LECTURE DELIVERED BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF OSUN, OGBENI RAUF AREGBESOLA, TO COMMEMORATE THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF CITY PEOPLE SOFT SELL MAGAZINE, HELD AT AURORA EVENTS CENTRE, RING ROAD, OSOGBO, ON DECEMBER 14, 2016
Protocols,
GOVERNMENT UNUSUAL IN SIX YEARS
I must thank Seye Kehinde and his team at City People for the consideration of Osogbo as the venue and the kind invitation to deliver the 20th anniversary of the founding of the soft sell magazine.
Let me first congratulate City People on its 20th anniversary, for surviving and thriving the inclement weather and instability in the newspaper industry. City People is not the first or the last but it has been the most successful and longest lasting so far. There was Prime People and others in the soft sell genre that ruled the waves at sometimes but which have since been rested. There are others still in print with some measure of success. However, City People appears to be the reigning champion and I pray that your reign will endure.
The late Alhaji Ismail Babatunde Jose, the doyen of journalism at his time, once segmented newspapers into three. These are those above society that set standard for it; those at the level of society, that reflects its true shape; and those below society, that seeks to drag it down all the time.
Soft sell magazines, it appears, belong to the third category with their rave stories, gossips, salacious and often lewd stories and obsession with celebrities, their vanities, gaudy consumption pattern, fashion and social gatherings. There have been allegations of blackmail and extortion, with many people claiming to have been maligned and falsely accused and many reputations ruined.
Let me enter this caveat that the soft sell magazines can hardly be blamed if their reports are true, no matter who is hurt. Their job is to bring out the dark and the ugly wherever they are. However, the big question is where to draw the line in seeking for the ‘truth’. In England, for instance, a newspaper had to wind down when it was discovered it tapped into the telephones of people in order to obtain their secrets.Some even plant agents and bribe staff in order to access the innermost privacies of their targets. So, invasion of privacy and illegal wiretaps are clearly criminal acts, more so when information obtained are not necessarily of overriding public importance, but just to create sensation and give idle minds something to talk about, not caring for the cost to the victims. There have been reports of marriages that have been ruined because of gossips in tabloids, that could have been true or false altogether.
This conflict with the public and the tendency to leave behind a long list of angry, embittered and disgruntled victims have been the bane of soft sell magazines, often leading to litigations and other unsavoury developments for them. The worst part is when they build a negative reputation of trading in falsehood. This is when the public’s trust in them waned and they lose readership and eventually wound up.
However, with the new media, soft sell magazines have had their share substantially eaten up by blogs and this further marginalised their genre in the press.
That City People is still thriving after 20 years is an indication that it has raised its game above these pressers and has cultivated respectability in the market. I hope it will keep it up and at least remain at the level of society, if it cannot rise above it.
I have been asked to speak about my experience in government in the last six years. This is not without certain challenges. The past six year cannot be taken on its own since it is intricately interwoven with several years before it and is also a precursor to the future. So, talking about the six years of our administration is to talk about the past, the present and the future.
I brought to the administration an ideological consciousness shaped in dialectical materialism. This is an outlook that conceives of history in terms of dialectics – the struggle and unity of opposites, quantitative change leading to qualitative change and negation of negation. It conceives of the society and the government as reflective of how economic powers are possessed by the few at the expense of the majority and how this economic power is used to construct political and social hegemony with which to oppress the masses. The eternal struggle of the marginalized for freedom and inclusion. The consequent resistance of the mutually opposed classes for advantage and triumph.
My unmistakable historical mission therefore is to liberate the masses from the clutches and stranglehold of the few, by empowering them majorly through education, health and minimum resources needed for survival, thereby freeing their creative ability. I am not a starry-eyed communist. My mission has been to free those who are bound and make them to run on their own, without holding down those who are strong enough to also run on their own. In this way, the talents and creativity of both the strong and the weak will be let loose; guaranteeing freedom, creating wealth and making life more abundant for all. On this I stand on the shoulders of giants such as Chief Obafemi Awolowo,Chief Bola Ige, Nelson Mandela and Commandante Fidel Castro.

