Osogbo, hence the need to make the state capital attractive to first timers in Osun.
The Governor blamed the down turn in the economy of the country as the sole reason why the present administration has not been able to do more than it is presently doing.
“I have vowed even before I became the governor of this great state never to leave it the way I met it.
“This administration is determined to take Osogbo and Osun in general to a great height. We believe in the dream of making Osun and Osogbo to become one of the best places to be in the world.
“We have decided to concentrate more in Osogbo because of two major reasons. One, because Osogbo is the state capital and secondly, because anybody that has anything to do with Osun government must get to Osogbo.
“So there is the need to make the town beautiful and attractive to visitors and investors who are visiting the town for the first time.
“It’s a pity that the current economic downturn has slowed down our pace, but we are not deterred, we will continue to do our best to make Osun great. This is our pact with the people of this great state,” the governor echoed