The Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has approved the immediate commencement of a unified Public Service in the state.
This was made known in Osogbo in a circular letter signed by the Permanent Secretary, Public Service Office in the Office of the Head of Service, Mr. Leye Aina.

 
 
The Permanent Secretary explained that the intention is to rejuvenate and reposition the State Public Service for efficient and effective service delivery at all levels of governance.
Mr. Aina pointed out that by this development, the Civil Service (including Extra- Ministerial Departments, Parastatals, Commissions, Boards, Agencies), Teaching Service and the Local Government Service have been subsumed under the ambit and management of the Public Service Office (PSO) in the Office of the Head of
Service with respect to deployments and postings of staff.
Consequently, he explained, all restrictions to seamless movements of personnel from one spectrum of the Public Service to the other have been removed henceforth.
He however pointed out that various officers and staff to be deployed or posted under the new dispensation would have recourse to their respective originating offices, parastatals and commissions as regards their career progressions, emoluments and retirement benefits for purpose of administrative conveniences.
The Permanent Secretary further explained that with this human resources management innovation, there is now room for deployments across the various services into areas where there are critical needs for personnel.
This innovation will also assist in addressing the visible lopsidedness and imbalance in staff dispositions and will help to save cost to be incurred in recruitment of new appointments.
Above all, it would give unfettered latitudes to public servants to be all they want to be in their careers.

Members of the Federal House of Representatives  on Wednesday lauded the monumental infrastructural development in Osun state under the leadership of Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
The legislators also applauded the high sense of commitment of Osun state government to enhance both human and capital developments.

 
 
The members of the legislature gave the commendation during a one- day federal road projects inspection tour to Osun on Wednesday.
The National Assembly members who were conducted round the ongoing federal roads projects being funded by the state government, lauded Governor Rauf Aregbesola for remaining resilient to capital and physical infrastructural developments.
The visit had in attendance the entire  honourable members of the House Committee on works with its Chairman, Hon. Amuda Kannike representing Ilorin East/South Federal Constituency, other members of the Committee include: Hon. Muhammad Sani Abdu representing Alkaler/Kirfi Federal Constituency, Bauchi state, Hon. Abubakar Yunusa Ahmed representing Yamaltu-Deba Federal Constituency, Gombe State, Hon. Taiwo Michael Akintola representing Egbeda Ona Ara Federal Constituency, Oyo State, Hon. Adaranijo Taofeek representing Agege Federal Constituency, Lagos State, Hon. Kingsley Ebenyi representing Enugu East/Ibi-Uzo Federal Constituency, Enugu State, Hon.  Lazarus ogbee representing Ezza South/Ikwo Ebonyi state and Hon. Ajibola Famurewa representing Ijesa North Federal Constituency, Osun State.
Addressing journalists shortly after the inspection tour, the Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Amuda Kannike said the presence of the Committee in the state was to attest to the quality of the Federal Government roads being implemented by the state government.
He said the visitation tour was in consonance with the resolution of the House to inspect and assess some of the Federal Government infrastructural projects being financed by the states for reimbursement.
Kannike further noted that part of the efforts of the House was to attest to the socioeconomic and democratic impact of the roads on the citizenry.
He added; “We have seen a quite of number of roads in Osun and we found out these roads are of economic value since the Osun is an agrarian state.
“We have seen some federal roads that have been intervened by the state government. We have attested to the quality of some of these roads.
“It is our beliefs that if these roads are opened it will boost agriculture and as well give way for industrialisation and real economic connectivity.
“With the completion of those roads we have seen so far in Osun, there is no doubt that the inputs to farms would be revamped just the outputs to the markets would be boosted.
“With what we have seen, we cannot imagine the perpendicular development that would have come to Osun if all these road projects have been completed”.
“For instance, the road linking Osogbo/Ikirun/Ila-Odo Kwara state boundary, would have brought monumental development if it has been completed since; likewise, Akoda/Ode-Omu/Gbongan road, Osogbo-Ilesa roads and Osogbo/Ilajue roads respectively.
“I am very sure that if these roads have been completed since, it would have helped to turn around the state’s economic fortunes and as well give birth to industrialisation.
“Though some these states are working very hard to ensure that these projects are reclaimed by the owner (federal government), but I can assure them that the House Committee on works and the entire honourable members in the House have started reviewing the claims.
“We are also working on the reimbursement of financial commitments being made by some of these states”, he added.

