Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on Tuesday described the actions of the hoodlums who set ablaze the state High Court in Ilesa as a major assault on civilization.
The Governor stated this during an on-the-spot assessment of the premises of the high court which was allegedly set ablaze by hoodlums on Monday morning. Aregbesola, who went round the facility in company with the state Chief Judge, Justice Adebola Adepele Ojo, stressed that an attack on the judiciary is a direct attack on the civilisation of the people.
 

 
He said, “The fulcrum of human civilization is based on two things: the maintenance of law and order and secondly the upholding of justice and truth.
“Where law and order cannot be guaranteed, when the instruments of justice cannot be guaranteed, what you have is chaos and anarchy. Our government will not allow this to happen.
“This attack is a major assault on the civilisation of the land because when you attack the major instrument of justice then you are also attacking the common man on the street. As a government we are very disappointed that this has happened” Aregbesola said.
The Governor, who promised that everything will be done to
ensure that the perpetrators of the dastardly act are brought to book, hinted that the state Commissioner of Police has been charged to apprehend those involved as quickly as possible.
Governor Aregbesola, who noted that the vandalised court calls for urgent rehabilitation of the burnt high court and others across the state, saying the courts will be given urgent attention in terms of rehabilitation and security.
The Governor, during the inspection, also sympathized with of one of the security men of the premises, Mr. Olanrewaju Owoeye, who was beaten up and wounded by the hoodlums during the attack.
Sections of the court which was inspected by the Governor include the Registry, Library l, the Secretary’s Office among others.

 