I was privileged to have horned my political and administrative skills, beginning with my student unionism days, culminating in my serving for eight years as Commissioner for Works in Lagos State under my mentor and leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in a progressive, visionary and people oriented administration that ushered in unprecedented prosperity and laid the foundation for the metastasizing of Lagos into the sixth largest economy in Africa.
My first great experience is working with people. I count it a great privilege to work with the finest people on the earth. I have worked with great people who are competent professionals in Lagos and Osun. In my first term I worked with great men and women, some of who are politicians while some are not, but they are all very loyal and hard working. They are largely responsible for our success at the first term. They have also been around unofficially as consultants and have been of great assistant.
The people of Osun are very wonderful people. They are fiercely loyal, appreciative and courageous people. When you earn their trust they stand with you without flinching. I recall a unique experience we had few days before my re-election in 2014. The Federal Government had deployed the largest armada of war not seen anywhere in the country since the Civil War, to Osun. Fearsome looking security operatives of all hues were assembled in the state, especially the state capital, Osogbo, with ferocious dogs in tow. These dogs of war were parading the streets in very long convoy of vehicles with operatives clad in balaclava, shooting sporadically in the air, trying to put the fear of God in the people.
Initially the people viewed them with curiosity but were not intimidated. Later they started responding by waving brooms, the symbol of our party, in the air and singing song of solidarity for us. The share bravura of the security operatives notwithstanding, the people came out on Election Day to vote for us overwhelmingly, stood with their votes and made it to count.
They have also shown great understanding and cooperationin the face of the grimmest financial challenge we faced. The public workers in state government, in particular, deserve special commendation. They have demonstrated fidelity, resilience, perseverance and sacrifice in our greatest time of need.
The people have displayed Omoluabi ethics of the highest order when the opposition flooded the state with cash, during the election. They collected their money and the other gifts as we directed them but they refused to vote for them. They voted for principle. They will always be in my heart and any opportunity I have to serve them again, I will take it with both arms.
I have been privileged to affect the state by raising the standard of living of the people. For us, all our programmes, policies and activities since we came to office have been with the intention to eradicate poverty and create wealth for all our people. Our six point integral action plan of Banishing Poverty, Banishing Hunger, Banishing Unemployment, Restoring Healthy Living, Promoting Functional Education and Enhancing Communal Peace and Progress were designed to lift the condition of our people from poverty stricken to being wealthy.
You will recall that in less than 100 day of our inauguration, we established Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES) through which we employed 20,000 cadets into public works. In two years, we doubled the figure to 40,000.
We gave the first batch safe landing with jobs in teaching, various agriculture schemes and ICT. For this, Osun now has one of the least unemployment figures in Nigeria while the state is also among those with the lowest crimes rate. The N200 million monthly allowance paid to the cadets reflated the economy of Osun and shot it up to the seventh largest GDP in Nigeria.
Agriculture has been of serious importance to us. We were able to quickly resolve that agriculture is also a national security matter. No nation is considered safe that cannot feed his people. Our intervention in agriculture has been massive. We set up the OREAP, through which we have been able to execute many other programmes like rural development, land clearing and access and youth training in agriculture. We have made available to farmers more than N2 billion zero interest loans in addition to yearly provision of farming inputs and additives. We have also sponsored two sets of youths to Germany for training in modern farming techniques.

