The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has said his administration has succeeded in uplifting the standard of education in the state with over one hundred percent improvement recorded in the last six years.
He said his government has achieved modest improvements in the performance of students in the WASSC examinations since assumption of office.
 

 
Governor Aregbesola made the statement while declaring open the 3-day Education Quality Assurance Training Workshop organized by the Osun Education Quality Assurance and Morality Enforcement Agency, at the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) conference hall, Abere, Osogbo.
Governor Aregbesola who titled his speech, “Back to the Future of Education”, said his government has tremendously revived and brought in roadmap in education system in the state as manifested in efforts made to resuscitate the sector.
Aregbesola said the performance of students in the West Africa Senior Secondary Certificate Examination, WASSCE under his watch had improved tremendously with 46.30% improvement compared to statistics met in 2010.
He said the performance of the students in the terminal examinations had witnessed a significant improvement and skyrocketed from 21.68% met by his administration in 2010 to 46.30% this year.
Explaining the rationale behind strides being made in the education system, Aregbesola said the state took the Zukuk bond to change the face of education in the state.
According to him, the step taken was to ensure that the state is liberated from backward educational situation which his government inherited.
Governor Aregbesola recalled the state of education on his assumption of office in 2010 which he described as deplorable and dilapidated with appalling and decadent infrastructures.
He said, “Our government made a concrete resolution to revive the decadence in the education sector having being informed on the need to prioritise education.
“It is on this template that our government resolved on the need to building uncommon legacies at all levels of education system by nurturing future leaders.
“We have also adopted overhauled policies aimed at repositioning the education sector and bring in innovations to aid teaching and learning and as well rescue the future of our children.
“Our government is succeeding in the construction of 20 state-of-the-arts High schools, 50 Middle schools and 100 Elementary schools across the state.
Earlier, the Chairman, Osun Education Quality Assurance and Morality Enforcement Agency, Dr. Isiaka Owoade, commended Governor Aregbesola for leading the state towards educational sustainability.
He said education in Osun has received a tremendous amount of attention since the inception of the Aregbesola administration.
According to him, the Governor has demonstrated an unparalleled love and passion for education as manifested in the construction of new schools, refurbishment of dilapidated schools, creation of three education districts, increase in running grants to schools, school feeding programme (O’meal), provision of technological device, school chairs and desks among other interventions.
“Since education is the foundation upon which the fortunes of a society rests, thus, having invested so much in education, Mr. Governor went ahead to create Osun Education Quality Assurance and Morality Enforcement Agency, a step in the right direction to ensure that the state gets value from her numerous interventions.
“Our agency was established to ensure that the processes of teaching and learning are conducted in a fashion to deliver the highest standard quality in content and that the students produced are of sound character.
“Our agency has been ensuring that discipline in our schools is curtailed and that our students are properly guided and focused.
“We have worked out strategies for this and our home-grown education marshals fully trained in morality enforcement will soon be deployed.
“Parts of our commitment to education revolution in the state was to drastically improve the performance of our students in the various terminal examinations.”
He therefore assured the state of better quality service delivery, saying poor productivity will be frowned at as appropriate measures had been put in place to champion zero tolerance for lateness and absenteeism.

A traditional ruler in Osun State, the Oloni of Eti-Oni, Oba Dokun Thompson, at the weekend used the Holy Bible to pacify the Land, warning that poverty would persist unless the Land was appeased.
 
Speaking at the first Cocoa Festival in Africa, the monarch explained that there may have been a curse on the land, following the manner a renowned Yoruba king, Oba Emmanuel Olajide Layode, Soun of Ogbomoso, was killed mercilessly in 1969 during the Agbekoya revolt.
 

