Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has reiterated that creation of local government council development areas is targeted at grassroots development.
 

 
Aregbesola on Wednesday said that his government decided to establish new Local Council Development Areas in order to consolidate on the efforts of the late sage Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Chief Bola Ige.
He said the initiative was also to draw government nearer the people by extending the dividends of democracy to the grassroots.
Governor Aregbesola made the statement while addressing people at the official commissioning of the newly constructed office building of the newly created Ife Southwest Local Council Development Area, in Awolowo town.
Aregbesola, who described Chief Obafemi Awolowo as a father of modern government in Nigeria, said the establishment of new LCDAs was to build on the legacy laid by the late sage.
He said Chief Awolowo had in 1981, introduced the establishment of LCDAs with cardinal objective of making government closer to the people at community levels.
Governor Aregbesola lamented the truncation of the Awolowo’s ideology, saying if the progressives had been opportuned to govern the nation, the establishment of LCDA would have been popularised across the country.
Aregbesola disclosed that the gestures were conceptualized as part of efforts of his government to make life more abundant and meaningful to the citizenry irrespective of socioeconomic, political and religious statues.
He said: “The determination to guarantee security of lives and property of the people through the promotion of communal peace and progress informed our government’s decision.
“That is why we ordered the immediate take-off of the newly created 31 Local Council Development Areas, 3 Area Councils and 2 Administrative Offices across the length and breadth of the state.
“Besides, the fact that LCDA contributes to the development of the state, its creation also helps foster communal peace and progress among the people at grassroots.
“The creation of LCDAs is not for fun but rather, a noble intent to make government more nearer to the masses and enhance all-round growth and development.”
In his welcome address, the Council Manager of Ife South West Local Council Development Area, Alhaji Yinusa Olalekan Akande, commended Governor Aregbesola for the dedication of his government to the general well being of the people in the state.
He also lauded Aregbesola’s efforts at bringing government closer to the people through the establishment of Local Council Development Areas so as to complement the existing Local Governments in the state.
Akande said the idea of creating Ice Southwest LCDA was conceived with a view to bringing government to the grassroots and subsequently the dividends of democracy to the people.
He said the commissioning of the new LCDA’s Secretariat complex in the town was a clear manifestation of the vision and mission of the Aregbesola government to make life more abundant and meaningful to the residents of the community
The Council Manager said the idea to embark on the construction of the modern office complex was conceived immediately the take off/stabilization fund was released by the state to all the newly created LCDA.
According to him, “It would be recalled that the state government under the leadership of Governor Rauf Aregbesola created additional 31 Local Council Development Areas, 3 Area Councils and 2 Administrative Offices, which led to the appointment of Council Managers.
“This noble initiative had recorded huge achievement since the takeoff of the new LCDAs across the nooks and crannies of our state as this had sent signal of sense of belonging to the people of the state especially those at the extreme rural and remote areas.
“We must be diligent during this economic recession by working hard, improving our IGR, promoting communal peace and progress so as to drive away this recession in our dear state and Nigeria as a whole.
In his remarks, the Chairman House Committee on Education in the State House of Assembly, Hon. Folorunsho Bamisayemi, commende the state government for being supportive of the people of the constituency.
He said the impacts of the creation of the council is being positively felt in the constituency, saying the constituency had benefited immensely from various  government intervention programmes.
Hon. Bamisayemi,who represents Ife South State Constituency assured the people of the constituency of more dividends of democracy from the government.
Earlier, the Olu of Awolowo town, Oba David Omisore, expressed profound gratitude to the state government for citing the new LCDA headquartres in the town.
He said the gestures would further foster development and expose the community to better transformation and progress.

Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, on Wednesday said that his government decided to establish new Local Council Development Areas in order to consolidate on the efforts of the late sage Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Chief Bola Ige.

 
Governor Aregbesola made the statement while addressing people at the official commissioning of the newly constructed office building of the newly created Ife Southwest Local Council Development Area, in Awolowo town.
The governor said the establishment of new LCDAs was to build on the legacy laid by the late sage described Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who he described as a father of modern government in Nigeria. He said Chief Awolowo had in 1981, introduced the establishment of LCDAs with cardinal objective of making government closer to the people at community levels.
He said: “Besides, the fact that LCDA contributes to the development of the state, its creation also helps foster communal peace and progress among the people at grassroots. The creation of LCDAs is not for fun but rather, a noble intent to make government more nearer to the masses and enhance all-round growth and development.”