Our greatest impact is in education. Our first task when we came to office was to hold an education summit, which was chaired by Prof Wole Soyinka. From that summit emerged the blueprint we are implementing on education. We immediately reclassified our schools into elementary, middle and high schools. The elementary and middle schools cover the primary and junior secondary schools. The high school is the senior secondary school.
We are building 170 new schools. These are 100 primary, 50 middle and 20 high schools. Out of these, 20 elementary schools, 22 middle schools and 11 high schools have been completed.
Beyond new buildings, we are also rehabilitating the old schools. We have carried out renovations on 40 other schools which give us 1,694 standard classrooms in the existing elementary, middle and high schools. They provide accommodation for nearly 90,000 pupils. We have provided for them more than 100,000 desks and chairs, toilets and boreholes and made schools decent places to be.
We have provided 50,000 eLearning tablets (Opon Imo) for grade 12 final year high school pupils in the state. This has benefitted three sets already while the fourth set, i.e. the current final year set has just been given the tablet.
In addition to building schools, we have recruited more than 12,000 teachers to boost manpower in the school system. We are also motivating teachers. We have put in place a policy that makes teachers in elementary and middle schools to rise to grade level 16. We have, in addition, appointed three Tutors General, equivalent of Permanent Secretary, in the three senatorial districts in the state. We have concluded arrangement to appoint nine Headmasters General for effective coordination, management and administration of elementary and middle schools in each of the nine federal constituencies in the state.
We have established the Osun Education Quality Assurance and Morality Enforcement Agency to assure education quality and enforce morality in our schools.
Our overall vision is to develop the new person intellectually, socially and morally. This new person is placed in the centre of society who views his/her own development as part of and for the development of society.
We also distributed free uniforms to pupils in public schools. The programme gave birth to a garment manufacturing company, Omoluabi Garment Company Ltd, which can employ 3,000 workers at full capacity. The private investor, Sam and Sarah brought its investment and the government supported it. We contributed shareholders loan of about N900 million to the venture, which was redeemed by the delivery of 750,000 uniforms out of which 450,000 were distributed freely to Osun pupils. The rest were sold in the subsequent years and the state recouped some of its money.
But the job was given to the company on the condition that it establishes a factory in Osun. In doing so, the land on which the factory was built, was provided by government and converted to about 25 per cent equity in the company. With the company now valued at over N3 billion, that investment is worth N750 million. In reality, considering this partnership and the value obtained, it is as if the state did not spend any cash on this project and it got uniforms worth N900 million and asset worth N750 million in the final analysis.
We are also one of the states that pioneered free school feeding programme. In the programme, healthy and nutritious meals are being served to 262,000 elementary 1-4 pupils in all public schools in the state, every school day. This programme, called O’MEALS cost the government of Osun N3.6 billion per annum.
This is not an isolated programme. It is integrated into the agriculture and economic empowerment programmes of the state. This is because under it, 3,007 food vendors were engaged and trained to cook healthy and hygienic food for the pupils. To be able to feed these pupils, 15,000 whole chickens, 254,000 eggs, 35 heads of cattle and 40 tonnes of catfish are weekly bought off farmers and other producers in this state.
O’MEALS was so successful that it attracted the attention of Partnership for Child Development (PCD) of Imperial College, London and the World Bank, both of whom have supported it and recommended it to other states and countries, as part of Millennium Development Goals. I have also been invited twice by the British Parliament to speak on the programme. Osun has also been the template for its national rollout. Earlier this year, Osun has hosted and trained other states preparing to launch this programme in their respective states.

One of our first acts in office was to reengineer the finances of Osun. Many might have forgotten but we have not. When we came in, even in the midst of plenty, salary was in fits and falls. The state was under a financial burden of loans obtained at unfavourable terms. But we were able to restructure the loans on longer and more favourable terms. We were then able to pay salaries on or before the 25th of every month for four successive years including annual bonus payment called 13th month salary.
We realised also that given the level of neglect, we must accelerate development by taking loans from the capital market. This is because more than 70 per cent of our revenues are used to pay salaries. This is outside of the cost of running government. After going through the rigorous regulatory process, we could only take N30 billion Vanilla Bond and N11.4 billion Sukuk Bond with which we attacked underdevelopment in the state. The conventional vanilla bond was to partly absorb the N18.3 billion short term inherited loan. The Sukuk bond was used to finance the construction of 11 State of the Art High Schools. From the vanilla bond and other sources, we rehabilitated and completed 230 states roads spanning 368 km. We partnered local governments to deliver 226 council roads across the 30 local governments and the development area with a combined length of 216 km.
Thus, we were able to construct more than 800 kilometres of quality, stone based roads with concrete drainages across the length and breadth of the state. Work is ongoing on the Orile-Owu – Ijebu-Igbo Expressway; Osogbo – Ila-Odo, Kwara Boundary Expressway; Oba Adesoji Aderemi Ring Road; and Gbongan – Akoda Road. These are not just any roads that catch our fancy. They are roads carefully selected because they impacted the most on the social and economic activities of our people.
We have carried out the most comprehensive and successful social programme in Nigeria. This is because we incorporated widows, the elderly, lunatics, physically challenged and other vulnerable groups in governance. We were paying a monthly stipend to the critically vulnerable elderly citizens in addition to taking care of their health. We also took care of the destitute and the lunatics, rehabilitating them and reintegrating them back into the society. We mobilized resources for effective security and maintenance of law and order. We ensure effective statewide ambulance service.
One of the biggest challenges we have had to grapple with is rising expenditure, especially wage bill, within the contrast of falling revenue. When I came in as Governor on November 27, 2010, oil was being sold above $100. It crashed to as low as $22 last year and sells for $54 at present. In contrast, my wage bill rose from N1.4 billion to N3.6 billion. Yet, we must also fulfil our obligation to the people who elected us and gave us the mandate to govern. We have made it a point that no one is left behind by our administration.
We cannot possibly recount our experience in one day. But what I have mentioned are just a tip of the iceberg. In the process, however, we have learnt how to cope with adversity, unreasonable opposition and hostility without basis or rationality. We have fought the good fight of federalism. We have laid the foundation for the development of Osun in the next 50 years. We have no doubt that the seed we have sown will yield bountiful harvest for individuals and the state in the foreseeable future.
We have gone so far because of the support and encouragement of the good people of Osun. These are the women groups, market women and their leaders, professionals, business people, artisans, farmers, civil servants, traditional rulers, community leaders, community based organisations, religious groups and religious leaders, students, youth associations, commercial motorcyclists, transporters and transport unions, the supportive and friendly media, political parties and all people of goodwill.
I congratulate City People once again and wish you more success in the service of the people.
I thank you all for your kind attention.
Osun a dara!