 
The revolt had occurred following the hike in taxation on cocoa.
Oba Thompson expressed worries that Eti-Oni which pioneered cocoa
production in Nigeria was wallowing in abject poverty like many other communities in the country despite having a land of richness.
The monarch noted that the wealth from Cocoa did not manifest in the cocoa producing communities and the people because of the curse. Oba Thompson prayed for an appeasement of the land so that late Oba Layode’s soul may finally rest in peace and for a renaissance of the wealth created in the western region from cocoa in the 60s.
During the cocoa festival, which was tagged ‘Gureje Day’, Oba Thompson raised the Bible that was presented to him by the Christian community in Eti-Oni and showered blessings on the community and the nation.
“This Cocoa Festival was meant to mark the 120 years of cocoa production in Nigeria as pioneered by Eti-Oni. But you would be wondering that this wealthy community was languishing in abject poverty over the years.
“There would be wealth on the land and poverty would vanish when we appease the Land. That was why I sought the intervention of the King of kings who created the Heavens and the Earth,” Oba Thompson said.
The Osile Oke-Ona Egba, Oba Adedapo Tejuoso, who was Royal Guest of Honour on the occasion joined his host, Oba Thompson in appeasing the Land and pouring blessings upon Land through the Scriptures.
Speaking on the occasion, Osun State Governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, reiterated the need to go back to farming as the panacea to the current economic situation caused by dwindling oil revenue.
The governor lauded Oba Thompson for his pragmatic approach in redirecting the attention of the people to profitable cocoa production that would bring maximum gain to the farmers and change the fortune of the people.
Aregbesola, who was represented by the Coordinating Director in the Osun State Ministry of Agriculture, Food Processing and Youth Engagement, Dr. Isaac Aluko promised full support for any initiative geared towards agribusiness.
The governor formally presented the Premium Artisan Eti-Oni Chocolate Brand to the public and also launched the Eti-Oni Model Smart Town which is to be developed in line with the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has said that local councils are under the absolute control of states, just as he insisted that the state assembly remains the only organ empowered by the constitution to make laws for them.
Aregbesola stated this during the courtesy visit and c‎onferment of the title of Nwannedinamba Ndigbo of Osun State on him, and Ezinne Ndigbo of the state on his wife, by the state chapter of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, in partnership with the Association of Ndi Ezeigbo N’uzo Ije (Diaspora), and the South East Council of Traditional Rulers
During the visit, which was part of the 2016 Igbo Cultural Festival tagged: Ode N’Igbo 2016, the governor said the clamour that local councils should be independent of state governments was totally strange and anti-federalism.
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He maintained that in a federal system of government, there are only two tiers of government, that is the Federal government and the governments at the federating level.
He therefore stressed that it is awkward for Nigeria to be the only federation in the world where there is only one police system, and where the constitution does not allow the federating units to run their state police.
According to him, “Nigeria is not just a republic, but a federal republic, and a federal state is where every distinction of nationality is recognised, respected and honoured. None of the units of the federation is therefore, superior to the other. Every of the units are empowered by law to administer themselves under the general guideline of the constitution.
Aregbesola emphasised that the problem with the local council administration in the country can be corrected within the limits of the laws of the state in a federation.
The Governor enjoined the Igbo community to join in the debate of whether the nation wants federalism or unitary system of government.
High Chief John Emeka, who led the traditional title holders in the South-West region, commended Aregbesola for his leadership style, stating that they have been monitoring the progress of the state before they decided to bestow on him the Igbo title.

Osun state Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has said that local governments are absolutely under the control and ambience of the states, and that the only organ of the state empowered by the constitution to make laws for them is the state parliament.
The Governor equally stated that Nigeria’s diversity is beautiful if limited to cultural diversity and the beauty therein.