In his welcome address, the Council Manager of Ife South West Local Council Development Area, Alhaji Yinusa Olalekan Akande, commended Governor Aregbesola for the dedication of his government to the general well-being of the people in the state.
He said the commissioning of the new LCDA’s Secretariat complex in the town was a clear manifestation of the vision and mission of the Aregbesola government to make life more abundant and meaningful to the residents of the community
In his remarks, the Chairman House Committee on Education in the State House of Assembly, Hon. Folorunsho Bamisayemi, commended the state government for being supportive of the people of the constituency. He said the impacts of the creation of the council is being positively felt in the constituency, saying the constituency had benefited immensely from various government intervention programmes.
Earlier, the Olu of Awolowo town, Oba David Omisore, expressed profound gratitude to the state government for citing the new LCDA headquartres in the town.

The Osun Micro-credit Agency has further given a breakdown on how its N3.2bn loan scheme has impacted on more than 20,000 small businesses in the last year, 2016.
 

 
The General Manager of the agency, Dayo Mr. Babaranti, while giving a breakdown on Thursday in Osogbo, said the over 20,000 beneficiaries of the loan scheme came under the 1,366 cooperative groups which applied for and got loans from the agency in the year under review.
According to the General Manager, the cooperative groups with the least number of members out of the 1,366 had 15 members.
“If you sum up this, with the least groups having 15 members, you will agree that conservatively put, we have recorded over 20,000 beneficiaries in 2016,” Babaranti stated.
Babaranti added that in addition to the over 20,000, 321 Small and Medium Enterprises were also funded while a total of 205 individuals applied and got loans through the same scheme.
Before Thursday’s breakdown by the agency boss, the government had on Wednesday said that more people are expected to benefit this year, 2017, as government intends to still expand the micro-credit facilities to go round more businesses.
The statement by the Bureau of Communication had said, “This government is poised to make sure that its small and medium scale businesses are developed roundly for the economic growth of the state.
“This was while last year alone, 1, 366 cooperative groups benefitted from the interest-free micro credit of the government, which is aimed at empowering small and budding business enterprises. With each cooperative group having at least a membership strength of 15, that would tell you that well over 20,000 businesses have been impacted on.
“For the ease of doing business, Government has made the loan interest-free. This will help the repayment of only the principal alone.
“Government has thus taken up the burden of paying the interest on the loan.”
The statement advised that loans be judiciously utilized by the beneficiaries.
Government also promised to continue the financial assistance as more beneficiaries would be targeted in the new year as well.

The Governor, state of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola,  receives the new Assistant Inspector General of police, Zone 11, in charge of Osun, Ondo and Oyo, Mr Paul Okafor, who paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House in Osogbo.
See photos below
 

 

Ila Orangun is an ancient town and holds prime place in the history of Yoruba. It lies to the north east of the State of Osun quite near the border with Kwara State on 8° 1′North and longitude 04°54′East. It is the more populous sister-city (and sister-kingdom) of Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún located about 7.5 miles (12 km) to the northeast. Ila enjoys rainfall ranging from 45 to 55 inches annually. It is the headquarters of Ila Local Government.
Ila- Orangun is a distinct, autonomous cultural group of Yoruba speaking people known as the Igbominas. It could be rightly assumed that Igbominaland is that area of land currently occupied by the people called Igbomina
Sawmilling is the most common industry in Ila. Others include carpentry, blacksmithing and welding. Commercial activities also keep a large section of the population busy. Popular tourist attractions include the Ila-Oke Spot where an Oba was said to have disappeared, the Community Fish Pond and Idi Ogun Oja. The traditional title of the Oba is the Orangun of Ila .
Ila host the Osun State College of Education and a State Hospital.
 

The Governor of Osun, Rauf Aregbesola, has received a warm applause for being forthright on the implementation of policies designed to revamp the agriculture sector in the state.
 

 
The praise was coming from members of the Osun state chapter of Cassava Growers Association of Nigeria, while they presented their position paper to the State House of Assembly Committee on Agriculture.
The association commended the state for being the bulwark of support to the needs of farmers in the state since assumption of office.
Presenting the paper, the Chairman of the Association, Dr David Ogunsade, described agriculture as the only surviving alternative to dearth of revenue from crude oil production in the country.
He stressed the need for more support from governments, stakeholders and other interested groups to enhance agricultural productivity, capacity, as well improve on the youth’s endorsement and participation in farming.
Ogunsade said government must provide the enabling environment that would further enhance micro-credit facilities to farmers most especially the peasant farmers in the country.
He however saluted Governor Aregbesola’s administration for establishing what he described as a robust and mutually beneficial partnership with the association which according to him, had re-positioned the agricultural sector in the state.
Furthermore, he stated that the government of Osun had done well in boosting the welfare and morale of farmers through its prompt interventions as part of efforts to realising the state’s potentials in agriculture.

