Following series of appeals by students who are still interested in writing the entrance examination into the four new
government high schools across the state, the Omoluabi Education Services has agreed to conduct another round of examination into grade 10 and 11 of the schools.

 

 
According to a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Mr Festus Olajide, the interested students are to obtain the entrance examination forms free of charge from their school of choice.

The Permanent Secretary therefore enjoined the students to fill and return the forms to the schools adding that the date of the examination will be announced later.
The statement also revealed that, the Government High Schools are tuition free.

Secretary to the Osun State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, has canvassed for change of attitude by the Nigerian youths, saying that they need to embrace legal and morally acceptable ways and means of attaining self sustainability instead of engaging in social vices.
Adeoti said the time has come for the youths to change their orientation of ‘getting rich suddenly’ through social vices, urging them to have a researched oriented mind to discover themselves on the areas they can excel.
The SSG stated this on Thursday while addressing some youths at the Ola-Oni Centre for Research, Osogbo.
Charging the youths to have reorientation and be agents of change, Adeoti said attitudinal change in the youth would strengthen Nigeria’s security, peace and unity.
According to Adeoti, the youths supposed to be the champions on fight against corruption, injustice, social vices and misdemeanor in the public, saying that urging the youths to refrain from anything capable of truncating their future.
Guest lecturer at the event, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke who is the founder/Spiritual Head, Shafaudeen in Islam, called on youths to seek information in the news media and judging its accuracy for their own self benefits.

Olagoke advocated for sustainable development through the efforts of the youths by appropriate capacity building that is driven into vocation and skill acquisition.
He said youths should not allow themselves to be used by political extremists in truncating the existing democratic structure in the country.
The university don, however, called on youths to venture into politics and be active players for them to be involved in the building and restructuring of Nigeria.

Dr Biodun Olaniran, Chairman, LAUTECH chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), announced the suspension of the strike in a statement on Wednesday in Ogbomoso.
 

 
ASUU said that the strike was suspended following the union’s congress held on Tuesday at the university.
“After comparing the demands of the union and what the management has met out of the demands, and after extensive deliberations on the struggle so far, the union has resolved to suspend the strike immediately,” Olaniran said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the institution had been shut since the lecturers went on strike eight months ago.
The union had embarked on the strike over unpaid salaries and allowances, as well as the failure of the owner states of Oyo and Osun to release subventions to the institution.
LAUTECH Vice Chancellor, Prof. Seleiman Gbadegesin, recently told newsmen that the two owner state governments had paid N584 million out of the N7.6 billion they owed the institution.

NAN reports that the owner states had in October 2016 set up a visitation panel in their efforts to find a lasting solution to the crisis.
The panel, headed by Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), has submitted its report.

Osun has a fairly large population. According to the 2006 National Population Census, the population of the state is put at 3,423,535. The state is rich in human and material resources
 

 
Historical evidence shows that the Yoruba tradition is one of the earliest and dominant traditions in Nigeria. The people of Osun are predominantly Yoruba. The state is composed of Osun, Ifes, Ijesas and Igbominas. Their language is Yoruba but there are variations in intonation and accent in across the towns and cities.
Commercial activities have brought the people of the state in contact with non-indigenes and foreigners who have adopted the state as their homes owing to the peaceful nature of the people and  prevalent atmosphere.
Osun is culturally rich and this can be seen in all spheres of life such as arts, literature, music and other social activities in the state. Similarly, the state is blessed with a highly literate and articulate populace which makes up a strong and productive workforce
Being an agrarian state, agriculture is largely practised both at commercial and subsistence scales and this attracts people from outside the state.

The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) in Osun, on Wednesday in Osogbo, inducted the Osun House of Assembly Speaker, Mr. Najeem Salaam, as a patron of the association.
 

 
The investiture which took place at the Osun House of Assembly quarters of the speaker was capped with the presentation of a plaque and a medal to the new patron of the Association.
The Chairman of SWAN in Osun, Mr. Adeyemi Aboderin, said the speaker was selected and honoured with the position based on his personality and support towards sports development in the state.
“We want to tap from your wealth of experience, wealth and connection to develop sporting activities and sports journalism in this state.
“Having you as a patron would provide SWAN the needed connection for the development of our association in the state and the county at large,” he said.
In his acceptance speech, Salaam said he was happy to be appointed as a patron of SWAN in the state and pledged to give the association his full support.
“I appreciate the good gesture of choosing me out of so many people to be the patron of your association and I promise not to disappoint you.
“I whole-heartedly accept this position and pledge to look for means of promoting and developing SWAN and sport generally in the state,” he said
Gov. Rauf Aregbesola of Osun was recently inducted as the Grand Patron of Osun SWAN, while the Ooni of Ife, Oba Ogunwusi Adeyeye had been earlier made a royal patron of the association

The governor, state of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has appealed to the traders in Aiyegbaju International Market to embrace a peaceful resolution of their grievances, instead of taking to the streets.
 

 
 
The governor’s appeal was conveyed through his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Mr. Semiu Okanlawon. This came on the heels of the protests organised by the traders last week, when they accused the government of breaching the agreements with them over the operation and ownerships of the market.
The traders alleged that despite the huge amounts they paid to acquire the shops, the market lacked necessary infrastructure such as electricity, water and others, almost two years after the reconstruction.

They also alleged that the state government had reneged on the original agreement of ownership of the shops for 99 years, saying: “The government suddenly changed the tenure of ownership from 99 years to 28 years.”
Okanlawon said government had taken cognisance of their grievances and would look into the issue but they should go through the right channels instead of taking to the streets.He said the matter was not beyond peaceful resolution if properly addressed.
Meanwhile, some traditional rulers in the state have expressed concern over the tactics some politicians are deploying to achieve their ambition ahead of the next governorship elections scheduled for August 2018.
The monarchs, who for now preferred to remain neutral but not silent on the development, urged the traders to beware of undue influence by desperate politicians, who were out to disrupt the peace in Osun.
However, a reliable source from the state described the protest as a deliberate attempt to embarrass the government and it no doubt has political undertone.
Supporting his skepticism about the protest, which he said was sponsored, the source produced the Certificate of Statutory Right of Occupancy signed on June 1, 2012, number 42 at page 42 in volume 202 of the Land Registry in the office at Oshogbo, Osun State, saying: “What was stated in the document was 30 years from the date of presentation out of which two was used for construction, leaving 28 for ownership instead of the 99 as claimed by the traders.”
He also contested the allegation of lack of necessary facilities claimed by the traders, saying: “It is the onus of the traders to prove whether they (traders) have complied with the payment of services charges as stipulated in the deeds of agreement.”
While he appealed to them for a peaceful resolution, the source dismissed the allegation that government reneged on its agreement with the traders.