Aregbesola stated these both at the courtesy visit and c‎onferement of Igbo titles, Nwane di namba Ndigbo of State of Osun and Ezinne Ndigbo of State of Osun on him and the First Lady respectively by the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, State of Osun Chapter in Partnership with the Association of Ndi Ezeigbo N’uzo Ije (Diaspora) and the South East Council of Traditional Rulers at the 2016 Igbo Cultural Festival Tagged: Ode N’Igbo 2016 at‎ Nelson Mandela Freedom Park in Osogbo.
The Governor described the belief ‎gaining grounds that local governments in Nigeria should be independent of state governments as totally strange and anti-federalism.
He noted that there are only two tiers of government in a federal system of government, namely the Federal government and the government at the federating level.
Aregbesola stressed that it is awkward for Nigeria to be the only Federation in the world where there is only one police system, noting that it is strange for the federal government and the constitution not to allow for police in the federating units of the country.
The Governor held that the problems with local government administration in the country can be corrected within the laws of the states in Nigeria.
According to him, “Nigeria is not just a Republic, but a Federal Republic. A federal state is where every distinction of nationality is recognised, respected and honoured. None of the units of the Federation is therefore superior to the other. Every of the units are empowered by law to administer themselves under the general guideline of the constitution.
“Few things are awkward about federalism in Nigeria, Nigeria is the only Federating Nation in the world where there is only one Police system. Nigeria’s federation is strange to the extent that only one police force maintains law and order.”
“In other federations, there will be a Federal Police force and other federating unit police. Nigerian nationality and people must seek to correct this abnormality.”
“Another abnormally that people, because of their frustration to some aspect of administration, are equally making mistake on and need correction is that a federation has two tiers of government. There cannot be three tiers in a federation. The moment you have three tiers, you no longer have a federation.”
Aregbesola emphasized that the problem with the administration of Local Government in Nigeria can be corrected within the limits of the laws of the state in a federation.
He noted that it is not by assaulting the fundamental principle of federalism that the challenges and weakness being faced by the administration of local governments can be corrected.
The Governor enjoined the Igbo community to join in the debate of whether the nation wants federalism or unitary system of government.
He stated that Nigeria, like every other nation with different ethnicity, is blessed for the diversity which he described as beautiful, calling on all and sundry to see each other first as a Nigerian.
He said, “We can be who we are without rancour and doing away with what can bring rancour. We should recognise our differences and avoid hurting one another.”
“What will clearly eliminate the hate, the sharp clarity is having good government that will work hard to expand opportunities such that it is not your ethnicity that will determine your benefit, but your citizenship and your commitment to your work,” Aregbesola stated.
High Chief John Emeka who led the traditional Igbo title holders in the South-West region, commended Governor Aregbesola for his leadership style, stating that they have been monitoring the progress of the state before they decided to bestow on him the Igbo title.
Emeka described Aregbesola as a good manager of human and capital resources particularly at this recession period and the recurring revenue fall in the State and Nigeria as a nation.
He said, “it is not by accident that we are honouring Mr. Governor and the wife with the c‎onferement of Nwannedinamba Ndigbo of State of Osun and Ezinne Ndigbo of State of Osun respectively by the Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
“I want to use this occasion to call on all and sundry in the state to support the Governor by paying all levies and taxes in his effort to transform Osun to a state where we will all be proud of within the South-West and Nigeria as a whole

The Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Mr. Najeem Salam, has said the parliament will conduct an independent investigation to unravel what caused the death of the female corps member, Miss. Ifedolapo Oladepo, who died last week at the National Youth Service Corps Orientation Camp in Kano State.
 
 

 
The speaker said this in a statement in Osogbo on Saturday by his media aide, Mr. Goke Butika.
The lawmaker, who is representing Ejigbo Constituency at the House of Assembly said there would be consequences should investigation reveal that officials at the camp were negligent in attending to the deceased when she took ill.
He said, ” The parliament will wait for the outcome of the investigation of the NYSC headquarters, and will conduct our own investigation with a view to getting to the root of the matter.
“There would be consequences for the death of the Osun State born first class graduate of Transport management from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, should investigation reveal negligence of the NYSC officials.
“I sent my condolence on behalf of the Osun parliament to the Oladepos over the death of young Dolapo who died at Kano NYSC orientation camp, and I want to assure the family that our parliament would certainly pick a bone with the NYSC on the matter until it is resolved in favour of justice for the deceased and her family.”

The “Green Book” is the manifesto of the current administration of the State of Osun. It contains the plans and programs of the administration as defined before assuming office. These are categorized into the relevant sectors of the Osun economy.
The Green Book is the reference resource that the current leadership follows. It provides a peek into the development direction envisioned by Ogbeni Aregbesola and his team. The piece was produced in English and the Yoruba local language for the benefit of the Osun community.
  My Pact With the People of Osun State (English Version).pdf (135.6 KiB, 506 hits)
  My Pact With the People of Osun State (Yoruba Version).pdf (109.4 KiB, 275 hits)

Tourists from different parts of the world who are partaking in the first cocoa festival in Africa on Thursday converged on the Eti-Oni, the ancient town in Osun State that pioneered the production of cocoa in Nigeria over 120 years ago.
The maiden edition of the cocoa festival which began on Sunday November 27 would come to a climax with a grand finale on Saturday, December 3rd. The cocoa festival is the first of its kind in Africa and it was set up to motivate cocoa farmers to step up their production.
 

 
 
The event was designed to train the cocoa farmers and sensitize the on the modern technology in cocoa farming so that they would be producing high quality cocoa and make maximum profit.