The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on Wednesday said no government since the creation of the state  has done what his administration did in the last six years.
He said the policies of his administration were designed to turn around the general well-being of the people irrespective of socioeconomic and political status.
 

 
 
Governor Aregbesola made the statement while delivering his lecture in commemoration of the City People 20th Special Anniversary lecture, at Aurora Conference and Events Centre, Osogbo.
Recounting the strides made so far, Governor Aregbesola who titled his speech  “Government Unusual in 6years” said his government has successfully laid the foundation for the development of the state in the next 50years.
Aregbesola said his government came with a written covenant tagged “My Pact for the People of Osun” to which the foundation template of his good governance was espoused.
The Governor stated that Osun remained the only state in Nigeria where government’s policies and programmes are incorporated and synchronised to bring all round development to the citizenry.
He said his government came to power to restore people to the path of success, peace, unity love, harmony and greatness.
Governor Aregbesola stressed further that the mission of his administration has been to free those who are bound and make them to run on their own, without holding down those who are strong enough to also run on their own.
The Governor who described the people of the state as wonderful, faithful, reliable and resilient said, their courageous tendencies had really helped to reclaim his mandate in 2010 after a protracted legal tussle that lasted for almost four years.
Aregbesola said his administration six-point integral action plan of banishing poverty, banishing hunger, banishing unemployment, restoring healthy living, promoting functional education and enhancing communal peace and progress are designed to lift the condition of people from poverty stricken to being wealthy.
He added, “I have been privileged to affect the state by raising the standard of living of the people. For us, all our programmes, policies and activities since we came to office have been with the intention to eradicate poverty and create wealth for all our people.
“truly we are here to liberate the people from the shackles of retrogression, poverty and hunger that had eaten deep into their daily lives, but the amazing part of it was the support given to us by the good people of this state who have been so resilient, forthright and dogged to our efforts in building a new state of Osun.
“Our people have always demonstrated greater love and courage to all forms of intimidation and castigation from the traducers who have never seen anything good from our interventions.
“The people of Osun are very wonderful people. They are fiercely loyal and courageous people. When you earn their trust they stand with you without flinching.
“They have showed great understanding and cooperation in the face of the grimmest financial challenge we faced.
He commended the state workforce for their extreme understanding and cooperation in the face of the current economic challenges, saying “Osun workers have demonstrated fidelity and sacrifice in our greatest time of need”.
“The people have displayed Omoluabi ethos of the highest order when the opposition flooded the state with cash, during the election, they collected their money and other gifts as we directed them but they refused to vote for them. They voted for principle.
“They will always be in my heart and any opportunity I have to serve them again, I will take it with both arms.
“Our six point integral action plan of Banishing Poverty, Banishing Hunger, Banishing Unemployment, Restoring Healthy Living, Promoting Functional Education and Enhancing Communal Peace and Progress are designed to lift the condition of our people from poverty stricken to being wealthy”, Aregbesola reaffirmed.
The Governor further recalled the giant strides recorded in the last six years, reiterating that his government was in the first 100 days of assumption of office institutionalised Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES), through which first 20,000 batch of cadets were recruited into public works.
He said his government did not stop at that as another 20,000 unemployed youth were engaged.