The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on Thursday reaffirmed his government’s determination to complete all ongoing projects across the state before the expiration of his tenure.

 
He said his administration has been working round the clock to ensure adequate sustainability of the legacies and impacts made in all aspects of the economy.
Governor Aregbesola gave the assurance while addressing people at a colloquium titled: ‘Raufnomic’ being organised to mark the anniversary of his second year of the second term.
He said the state under his watch had since assumption, laying the foundation in every area with the sole aim of placing the state to a steady progressive path.
Reflecting on his developmental scorecards since his assumption of office, Aregbesola said his administration through innovative thinking was within one hundred days in office engaged 20,000 youths in public works through the universally appraised Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme, O’YES.
Governor Aregbesola  said the O’YES initiative has gone a long way in taking a lot of idle youths off the streets, redefining their lives and as well giving them hope capable of sustaining them throughout their lives.
He said his government has also positively  impacted the lives of over 40,000 youths through the O’YES scheme as it  has helped to drastically reduce crime rates in the state, saying the N200 million monthly allowance being given to O’YES volunteers has tremendously reflated the economy of the state.
Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola said the stipends being received by the O’YES cadets goes directly into the economy of the state, adding that “in less than two years, Osun GDP shot to the seventh largest in Nigeria”.
Speaking about education , Aregbesola said his administration has expended billions in the provision of free meals for 262,000 pupils every school day, noting that the innovation was aimed at revamping agriculture, empowering farmers, cooks and food vendors in a value chain of wealth creation that cascades to at least one million homes in Osun.
He said the state under his watch has built several state-of-the-art model schools across the nooks and crannies of the state having taken seriously the importance of education to development.
He added; “I have no doubt that our monumental performances made the organisers of this event to also coin out ‘Raufnomics’ to reflect how our policies have positively affected Osun in a most fundamental sense.
“We provided E-learning tablets to final year grade 12 pupils in the state. This is an innovation that is not available anywhere in the world except Osun.
“We have also made significant investment in agriculture. We realised that food is an integral aspect of national security. No nation is secure that cannot feed its people. Agriculture is also the gateway to industrialisation.
“We have consequently empowered our people in various agriculture schemes. We have sent two batches of our youths to Germany for further training in modern agriculture practices.
“We have constructed more than 800 kilometres of quality, stone based roads with concrete drainages across the length and breadth of the state. 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 incorporated the weak and vulnerable groups like the specially challenged, destitute, the aged, women and the girl child for special care and attention through special schemes.
Considering the adverse effect of the present economic predicaments, Aregbesola said his government has been working hard to rescue the state from the drift of economic collapse.
Governor Aregbesola however pledged to continuously position the state on the path of economic stability, progress and prosperity, saying “we have made it a point that no one is left behind by our administration”.
In their separate remarks, the Guest Speaker, Professor Akin Oyebode and other discussants include: Dr. Charles Iyore; President General of Osun State Market Women, Alhaja Awawu Asindemade, Permanent Secretary Budget Planning in the state, Mr. Olusegun Olorunsogo, Chairman Osun state command of Police Community Relations Committee, PCRC, Comrade Amitolu Shittu among others, reign praises on Governor Aregbesola for being diligent and unrelenting in taking the state to enviable heights ever known in history.
Speaking on the topic titled “Democracy, Good Governance and Sustainable Economic Development: Value Added Approach”, the Guest Speaker, Professor Akin Oyebode commended governor Aregbesola for being consistent in treading the path of economic greatness since assumption of power.
Prof. Oyebode said the event was to celebrate the doggedness, unrelenting and unwavering commitment of Governor Aregbesola to all round growth and development.
Oyebode who described politics and governance as instruments deliberately designed to give hope to the people, said the present administration has clearly resuscitated the already lost hope, sustained it through good governance and as well rekindled the future of the state through massive infrastructures across the length and breath of the state.
“Aregbesola has changed Osun landscape politically and economically. The presence of his good governance has been felt in every nook and cranny of the state.
“Aregbesola has left his footprint on the sound of time. He has been within the last six years doing his best to ensure that the state maintain and sustain her status as pacesetter in infrastructure development.
“Very many initiatives such as Osun Youths Empowerment Scheme, O’YES, Osun Rural Enterprises and Agricultural Programme, O’REAP, E-learning computer tablets produced and distributed freely to students of public high schools, Osun Schools Infrastructure Development Programme, O’SCHOOLS, Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme, O’MEAL, among others are initiated to bring about the much desired socioeconomic transformation to the people of Osun.
“All the projects being executed under Aregbesola’s administration are purposefully designed to add values to general well being of the citizens”, Professor Oyebode stressed.