 
Let me start by explaining that the State of Osun -Sachsen-Anhalt agricultural cooperation is a platform to tackle agricultural challenges and increase the potentials and viability of agri-business in Nigeria, starting with Osun State.
This cooperation is to help synergize on technologies, techniques and human resources in Osun.
Now, The State of Osun under Governor Aregbesola is the first state in Nigeria to key into the German contribution to the Fund for Agricultural Finance in Nigeria (FAFIN), which provides loans to small and medium entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector.
The State of Osun under Governor Aregbesola is the first state in Nigeria to key into the establishment of an “Innovation Centre for the Agriculture and Food Sector” financed by the German Government in order to improve sustainable production and processing of food as well as entrepreneurial and vocational skills in agriculture and food processing.
The State of Osun under Governor Aregbesola is the first state in Nigeria to key into Germany-Nigeria agricultural cooperation in the establishment of a “Green Credit Line”, which shall improve the access of small and medium enterprises to funds in order to enable them to invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy.
Recall Aregbesola led a delegation to Germany a while back, in search of new insights on modern agriculture to further realise the dream of making Osun the food basket of the South-West. The true story now is that the governor, within the space of time did not only employ over 20,000 youths of the state in agribusiness but is currently on a mission to revolutionize farming and empower the people to kick out poverty. Thus, the rationalization of poverty on paucity of fund has now been exposed as a product of misapplication of resources.
The State of Osun’s recent attempts to encourage investment are prompting some foreign firms and Nigerian entrepreneurs to look more closely at the profitability of agribusiness. Perhaps more important in the long term, there also appears to have been a significant shift in the pattern of foreign involvement, back to direct investment in agriculture in Osun State.
The Agro-investment initiative of Governor Aregbesola is an emblem of hope that will make the youths in the state embrace agriculture again; this move will also create massive employment opportunities for Osun people. Sachsen-Anhalt involvement in Osun State agriculture is undoubtedly accelerating. The climate for foreign investment is becoming more amenable as the Nigerian economy is restructured under the watchful eye of the IMF, World Bank and international banks despite the lack of a formal agreement.
When the Governor and his formidable team went to Germany in search of knowledge, and in furtherance of the development cooperation and in support of the Osun Rural Enterprise and Agriculture Programme (O-REAP), the trip was an opportunity for the delegation to:
i. Attend the International Green Week programme with Governor Rauf Aregbesola as the Special Guest of Honour. Dr. Reiner Haseloff, the Minister President of Sachsen Anhalt; Prof. Claudia Dalbert, the State Minister of Agriculture and Dr. Hermann OnkoAeikens, State Secretary, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Federal Republic of Germany, all attended the programme, met and engaged relevant investors and partners with interests in agricultural investment and partnership opportunities in the State of Osun
ii. Review and expand on the scope of existing Development Cooperation between the State of Osun and Sachsen Anhalt
iii. Design the next phase of collaborative partnerships between the State of Osun and Sachsen Anhalt
iv. Meet and discuss agricultural potentials, investment and partnership opportunities in Osun with German farmers who had hosted 40 young farmers from Osun over a period of four years, starting in 2012 as they were exposed to knowledge, skills and technologies in practical modern agriculture. The Osun delegation also met with the umbrella Farmers Association of the State of Sachsen Anhalt. At the meeting, a number of farmers in Germany expressed their interest in the proposed farmer technology transfer programme that is being planned in collaboration with the State Government of Sachsen Anhalt.
v. Discuss the planned cooperation between the State Governments of Osun and Sachsen-Anhalt in setting up of ‘Best Practice Demonstration, Training and Production Farm’ in the State of Osun. The Farm is to target the youth and other farmers and will provide the platform for the acquisition of knowledge, skills and techniques in modern agriculture with a focus on land development and management, new technologies in crops, livestock, fisheries, post-harvest handling, processing and packaging.
The establishment of the Best Practice Demonstration, Training and Production Farm’ in the State of Osun will build on these initial efforts and create an even more cost-effective and sustainable model of cooperation that will allow for broader scale impact. This will allow the State of Osun to extend benefits to many hundreds of equally motivated and needy young farmers who would not have the opportunity of being attached to host farmers or institutions in Germany.
The Best Practice Demonstration, Training and Production Farm is to serve as a veritable platform to anchor a well-designed farmer exchange programme that will provide the opportunity for German agricultural experts and farmers to provide technological transfer and capacity building to farmers in Osun.
This new collaboration is building on the initial outcomes of the cooperation with the State of Sachsen-Anhalt under which 40 budding young farmers from Osun have been hosted in Germany for advanced practical training in different aspects of agriculture over the past four years with the resultant engaging opportunities for young farmers in our state as they launch promising careers in modern and productive agriculture inspired by their exposure in Sachsen-Anhalt.
The 40 young farmers who were involved in the development cooperation programme in Germany are back in Osun and are now involved in different aspects of agriculture including cattle and production of small ruminant, piggery, horticulture and greenhouse farming in different parts of the State.
Other highlights of the trip included planning meetings between the Osun delegation with top officials of the Ministry of Agriculture of the State of Sachsen Anhalt and members of the State of Sachsen-Anhalt Parliament. These meetings were aimed at consolidating as well as expanding the current cooperation between both parties.
Notably and following on the heels of the impressive outcomes recorded from the cooperation with the State of Sachsen Anhalt in the last four years in the area of agriculture, the cooperation is now being expanded to the area of healthcare delivery. Presently, there’s a team of seasoned German oncologists from the Institute for Operative Medicine of the Otto-yon Guericke-University, Magdeburg, Germany, in Osun. This is to perfect plans on collaborative efforts on control, treatment and management of various classes of cancer in the State.
The State of Osun’s agricultural programme is gradually yielding desired results as the good people of the state are being empowered through land preparation and free distribution, credits for improved seedlings, fertilizer, etc. and commercial production of honey, fish, cattle and birds. The O’honey apiary project that the Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola embarked upon became a reality when it was commissioned at Oyan in Odo-Otin local government, the first of its kind in Black Africa.
It was this vision that made the government of Ogbeni Aregbesola to partner with the German government that sent a seven-man team of experts drawn from the agric sector of the State of Saxson Anhalt to meet with farmers’ cooperatives, soil scientists, animal husbandry experts and others on how to improve agricultural products in Osun.
Inwalomhe Donald, public affairs analyst writes from Benin City, Edo State. He is available via inwalomhe.donald@yahoo.com

The Chairman of Committee on Resolution of Crisis Between farmers and herdsmen in Osun, Hon. Mudashir Toogun, has said his committee had handled and settled over 5,000 cases involving farmers and Fulani cattle rearers across the state in the last three years.
 