 
To achieve this objective, a Farmer Field School was organised at Eti-Oni in which experts from Osun State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security were taken to the cocoa farms to train the cocoa farmers on the best way to cultivate, harvest and market their cocoa.
The State Governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola said his administration was committed to ensure welfare of farmer by providing social amenities in the rural areas across the state, saying that the cocoa festival would
assist in charting a new course for cocoa production.
Aregbesola who was represented by the Director General of the Office of Economic Development, (OEDP), Dr Charles Akiinola commended the traditional ruler of Eti-Oni, the Oloni of Eti-Oni, Oba Dokun Thompson for initiating the cocoa festival.
The governor said the festival has provided a veritable platform to bring stakeholders in the cocoa business together to share ideas on cocoa production and other aspects of agribusiness as a way out of the
current economic recession.
Aregbesola urged other traditional rulers in the state to take a leaf out of Oloni of Eti-Oni by coming up with initiatives that would promote the agriculture potentials in their domains.
In a chat with our correspondent, Oba Dokun Thompson said the cocoa festival became necessary to remind people of the gigantic benefits of cocoa in the South-West in the past, encourage the cocoa farmer not to
relent and also inspire children to pick interest in cocoa.
The monarch said the festival attracted tourists from different parts of the world because of the historical background of the Eti-Oni as the pioneer of cocoa production in Nigeria.
Oba Thompson added that because of the significant roles played by his forefather, Gureje in the Kiriji/Ekiti Parapo war which terminated between Igbajo and Imesi-Ile in Osun State, the cocoa festival would
also be used to mark the 130 years of the signing of the treaty that brought war to an end.
He also lauded Governor Aregbesola for the construction of the tarred Igangan/Eti-Oni road which terminated at Olopon. The monarch also commended Governor Aregbesola for grading the remaining 9.8km kilometres to the centre of Eti-Oni for easy access into the community during and after the festival.
Oba Dokun Thompson also disclosed that during the grand finale of the weeklong festival, tagged ‘Gureje Day’, Governor Aregbesola would formally present the Premium Artisan Eti-Oni Chocolate Brand to the public and also launch the Eti-Oni Model Smart Town which is to be developed in line with the United Nation 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

In a bid to boost the revenue base of the government, Osun State Board of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has absorbed 100 of its revenue marshals into the service of the state.
The revenue board; had secured the approval of Governor Rauf Aregbesola in absorbing the revenue marshals into the service of the state government.

 
The newly recruited revenue marshals were selected across the 30 Local Government Councils of the state including the Area office, Modakeke based on their performance in revenue generation in the last year.
It would be recalled that they were recruited as revenue marshals to assist the board in generating revenue for the state for its growth and developmental projects.
Addressing the newly recruited revenue staff at a three day intensive training programme held in Osogbo, yesterday, the Board’s Director of Finance and Strategy, Mr. Oluyemi Oni, said the essence of the training was to give the newly employed tax marshals basic knowledge of revenue generation and tax assessment of the people.
The training he added will brace them up in principles of taxation that will aid them to diligently discharge their duties.
He explained that those recruited were absorbed into grade levels 06 and 08 base on their educational qualifications adding that many of them were NCE, OND, HND, B.SCS and Masters Degree holders.
According to him, “now that 100 trainees have been absorbed into the Board, they would soon be integrated into the state civil service, as another batch of the staff would be recruited from the remaining revenue marshals.
“As part of efforts to improve on the state IGR, the board had to secure the approval of the government to absorb 100 officers into the board as staffs so as to assist the state in its quest to improve on its revenue generation”.
Oni implored the beneficiaries to see the appointment as a call to service by living up to their responsibilities in making the state to realize its objectives on robust revenue generation.
Earlier, Chairman, Osun Board Internal Revenue Service, Mr. Dayo Oyebamiji commended the state government for empowering the youth through jobs creation.
Oyebamiji said Osun has always been atop among its peers in wealth creation and employment generation as the developmental policies of the state had impacted positively in the lives of the citizenry.
He therefore called on the newly recruited tax officers to live to state’s expectations by championing the laid down tax principles and guidelines aimed at improving the status of the state IGR.
He also admonished the residents of the state to cooperate with the newly recruited revenue staff in accomplishing their duties for the growth and development of the state.
The Head of training, Osun Board Internal Revenue Service, Mr. Lawrence Oladapo, called on the trainees to distinguish themselves by making the Board proud as revenue collectors.
Oladapo who sued for transparency and honesty, called on the beneficiaries to be diligent to duties as being dictated by the concept of taxation.