The establishment of the State Traditional Medicine Practitioners Board hasbeen approved by the state government and the inauguration date will be announced soon.
 

 
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Akinyinka Oluseyi Esho made this disclosure during the meeting held with the Traditional Medicine Practitioners representatives in his office.
He stressed further that the Board will manage the activities of Traditional Medicine Practitioners in the state.
According to the statement, the Government of the State of Osun, under the leadership of Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola, will not relent in its effort to see that people living in Osun have access to all inclusive health care.
Present at the meeting were Deputy Director, Primary Health Care, Mr Tunde Adekunle ,Chief Kayode Esuleke, Chief Olalude Oluajo and the desk officer, Mr Moronkeji Bolarinwa.

The wife of the Governor, State of Osun, Mrs Serifat Aregbesola today put smile on the faces of  less privileged children when she presented various gift items to them at FOMWAN Orphanage and the Motherless and Abandoned Babies Home and Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Hospital, Jaleyemi both in Osogbo, the State Capital.
 

 
Mrs Aregbesola, who was represented by the Coordinating Director, Ministry of Information, Home Affairs, Tourism and Culture, Mrs Femi Webster Esho said that the items were presented to the Orphanage homes in the spirit of the season.
According to her, the presentation of the gifts is an annual event, which  is done by the Office of the First Lady and the Ministry of Information, Home Affairs, Tourism and Culture and used to celebrate with less privileged children who are Christians and Muslims.
At FOMWAN Orphanage Home, Mrs. Aregbesola appreciated the workers taking care of the children and prayed that Allah will continue to protect and provide for them.
In her reaction, the Amiral of the Orphanage Home, Alhaja Babalola thanked the wife of the State Governor for her kind gestures which always bring smiles on the faces of the less privileged.
She therefore prayed that Allah will continue to protect, direct and provide for her and the Management and Staff of
the Ministry of Information, Home Affairs, Tourism and Culture.
Similarly, at the Motherless and Abandoned Babies Home at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Hospital, Jaleyemi, Osogbo, Rev. Sister Mary Elizabeth Akinlotan, who received Mrs Aregbesola’s delegates to the Orphanage expressed her sincere gratitude to Mrs Serifat
Aregbesola for providing for the needs of the less privileged in her characteristics manner.
Highlights of the programme was the presentation of food items and baby care products to the management of the two orphanages homes.

In line with the commitment of  the government of the state of Osun to continue to  invest in education, students of the  Kuta Community  high Schooll, Kuta,  were presented with tablets of knowledge ( Opon Imo) yesterday.
Excitement greeted the presentation of the tablets of knowledge as the students openly displayed their joy.
The Principal  of Kuta Community  High School, Mr Asifat Musibau who spoke after the presentation , thanked the state government for its continued support of education in the state.
Mother of one of the students who received the tablet of Knowledge,  Mrs Lateef Silifat also praised the governor of the state who she described as a man of vision for sticking to his guns in the face of adversity.
 

 

The Principal  of Kuta Community  High School,  Mr Asifat musibau(right),presentimg  a Tablet of knowledge  (OPON IMO),  to a student, Olalekan Daniel.  With them is his Sister,  Ojo Damilola (left), during the Distribution  of Tablet of knowledge by the State  Government  to students  of Kuta  Community  High school, Kuta,  State of Osun

The Principal  of Kuta Community  High School, Mr Asifat musibau (right), presenting  a Tablet of knowledge  (OPON IMO),  to a student,  Oloyede Bukola, during the distribution  of Tablet of knowledge by the  State Government to students  of Kuta Community  High School , Kuta  State of Osun
 

The Principal  of Kuta Community  High School,  Mr Asifat musibau (right), presenting  a Tablet of knowledge  (OPON IMO),  to a student, Oyelude Ayomide. With them is his father,   Mr Oyedeji  Samson (left), during
the distribution  of Tablet of knowledge by the State Government to students of Kuta  Community  High school, Kuta,  State of Osun
Students  of Kuta  Community  High  School and thier Parents,  after collecting tablets of knowledge, during the distribution of Tables by the State Government in their School at Kuta, State of  Osun.