 
He disclosed this at a farmers meeting in Onilapa farm, Olaoluwa Local Government Area of the state, where some rice farmers met, and rice farms inspected.
Toogun noted that the incessant clash between Fulani herdsmen and farmers became the most threatening crisis after Boko Haram insurgency in all the federating units.
He commended the governor for setting up a committee to interface with these two groups and ensured sustainable peace, making farming more easier and profitable in the state.
He explained that the pro-activeness of the governor in setting up the committee prior to the outbreak of the farmer-herdsmen crisis in the state helped in no small way to forestall any crisis and ensure that both farmers and herdsmen live harmoniously without blemish.
“We are able to be on top of the situation in the state because of the pro-activeness of government in providing a platform for all actors to meet and dialogue among themselves.
“This has helped us a great deal and with this intercession, we have settled not less than 5,000 cases between 2014 and now.
“This is why Osun State is the most peaceful today when you think of farmers-herdsmen crises ravaging the country,” Toogun said.
However, rice farming and livestock expert, Mr. Olafare Richard has identified the potentials of Osun in rice production, saying that with available resources and necessary equipment, coupled with enabling environment, Osun can produce enough rice for South-West consumption.
He revealed that Osun State has about 60 percent of the most productive rice seedlings that can be found in the whole country, lamenting that the best of the opportunities of this seed have not been realised.
He called on the government to further support rice farmers so as to improve their productivity.

The governor, state of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola visited the Onilapa Rice Farm Ogbaagba on Tuesday to meet with the farmers. While there, he reiterated his government’s effort at ensuring adequate food production for self sustenance of Osun state, saying Nigerians must feed themselves.
 
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Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun was on Tuesday told that his state has the capacity to grow enough rice to feed the entire South-West region of the country.
 

 
 
This was the submission of rice farming and livestock expert and Managing Director of Savanna Seeds and Livestock Limited, Mr. Olafare Richard, at a farmers’ meeting at Onilapa Farm in Ola-Oluwa Local Government Area in Osun.
This was just as the Chairman of Committee on Resolution of Crisis Between Farmers and Herdsmen, Hon Mudathir Toogun, said his committee has handled and settled over 5,000 cases involving farmers and Fulani cattle rearers across the state in the last three years.
Olafare said with the available resources, the necessary equipment, the most yielding and quality seedling and the enabling environment, Osun can produce rice need of the whole South-West.
He revealed that Osun State has about 60 percent of the most productive rice seedlings that can be found in the whole country, lamenting that the best of the opportunities of this seed have not been realised.
Olafare therefore canvassed for a complete value-chain to improve rice production, saying with the growing trend of rice production in Osun, the state is capable to take of the rice of the geo-political zone.
He called on the government to further support rice farmers so as to improve their productivity.
“We need effective rice management in the state. At present, we have resource farmers.
Our framers need to be supported and once this is done, Osun can boast of mass rice production.
“We also need the support of the government to build the capacity of farmers because with government support, we are going to produce Osun rice,” Olafare said.
Toogun said after the Boko Haram insurgency, the next most volatile crisis in the country is the constant break in relationship between farmers and Hausa-Fulani herdsmen in all regions of the nation.
He commended the governor for sitting up a committee to interface with these two principal actors, making Osun the safest place in terms of security.
He stated that the foresight of the governor in setting of the committee prior to the outbreak of the farmer-herdsmen crisis in the state helped in no small measure to combat the crisis and ensure that both farmers and herdsmen live harmoniously and resolve any crisis that arises as quickly as possible.
“We are able to be on top of the situation in the state because of the pro-activeness of government in providing a platform for all actors to meet and dialogue among themselves.
“This has helped us a great deal and with this intercession, we have settled not less than 5,000 cases between 2014 and now.
“This is why Osun State is the most peaceful today when you think of farmers-herdsmen crises ravaging the country,” Togun said.
In his remarks, the Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola called for mass participation in agriculture as the only way to rescue the nation from her present socio-economic challenges.
He said the economic situation in the country has called for the need to improve on the nation’s agricultural capacity, saying all hands must be on deck to promote farming.
Lamenting on the state of the nation’s economy, Governor Aregbesola said it has become imperative for all to do the needful in promoting agriculture.
Aregbesola said his government was ready to support and collaborate with any individual or group that shows interest in farming.
According to him, with the present economic reality, it has become imperative to produce what we consume because failure to do so, we will remain dependent.
“Any nation that cannot feed itself will continue to be enslaved. It is time to embrace agriculture and take our minds from the money coming from the crude oil as the commodity can no longer sustain our economy”, he added.
Expressing the readiness of his administration towards the realisation of an improved farming practices in the state, Governor Aregbesola said efforts continue to be geared up in meeting the state objectives on agriculture sector.
He called on the rice farmers to double efforts at increasing their productivity, saying “Osun has the capacity to produce 20 tones of rice per hectare”.
Governor Aregbesola therefore called on the residents in the state to support his government with prompt tax payment.

The governor, state of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, yesterday attended an economic summit of the governors of the South-West in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital.
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