Calling for modern agricultural practices to improve on the agricultural productivity in the state, Ogunsade said no effort must be spared by all at building a capacity that would encourage farming through the provision of ultra-modern facilities to farmers.
According to him, for rapid growth in the sector, modern agricultural practices must be encouraged while interest-free loans must be introduced to farmers.
He implored the state not to relent on its goal at turning the state to food basket of the nation.
“Our moribund agricultural infrastructures like cassava processing industry, cocoa processing industry, palm oil production industry among others, must be resuscitated so as to meet the needs of the people and help the state to be self-sufficient in food production.
“We want our Governor to do more in reviving all the cassava processing industries across the state so as to further increase on our cassava production capacity,” he added.
In response, Chairman of the Osun State House committee on Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Gbadebo Abdullahi, said government would continue to support the association in realizing its goals.
He then urged the farmers to always fulfil their obligation by refunding all credit facilities provided by government in order to enable others to benefit.
Abdullahi also tasked the farmers to seek other avenues to improve on their production and quality.
He assured them that the government would do its bit and they should also do theirs while maintaining unity.
Another member of the committee, Mr Israel Aloba, in support, called on the members of the association to cooperate with relevant agencies in the realisation of their dreams, saying this would help fast track their job and make the state the hub of cassava production in the country.

The Sport Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Osun state chapter, has inducted the Governor of Osun, Rauf Aregbesola as the first Grand Patron of the association in the state.
The Governor, while giving his acceptance speech, said that he was honoured being installed as the first grand patron of the association.
Aregbesola tasked the journalists to be more active in sports reportage by asking questions when necessary.
Aregbesola said the honour and investiture was more of an assignment and said he was willing to take up the position and challenges attached.
“I am willing to be the grand patron of your association, though the economic situation now in the country is not palatable, I will play my part to support the association.
“Count me as a worthy member of the association because I will do everything I can to support you.” he said
See photos below
 

 

 
 

 
 

The general belief that people suffering from mental imbalance cannot be completely healed has been proved to be a fallacy with the complete cure and rehabilitation of over 160 vagrant psychotics under the O’Rehab scheme. YEJIDE GBENGA-OGUNDARE writes on the life at the rehabilitation centre in Ilobu, Osun State and the new life of inmates that graduate after being cured.
 

 
A popular mentally imbalanced man known as Baba Sogo in Ile Ife had been on the streets due to psychotic disorder for 30 years before he was taken off the streets for treatment and rehabilitation. Today, he has been integrated into the society and is living a new life.
On the night of December 24, 2016, the governor of the Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola on his way from the Iwude festival in Ilesa, noticed a young woman who had mental disorder and a broken leg and had been roaming the streets at Isona community. He instructed that she be taken her off the streets that night and given proper care.
Today, the lady had regained her senses. And though she’s still on admission at LAUTECH Teaching Hospital in Osogbo, she conversed intelligently with Nigerian Tribune and the search for her family is on so she can be handed over to them after rehabilitation to prevent a relapse.
 
62-year-old Fatunmise (last name withheld), a graduate of political science with second class upper was retrieved from the streets of Ile Ife in August 2012, after being psychotic for 11 years. He was admitted to the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital under the O Rehab scheme and discharged in March 2013 after which he was re-united with his family.
64 years old Madam Funmilayo (last name withheld), was equally psychotic for seven years after being deported from the United States of America. She was a common feature along Okefia in Osogbo where she was retrieved and treated at the General Hospital, Asubiaro on November 7, 2013 and discharged in May 2014.
These are few of the over 160 pyschotic vagrants that were given a new lease of life by the O’Rehab Scheme, an initiative of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the governor of the state of Osun.
 