In one of his essays, American author, Wilfred Peterson wrote: “big thinking precedes great achievement.” With the benefit of hindsight, Rauf Aregbesola has left his marks on history and his successors will have to do a lot to rival his achievements. And, as the governor marks six years as Osun State helmsman, an attempt at appraising his stewardship is, in my view, not out of place.
 
 

 
Let’s start with the Education sector where Aregbesola’s rich, nurturing, and healing contributions are well known to students of political history. In the last six years, his administration has successfully completed about 100 out of the promised 170 mega schools. Others, though delayed due to obvious reasons, are more than 60% completed. With the employment of about 7,350 teachers, professionally trained and equipped to improve learning in public schools; and with the retraining of more than 5000 others, one is not left in doubt about the “remarkable improvement in the pass rate of students presented for the West African Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE)from 6.86% in 2007 to 46.3% in 2016.”
With the creation of Osun Education Quality Assurance and Morality Enforcement Agency, Aregbesola’s government has also succeeded in restoring high quality education, discipline and morality into our schools. And, apart from being the only state in the country that has so far been providing free, nutritious lunch for its primary school pupils through its now-repackaged Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health Scheme, the programme, alongside others such as youth empowerment and elderly welfare schemes, have been adopted by the Federal Government.
Pundits will agree with me that, in a recessed economy such as we have found ourselves, diversification is one sure way out of the woods. Aregbesola creatively recognizes the importance of agriculture as the ‘future of Osun State’. Little wonder he has visited no fewer than six farm settlements in recent times. In simple language, a visit of this size and shape will not only aim at reviving the glory of the sector, it is also an avenue to get first-hand information from the farmers with a view to improving the revenue base of the state. It is also in a bid to make Osun State the food hub of the Southwest region that 20 of its youth were recently sent to Germany, a country renowned for her industrial and technological edge, to learn the science of mechanized farming.
At a time like this, we need to challenge those who claim to have been championing our cause to reveal to us the structure and the nomenclature of our cause. Quite frankly, I’ve always wondered why a 25-year old state like Osun could not boast of at least 25 first-rate, world-class industries! In truth, that was the sorry state of the state before Aregbesola changed it for good. RLG Technology Institute, Ilesa; Omoluabi Garment Industries, Osogbo; and Bola Ige Mechatronics Institute, Esa-Oke among others, have not only come to stay, they, alongside the once-moribund-but-now-revived Cocoa Products Industry in Ede are now adding to the state’s revenue base.
Again, we shouldn’t forget in a hurry his bold step in according Osogbo its pride of place in the comity of state capitals in Nigeria even as he deserves commendation for his intervention in local government administration in the state. With the creation and successful take-off of 61 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs); 3 Area Offices; and 2 Administrative Offices from the former 31 Local Government Areas, Aregbesola has succeeded in bringing government closer to the people, apart from the encouragement of even development of towns and villages within the state and positive improvement in the state’s revenue base.
Kudos to this visionary leader for the importance his government attaches to the socio-economic revivification and huge infrastructural development of the state! Aregbesola’s quality leadership could also be felt in the rehabilitation and equipping of government hospitals with state-of-the-art facilities. Apart from the building of Diabetes Centre at Ede, in collaboration with some Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), state hospitals all over the state were also upgraded in line with global standards; and procurement of drugs from our hospitals have become so simplified that patients can now walk in and get drugs without the usual bottlenecks hitherto attached to the process.
Welcome ‘OponÌmò’, the stand-alone, e-learning device, which has unfortunately become an object of needless, benighted controversies. While Aregbesola’s traducers characteristically see it as yet another in the series of successive governments’ phony projects though which funds are senselessly siphoned into private pockets, it must be noted that, economy-induced challenges notwithstanding, not less than 23,000 units of the customized computer were distributed to pupils in Osun State-owned schools during the first phase while the second phase which took effect in November 2015 is still in progress. As we speak, those already retrieved from outgone students are undergoing reconfiguration to give students newly-promoted to SSS 3 class the equal opportunity of using the ‘Tablet of Knowledge’.
Democracy hath no fury than a people abandoned! Give it to the astute administrator who has succeeded in building a productive and workable system. Today, issuance of Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) goes for as low as N30,000.00 as against N100,000.00 for a piece of land measured 15 by 30 metre (50 by 100) and it can be got within 3 months. We have the ‘Omoluabi Scale’ (Osunwon Omoluabi), put in place, principally, to eliminate cheating and leverage on the control of commodity pricing while not overlooking its advantageous health implications.
The politically-motivated Hijab narrative! The economy-induced salary palaver! The storm-in-a-teacup merger of schools! The ridiculously over-bloated Osun debt profile! And, of course, the alleged Islamization agenda! As Aregbesola’s government is midterm and sort of winding down, one cannot but expect more of distracting surprises from closest allies, distressing betrayal from false friends, willful nonsense from hitherto party members, obsessive egotism from the narrow, uneducated mind, deceitful drama from the weird, stunningly ignorant whose portion is in beliefs that reject persuasion; and frustrating innuendos from the “foxes, the little foxes” scandalously scheming to pitch the governor’s administration into turmoil. In any case, these are some of the hypocritical ingredients of the ‘nothing-goes-according-to-plan’ political broth and only focussed governance can serve as antidote!
In 2013, Osun emerged with lowest unemployment rate in Nigeria! But how come we are where we are and where do we go from here? The truth, the bitter truth is that Nigeria’s current economic situation and its attendant complications are signals sufficient enough to warn this notoriously extractive, not productive, system that something needs to give before it is too late! As things stand, no fewer than 33 states are struggling to pay their workers’ salaries and more than 25 of them are prisoners to the bailout loans given to states earlier in the life of the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration. Should Federal Government deem it fit to cancel these loans, allocations accruing to states
from the Federation Account will heave a sigh of relief and Osun will be better for it. Furthermore, with right regulations and incentives, coupled with efficient monitoring of loans disbursement to farmers, it’s just a matter of time before agriculture regains its lost glory in the state.
Similarly, if the national government can actualize its promise of employing 200,000 youth before the year runs out, its trickle-down effect will in no small measure impact on the state’s economy. Over and above all, eventual formation of state executive council and constitution of local government administration will go a long way in creating the prosperity we desire in Osun.
All said, with Aregbesola’s honourable intentions, innovative interventions and crowning achievements, won’t we rather agree with Anthony Udofia that “it is globally acceptable to borrow money to do capital projects”?
May powers and personalities assigned to derail Osun’s beautiful destiny, scatter!
 