Aregbesola said the state government is building 170 new schools which include 100 elementary, 50 middle and 20 high schools out of which 20 elementary schools, 22 middle schools and 11 high schools have been completed.
“Withing the first100 day of our inauguration, we established Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES) through which we employed 20,000 cadets into public works. In two years, we doubled the figure to 40,000.
“The N200 million monthly allowance paid to the cadets reflated the economy of Osun and shot it up to the seventh largest GDP in Nigeria, according to the Federal Bureau of Statistics.
“We are building 170 new schools. These are 100 elementary, 50 middle and 20 high schools. Out of these, 20 elementary schools, 22 middle schools and 11 high schools have been completed”.
“Beyond new school buildings, we are also rehabilitating the old schools. We have carried out renovations on 40 other schools which give us 1,694 standard classrooms in the existing elementary, middle and high schools.
“They provide accommodation for nearly 90,000 pupils. We have provided for them more than 100,000 desks and chairs, toilets and boreholes and made schools decent places to be.
“We have provided 50,000 eLearning tablets (Opon Imo) for grade 12 final year high school pupils in the state. This has benefitted three sets already while the fourth set, i.e. the current final year set has just been given the tablet.
“In addition to building schools, we have recruited more than 12,000 teachers to boost manpower in the school system. We are also motivating teachers.
In her remarks, the Osun Deputy Governor, Mrs. Titilayo Laoye Tomori who described the six years administration of Governor Aregbesola as being historic, fruitful and rewarding, said the current administration had laid unforgettable legacies in all sectors.
She commended Governor for being relentless to socioeconomic and political development of the state since assumption of office, noting that “it is a rare privilege for her to serve as the deputy governor under Aregbesola”.
Tomori therefore pledged a continued support and commitment to the policies and programmes of state as the government has trail-blazed all facets of economic endeavours.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Publisher of the City People Magazine, Dr. Seye Kehinde applauded Governor Aregbesola for turning around the economic fortunes of the state since assumption of office.
He said the management of the magazine decided to celebrate Aregbesola’s achievements coincidentally with her 20th anniversary based on his exemplary style of leadership.
He buttressed, “this anniversary was brought down to Osun to showcase to the entire world the unique qualities and administrative acumen of Governor Aregbesola.
“Infact, we admire him for being a grassroot politician and for always being there for his people at all times as this motivated us to share his thoughts, wisdoms and uncommon intellect on good governance.

This year’s Christmas Carol being planned by the State Government of Osun in collaboration with the state Christian
Association of Nigeria (CAN) will hold on Thursday (15th December, 2016).
 

 
Venue is Osogbo Stadium Main Bowl.
A statement signed by the former Commissioner for Information & Strategy in the state, Hon. Sunday Akere and the state Chairman of CAN, Very Rev. Fr. Michael O. Okodua enjoined all stakeholders and invitees to be seated latest by 11.00am.

Osun state Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, on Tuesday said that, because of the massive infrastructural projects going on across the state, the citizenry have had it difficult to believe that the nation in general and the state in particular, is undergoing economic hardship.
 

 
This was as the governor warned that the country must discourage the penchant and preference for foreign goods among Nigerians if it must sail through the current economic crisis. Aregbesola stated this when he played host to the team of Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Osogbo led by its new General Manager, Mrs Omowumi Omidiji.
 
The Governor said, because of the huge work his administration has undertaken in the state, nobody believes that the state is going through economic crisis like it is the case with other states of the federation and the Federal Government.
 
According to the Governor, people of the state failed to appreciate the dire economic condition of the state owing to the fact that everyday work is going on in every nook and crannies of the state.
 