The scheme started in November 2011 as a project under the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Special needs under the supervision of Comrade Biyi Odunlade.
The team works in professional partnership with a special psychotic treatment foundation – Care and Foundation for Mentally Ill Persons (Caremi foundation), founded by Professor Rogers Makanjuola, though funding for O Rehab is solely by the state government.
According to Odunlade, some of the destitute are repatriated mainly from Lagos and other states as 90 per cent of psychotic patients treated under the scheme were dumped in the state or they trekked down from other states, adding that treatment takes an average of six weeks before rehabilitation and reintegration into the society while they still undergo medical checkups for a while to forestall a relapse.
“When we are informed that there’s a case somewhere, we go and take the person off the streets after which they are taken for treatment in the hospital then sent to the rehabilitation center to acquire vocational training and given startup capital before reintegration into the society through their families.
“The government spends between N250, 000 to N300, 000 for the treatment of individual patients and an additional N100, 000 to N200, 000 when they are graduating from the rehab center as startup capital,” Odunlade stated.
He however confirmed that there are rare cases of relapse after treatment, adding that the rate is not up to one per cent of patients treated under the scheme, stating that only three of the over 160 people treated experienced relapse which were triggered by further emotional trauma after they were handed over to their families. The three cases he said include that of a 35-year-old female civil servant named Biodun that was rehabilitated by the scheme after suffering mental breakdown for seven years and handed over to her brother in 2015; she suffered a relapse and was taken back for treatment.
Another case is that of 39 years old Kikelomo, an unemployed Ordinary National Diploma certificate holder that was picked in Osogbo after five years on the streets and handed over to her mother but was taken back after relapse and Sakirat, a 32-year-old tailor that was psychotic for nine years before being handed over to her mother and is presently being monitored by the scheme after a relapse.
The Ilobu rehab center of the scheme trains healed patients on diverse vocational skills like soap making, bead making, tailoring, hair dressing and various crafts after they would have been treated at one of the five hospitals used by the scheme; Ladoke Akintola University of Technology teaching hospital, Obafemi Awolowo University teaching hospital, Yaba Psychiatric Hospital, Aro Psychiatric Hospital in Abeokuta and Government Hospital, Asubiaro, depending on the nature of the psychiatric disorder .
Odunlade, however, stressed that most mentally imbalanced people are merely suffering from a form of trauma and most times only require love, attention and counseling with medication and supervision, adding that chaining them or beating them as is done in traditional healing homes will only aggravate their situation.
A relative of one of the rehabilitated patients who spoke to Nigerian Tribune on the condition of anonymity stated that her brother’s case was immediately taken over before his condition worsened.
“We do not have a history of mental disorder in my family, but on January 14, 2016, we learnt Abayomi who works for the government mentally broke down while at work but luckily for us, his colleagues quickly called operators of the scheme and he was taken from work to OAU. He was discharged on February 19, 2016.
“After his discharge, he was handed over to our elder brother and a director in his ministry. He has since gone back to work and has not suffered any disorder or relapse. In fact, we used to monitor him a lot but we were told by the rehab people to treat him like we normally do and we are sure that he is completely okay,” she said.
Speaking further, Odunlade stated that “Our process is hinged on what we call the four Rs: retrieval, rehabilitation, repatriation and re-integration. We have a chain of persons that go to the streets to pickup psychotic vagrants using technical strategies, this is called retrieval. You see, not everyone you see on the streets wearing tattered or dirty clothes are deranged. Our focus is on vagrant psychotics; these are people with schizophrenia, depression or any kind of disorder and distortion in relationship or dressing. These people do not have homes; they just go about and constitute diverse forms of threat to humanity. So we go after them and pick them up then decide which hospital best suits their needs out of the hospitals we partner with – LAUTECH, OAU, Yaba, Aro and our state hospital in Osogbo where we employed a consultant psychiatrist specifically for the scheme to set up a psychiatric clinic in the hospital.
“The next thing is treatment which we call rehabilitation. During treatment, we start looking for family members of the affected patient, we call this home tracing because when they are well, we ensure they are handed over to a close family member.
“Aside the case in LAUTECH, we presently have the case of a 29-year-old female lawyer who after law school and service, developed a mental challenge and we picked her up, it was during rehabilitation that we discovered that she is the daughter of a renowned person in the society but we can’t mention names. The father showed up and said it was when her trouble became too enormous and she became a threat to them that he abandoned her to her helpless mother who took her to churches where she was chained and which aggravated her condition. The moment you manacle, chain or beat someone with disorders as is done in traditional healing homes, their situation becomes worse.”
Odunlade, however, cited some of the challenges of the scheme. According to him, “We have different kinds of constraints. The programme started from a point of disbelief with people expressing doubt that anyone could be completely healed. The second challenge is stigmatisation. This stigmatisation and disbelief have pervaded the system and is a problem but there’s a need to re-orientate people about this. The third challenge which affects every aspect of the programme is paucity of funds. To treat an average person costs the government between N250, 000 to N300, 000 and can be more. If the government uses this to treat one person, you can multiply it by how many people we have treated to know how much has been pumped into this setup over time and no hospital admits any psychotic patient without down payment or discharges them without full payment.”