abiodun KOMOLAFE
KOMOLAFE writes in from Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State, Nigeria (ijebujesa@yahoo.co.uk)
abiodun KOMOLAFE,
020, Okenisa Street,
PO Box 153,
Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State.

Governors in the South-West geopolitical zone on Monday held the South-West Economic Summit at the Oyo State Governor’s office in Ibadan, where they all agreed to play common politics of development to aid economic growth and development in the zone.

The governors present at the meeting were the host Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State, Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State, Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State, Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State and Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Rotimi Adelola.
The meeting, which had the theme, ‘South-West Governors Economic Forum,’ was convened by Ajimobi.

Speaking on behalf of the governors at the end of the forum, Fayose said that the meeting was called to discuss several issues of common concerns to the geopolitical zone in view of the challenging economic circumstances confronting the nation and its constituent parts.
He said the governors had agreed to start playing politics of development, go beyond their political differences and put the Yoruba people first in their endeavour.
Fayose added that the forum also agreed to use the collaboration to improve on infrastructure, security, commerce and other areas in the interest of the geopolitical zone. He said that all the governors had agreed that regional integration was the best way forward for the Yoruba race.
Fayose said, “This meeting was called to discuss several issues of common concern to the geopolitical zone in view of the challenging economic circumstances confronting the nation and the people.
“We have agreed to start playing politics of development by going beyond our political differences and putting our people and the geopolitical zone first in all things. We also agreed to use this collaboration to improve on the infrastructure, security, commerce and beyond in the interest of the region.”
Also speaking after the meeting, Ambode emphasised the governors’ decision to put political differences apart for the interest of regional growth and welfare of the people.
“We have declared here that irrespective of our political differences, our people must come first. Overall, we must move our people in the direction of prosperity. The prosperity of the region is in the best interest of the states. It is more about the people and not about politics,” said the Lagos governor.
Ajimobi said the commitment and presence of the governors were testimonies to the importance they had placed on the common challenges and problems confronting the people of the region.
Recounting the present economic predicament that had befallen the country and its effect on state governments’ inability to pay workers salaries among others, the governor noted that the region with all its potential and resources had no business with underdevelopment, poverty and low quality of life.
The next edition of the forum will be hosted by Ekiti State in 2017, where the governors are expected to review development in the South-West since the last meeting.