“The difficulty we are experiencing is almost universal; it is national. And no sub-set of the federation is exempted from this economic crisis. Thus, as a state, we are equally challenged. But because of the massive work we embark on in this state, it is difficult for the people to believe that we are going through serious challenges.”
 
“The on-going work they see every day in their vicinity thus makes it difficult for the people to appreciate the seriousness of our economic challenges. The truth is that we are challenged economically,” Aregbesola said.
 
The Governor said the nation must learn a great lesson in what the country is going through now so as to forestall re-occurrence of similar experience in the future. He averred that with the disappointment in oil, the best elixir in terms of diversification is agriculture.
 
According to him, the citizens of the country, the affluent few in particular and the poor majority, must drastically reduce their consumption of foreign goods and patronage of foreign services. He said that God has been kind to the nation by giving it the best of weather, which makes agriculture practicable in all
 
Thus, as a state, we are equally challenged. But because of the massive work we embark on in this state, it is difficult for the people to believe that we are going through serious challenges.”
 
“The on-going work they see every day in their vicinity thus makes it difficult for the people to appreciate the seriousness of our economic challenges. The truth is that we are challenged economically,” Aregbesola said.
 
The Governor said the nation must learn a great lesson in what the country is going through now so as to forestall re-occurrence of similar experience in the future. He averred that with the disappointment in oil, the best elixir in terms of diversification is agriculture.
 
According to him, the citizens of the country, the affluent few in particular and the poor majority, must drastically reduce their consumption of foreign goods and patronage of foreign services. He said that God has been kind to the nation by giving it the best of weather, which makes agriculture practicable in all geo-political zones of the country round the year.
 
He noted that whatever can be produced locally should be the staple foods, saying as a nation, Nigeria should depend on what her soil and climate can best produce. He said if the teeming population of the country refrain from their heavy reliance on foreign merchandise, agriculture will serve as a better alternative to oil as the mainstay of the nation’s economy.
 
He stated that the country has the population and the market to absorb whatever mass production of good it can embark on locally. He however warned that if the market continues to be saturated with 75 percent of foreign goods, the poverty trend in the country may continue for a very long time.
 
Governor Aregbesola held that the nation is destined for greatness, saying the day its local market is targeted to absorb its locally produced goods is the day the country crosses over to its long overdue greatness. “We need to change our consumption pattern, domesticate and indigenise our consumption.
 
We must reduce our penchant for foreign goods and services to the barest minimum and increase our local production and services.” “By this, we would have learnt our lessons and come out better from this economic crisis. But if we refuse to learn any lesson and we return to our reckless past, it would be sad.
 
Generations unborn will not forgive us.” “Whatever we can produce locally should be our staple food. We should depend on what our soil and climate can support and produce such crops in commercial quantity.” “If we do this, we are on the path to self-dependency and happiness but if we continue our dependency on foreign things, we are on the path of continued poverty and dependency.”
 
“We must assume our leadership in the global space by first changing our attitude to life; change our orientation and as well increase our production activities.” “If we do this, we are on the path of greatness. Unless we quickly do this, we may remain undeveloped for a very long time,” Aregbesola concluded.

Governor, state of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has said that he has not received a salary since he assumed office in November 2010.
 

Aregbesola made the comment on Sunday, December 11, during the launch of Oodua FM in Ile-Ife.
“When people complain about our financial state, I begin to wonder if they think I am spending people’s money. Some of you do not know that I have not received any salary since I became governor of Osun state, why will I take that of others,” he said according to Daily Post.
“Osun State has been in deep financial crisis for a long while and has been unable to pay salaries of workers.
“The minority leader of Osun state House of Assembly wrote a post on Facebook complaining that I have not paid them. We don’t have the money; even the minority leader does not have a car.
“The poor financial condition of the state has also made it impossible to live up to its obligations to the Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomosho, which it jointly funds with Oyo State,” he added.
Aregbesola also explained that the economic crisis in the state had prevented him from appointing commissioners.

Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State has urged Muslims to pray for the nation as they mark the Eid-Maulud.
A statement by his Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, said the current challenges were for the people to be dutiful.
The governor, who promised that the economic hardship would soon be over, said he would not abandon any project at the end of his tenure.