Oshogbo, capital of Osun State, is the home of Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding, (CBCIU). Located in South-west of Nigeria, 240 kilometres north of Lagos, Osogbo is both a Yoruba city kingdom of over 700,000 people and an important chapter in the history of modern African art.
 

 
To celebrate the 50 years of Oshogbo Art, an exhibition will hold from January 17 through 23, 2017 and will be organised by Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding (CBCIU), Oshogbo. The two oldest cultural icons of Oshogbo, Chiefs Jimoh Buraimoh and Muraina Oyelami, are at the forefront of the exhibition. The exhibition preview will take place on Monday, January 16, 2017. Official opening as well as launching of the journal CBClU in Oshogbo is on Tuesday, January 17, 2017. The exhibition is expected to run from January 17 through 23, 2017.The exhibition is expected to move to Abuja and will take place at Thought Pyramid Art Centre, Abuja. Curator is the Artistic Director, Thought Pyramid Art Centre, Mr. Jeff Ajueshi.
In the 1960s, Osogbo witnessed a series of artistic activities, ranging from painting and sculpture to music and theatre, from painting and sculpture to music and theatre. It attracted international attention and brought Osogbo’s artistic status in Nigeria parallel with that of Paris, France. Since then, Osogbo art has become a trademark, signifying the richness and vitality of Yoruba art and culture, most impressively expressed by the annual Osun-Osogbo. Two different groups of works can be distinguished. There are the paintings, sculptures, beads, and textiles sold locally and internationally, and other works depicting Yoruba deities and festival motifs.

Credit for Osogbo’s artistic renaissance goes to late Suzanne Wenger, Georgina and Ulli Beier for placing Osogbo on the world’s cultural map. They did not just start an arts school or movement, but started engaging the young boys and girls who were in Duro Ladipo Theatre group to do some art works during the long hours between play rehearsals. The experiment succeeded beyond Ulli and Georgina’s wildest imaginations, as it created more art and culture on a global level.
It is for this reason that CBCIU Oshogbo wants to highlight some of the distinctive features of the experiment, whose features contribute to the Osogbo School of Art to the global art community.
Though it would be recalled that there were already contemporary artists trained according to modern art techniques and perspectives in Nigeria, the Oshogbo experiment was the first to have succeeded in encouraging a contemporary modern art that would build on and continue the indigenous art traditions. This is what has made the artists famous throughout the world. The artists themselves were young men with only rudimentary formal western-style education, after which they became artisans, petrol station attendants, etc. All of them were resident in Osogbo, capital of Osun State. Easily, the achievement of Georgia and Ulli was the ability to turn the underprivileged and disadvantaged status of these young men into great assets: no certificates were required of them to join in the experiment.
According to Ulli Bier, “Unlike European art student of comparable age and unlike the art historians, critics and anthropologists who have been looking at their work as ‘Yoruba’ or ‘African’ or ‘Western,’ early prediction that Oshogbo artist would soon run out of steam after their european mentors left Nigeria in December 1966 looks ridiculous”.

The exhibition intends to invalidate this misconception and celebrate the artistic movement that has not only remained true to its cultural identity and essence.
From that beginning to the present, almost all the promotion that Osogbo Art has had has been from abroad or by foreigners. True, there has been patronage of them by individual Nigerians and Nigerian Institutions, but home recognition of what the movement stood for, and still represents, has been lacking. Osogbo Art Movement was uniquely Osogbo thing, so much so that the town, in fact, became known as the left bank of Nigeria art in the 1960s.
There are more artists of good quality, old and middle-ged, plying their trade in Oshogbo today than in any other town in Nigeria, Lagos included. By its very success, the Osogbo Art experiment proved that tradition can be modernised from within; that in certain fields of cultural practice no certificates but talent is what matters most. If there had been no Osogbo Art Movement, there probably would not be CBCIU located in Osogbo today, or certainly, it would have been located in another town or country. CBCIU is, in many ways, a product and beneficiary of the movement. Finally, remembering and celebrating Georgina and Ulli Beier and the contributions of he various artists to the global art community will form part of celebrating 50 years of Oshogbo Art Movement.