Also, the Senator representing Abia Central, Theodore Orji, urged Muslims to use the celebration to pray and re-establish a new country.
Meanwhile, the Director, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), Prof. Ishaq Akintola, has urged the Federal Government to set all innocent captives free to mark the occasion.
He also commended the government for declaring a public holiday to mark Eid-el-Maulud.

The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has placed on the shoulders of the media, the urgent need to use their platforms to educate Nigerians on the implications of the economic situations in the country with a view to getting the understandings of all and sundry.
 

 
 
Aregbesola specifically said radio broadcasters have great roles to play in doing this and further promoting the peace of the society by discouraging hate messages and promoting those that enhance communal peace and stability.
The Governor stated these at the official commissioning of Oodua FM, established by a former member of the House of Representatives and an actor, Hon Rotimi Makinde in Ile-Ife Sunday evening.
He said the disturbing war carnage scenes beamed into homes daily by foreign channels should be enough lesson for all that promoting hate messages is inimical to peace.He asked journalists to dedicate themselves to peace and do away with divisive in discharging their duties.
Aregbesola said radio stations must at this time of hardship do all they could to support the government’s efforts in promoting innovative and technology-based ideas to move the nation forward.
He said, “My advise for the owner and the entire management of this station is to use the medium wisely to promote peaceful coexistence among the people in Yorubaland and Nigeria as a whole.
“Please do not politicise your activities at this radio station. Let this establishment be for the promotion of the highest values and ethos of Yoruba people.
“Strive to let this station be for the promotion of peace, harmony, love and affection among Nigerians especially Yoruba people.
“Shun any divisive tendency and use this station for educational purpose. Use it to promote our culture and balanced entertainment.
“Also, use this station to promote industry, productivity and efficiency as these, will go a long way in rescuing our society from the current recession we are all in.”
He condemned in its entirety the manner in which some broadcast media houses have been bastardizing the profession on self-serving interests, saying if not that his government’s programs and policies resonate with the people, an unnamed Osun-based radio station would have thrown the state into confusion through its hate messages.
He said “the time has come for journalists to be at the forefront of nation building and do away with subjectivity, favourism and personal emotions.”
Commending the owner of Oodua FM, Aregbesola disclosed that with the establishment of the new station, Osun is now a host to four private radio stations.
He called on the management of the station to always employ precautionary measures in all its activities and not wait until being sanctioned by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) before being regulated.
Aregbesola further urged the authority of the station not to allow itself to be hijacked by the disgruntled politicians who according to him, derive pleasures from self-serving interests.
“The management is further urged to stick to the government’s efforts at advancing innovative, technological and inventive knowledge that have been the hallmarks of our government”, he stressed.
Lamenting on the depleting state of the nation’s economy, Aregbesola hinted media practitioners to design programmes that would quicken the recovery of the nation’s values and socio-economic and democratic loses.
He said media should endeavour in sensitizing public on the current economic predicaments through educative and informative programmes capable of orientating the general public on the need to be productive and take-off their minds from crude oil revenues that have crashed.
Earlier in his welcome address, the owner, Hon. Rotimi Makinde, said the station would promote unity, love, peace and harmony of Nigerian people.
He added, “Oodua FM is open to all to give the general public the required quality broadcasting and let me assure the National Broadcasting Commission that we shall do all our best to conform with the rules and regulations as spelt out by the Nigerian Broadcasting Code.
The Governor later made his first broadcast on the station as he wished the people of the state well with the coming of Oodua FM during a live broadcast at the station’s studio.

Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, Ondo State Governor-elect Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom, Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar have felicitated with Muslims on the occasion of the Maulud Nabbiy.
 

 
They urged Muslims to have strong conviction that the economic hardship and other challenges facing the country would soon be tackled.
Aregbesola, in a statement issued yesterday by his Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, said it was only with “this conviction that the energy of all and sundry could be channelled” for the country’s good.
He urged them to endure for the good of the country and be prayerful.
He admonished Muslims to emulate the humility, good neighbourliness, understanding and love exemplified by the life of Prophet Muhammad.
Ahmed, in a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary, Abdulwahab Oba, called on Muslims to emulate the virtues of Prophet Muhammed, which earned him the accolades of being an exemplary character to mankind.
“Prophet Muhammad signifies peace, love and humility, which are essential ingredients for a harmonious and progressive society. As we celebrate this noble prophet of Allah, I call on all and sundry, regardless of religious persuasions, to show love to one another and be ambassadors of peace and care for all,” the governor said.
Tambuwal urged Nigerians to pray for the country to overcome its difficulties.
The governor spoke at the celebration of the Eid-el-Maulud organised by the State Chapter of the Shababul Qadiriya Movement.
Tambuwal, who was represented by the Religious Affairs Commissioner, Alhaji Mani Katami, said: “Such prayers should be intensified by all Nigerians, irrespective of any religious, political or ethnic differences.
“With prayers, Nigeria will soon overcome all her seemingly formidable challenges, including security and economic ones.”
Ortom urged the Muslim faithful to use the Eid-El Maulud holiday to pray for sustained peace and economic recovery.
Ortom said meaningful grow could only take place in a peaceful atmosphere, stressing the need for a harmonious relationship between the Muslim faithful and the people of other faiths.
He said his administration remained committed to transparency and accountability as the pillars of good governance.
Akeredolu enjoined Muslims to remain steadfast in their prayers for Nigeria and Ondo State.
In a statement signed by his Media Adviser, Yemi Olowolabi, the governor-elect, while wishing all Muslims a joyful and peaceful celebration,  advised them to reflect on the timeless teachings of Prophet Mohammed on tolerance, peaceful coexistence, honesty, sacrifice and abhorrence of man’s inhumanity to man.
The governor-elect thanked Islamic leaders for their relentless prayers for peace during the November 26 governorship election in Ondo State and urged them not to waiver in their prayers, “especially at this crucial time that Nigeria is experiencing a major economic downturn”.
Obaseki, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. John Mayaki, said: “I wish all our Muslims brothers and sisters a happy Eid-El-Maulud and I thank the Muslim community in Edo State for their support and commitment towards a better Edo.”
The governor urged the faithful to use the period to pray for the nation’s peace and prosperity, embrace love, sacrifice, tolerance and peaceful coexistence in Edo and Nigeria.
Atiku Abubakar urged Muslims to redouble their commitment to the promotion of tolerance, love and peaceful coexistence, which, he said, were among the shining virtues of the Prophet Muhammad.
The former vice president noted that the best public relations Muslims could do for Islam “is to follow the exemplary conduct of Prophet Muhammad”.
According to him, throughout his life, Prophet Muhammad never told his followers to molest people, who were different or harm innocent people without provocation, adding that he was constantly reminding Muslims that there was no compulsion in religion.
The Turakin Adamawa appealed to Muslims to be more vigilant to avoid the risk of their children being exposed to dangerous and poisonous influences of violent extremism, which is founded on intolerance, hate and bigotry.

The governor of the state of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola yesterday commissioned the Oodua 90.0fm radio station in Ile-Ife, Osun state.
Pictures from the colourful event are below
 

Governor ,State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (2nd right), his Deputy, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori (2nd left), Chief Executive Officer, Oodua FM, Hon. Rotimi Makinde (4th left), his Wife, Mrs. Oyebamike Makinde (3rd left), Former Deputy Governor State of Osun, Prince Sooko Adewoyin (left), Southwest Zonal Director, National Broadcasting
Commission (NBC), Mrs. Pauline Ehusani (right)  and Father of the Day, Chief Alex Eluyemi (3rd right), at the official commissioning of Oodua 90.9 FM, in Ile-Ife, State of Osun, on Sunday 11/12/2016.

 
Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (middle), his Deputy, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori (right) and Chief Executive Officer,  Oodua FM, Hon. Rotimi Makinde, at the official commissioning of Oodua 90.9 FM,
in Ile-Ife, state of Osun,  on Sunday 11/12/2016.

Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (2nd right), his Deputy, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori (2nd left), Chief Executive Officer, Oodua FM, Hon. Rotimi Makinde (left), and Representative of Ooni of Ife and Obalufe of Ile-Ife, Oba Idowu Olaniyi Adediwura,  at the official commissioning of Oodua 90.9 FM, in Ile-Ife, state of Osun, on
Sunday 11/12/2016.