The Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, has called on the Federal Government to embrace tourism in the face of dwindling revenue from oil.
 

 
Speaking at the grand finale of the grand finale of the Osun Osogbo Festival in Osogbo on Friday, the governor, who was represented by the former Commissioner for Culture, Tourism and Home Affairs in the state, Mr. Sikiru Ayedun, said government and other stakeholders should explore the opportunities embedded in the festival.
He said government should incorporate the festival in its diversification plans, noting that tourism could be used to generate more revenue for the government, especially at this period that oil, which is the mainstay of the nation’s economy, was not yielding fruits like it used to.

“We unfortunately do not celebrate our culture the way we should,” he added.
Other dignitaries at the event, including the National Coordinator of the Oodua People’s Congress, Chief Gani Adams, and the governor emeritus of the Rotary International, Dr. Mike Omotosho, also called on the government to make the festival more attractive to tourists.
Adams said government and the organisers of the festival should do more to promote it in order to attract more visitors, saying that could attract more tourists to the event and boost the economy of the state. He said many countries where tourists often visit do not have as many interesting places of interest as Nigeria but lamented the neglect of promotion of culture and tourism in the country.
He said, “The Federal Government should collaborate with the state  government and the people of Osun in creating a platform where the Osun Festival could  be showcased for the world to embrace.
“Osun is a goddess that has been strong and honourable for ages. If well organised, festivals like Osun Osogbo Festival can boost the economy of any country. The cost implication of getting to this place is N5,000 and if we multiply this by the thousands of people who attended the festival, it will be a huge amount.
“I am not happy with the way the number of participants has been decreasing. This is an indication that the organisers are not doing enough to woo tourists to the festival. Osun Festival could be promoted more in many ways.
“Nothing stops major television stations in the country from covering this event live. This will whet the appetite of those who are not there and the strategy would increase participation in subsequent ones.”
“I am not pleased in any way with the organisers of this event for their way of not arranging anything to eat. We don’t celebrate Christmas without eating anything and Ileya ( Eid el Kabir)  too. How can we call this a festival when you don’t give the people just a sachet water.
Omotosho said the groove should be developed to make it more appealing to tourists from within and from outside the country to come and visit the place.
The Director General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Mr. Yusuf Abdullah, lauded the organisers of the event for the facilities put in place to make it a hitch free event.
The festival was held with no major incident despite the rumour of the plan by some persons to kidnap the ‘Arugba Osun’ which is the cynosure of all eyes during the procession to the shrine.
        

The Governor of the state of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has approved the appointment of Prince (Alhaji) Dauda  Ajolola Akinfalabi from Lagbedu Ruling House as the new Olowu of Orile-owu, Ayedade Local Government and Prince Kazeem Adio Orioye of the Aroyehun Ruling House as the Onigege of Igege in Olaoluwa Local Government.
 

 
This was contained in the appointment letter to the monarchs which was signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy, Water Resources, Rural and Community Affairs, Mr. Muftau Oluwadare.
The Permanent Secretary explained that, the appointments are in line with Section 20, sub – section (1) of the Chief’s Law of the state of Osun 2002. While congratulating them on behalf of the government of the state, he added that arrangements are being made to publish the appointments in the Government Official Gazette.

The World Bank has again applauded the State of Osun for maintaining its leading position in the Youth Employment and Social Support Operation (YESSO)‎ among the participating states in Nigeria.
 

 
The International Financial Institution stated this through Professors Sulaiman Yusuf and Wale Oni at the third phase of the Community Based Targeting (CBT) Team Validation Exercise for Community Development Officers (CDOs) and their Assistants who will be working in the selected communities within the new set of Local Government Areas selected.
The duo maintained that, YESSO came on board to increase access of the poor to youth employment opportunities, social services and to strengthen safety net systems in participating states.
In his remarks at the event, the Coordinator, State Operation Coordinating Unit (SOCU), Osun YESSO‎, Mr. Olufemi Ifaturoti commended the World Bank team for their efforts which he said were instrumental to the coming on board of YESSO in Osun.
Mr. Ifaturoti also eulogized the Federal Operation Coordinating Unit Team (FOCU), Local Government Officials and his SOCU team for their steadfastness which has seen the support operation waxing stronger and stronger.
Also speaking at the event on behalf of the Federal Operation Coordinating Unit (FOCU), Mr. Sulaiman Haruna‎ maintained that, the World Bank/FOCU team was in Osun to ensure that the third round of the Community Based Targeting (CBT) exercise turns out very successful.
The new set of Local Government Areas selected for the third round of the Community Based Targeting(CBT) Exercise‎ are Ife East in addition with the Area Office,  Iwo, Ayedaade, Atakumosa West, Boripe and Odo-Otin.
Among those present at the event were; Alexander Ajiduku from the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office(NASSCO),‎ Abuja, Bada Oluwaseyi from FOCU, Abuja, Abdulsalam A.O also from FOCU in Abuja and  Mr. J.O Akande who is the Coordinating Director of the State Planning Commission (SPC).

The Osun State Commissioner of Police , Mr Femi Oyeleye, on Wednesday, assured that the command has beefed up security in the state ahead of the Osun Festival to prevent the alleged plan to kidnap the Votary Maid traditionally known as “the Arugba Osun”.

The CP said this at a press conference in Osogbo, the state capital ahead of the festival which will climax on Friday.
The Arugba is the key figure and the center of attraction during the annual festival as she is believed to be the representative of the Osun goddess.
The CP said the police got some intelligence report on this and the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun barely a day to the grand finale of the festival also reported the plan to kidnap the Arugba to him.
“We have received intelligence report that some people are planning to kidnap the Arugba Osun.
“The monarch of the town also said this. So we have increased surveillance around the Arugba to prevent this. We have reinforced security around the Arugba and even the ‘Igba’ so that the festival can go on without any hitch.
“We are also assuring worshippers and all visitors of adequate security. The crime rate in Osun State is one of the lowest in the country and we will do everything to sustain this.”
Oyeleye warned police officers in the state to desist from extortion and other misconducts, saying he would not allow anyone of them caught to go unpunished.
The CP stated that the he had renewed his drive towards sanitizing the command because this was in line with the directive of the new Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris.
The CP said 29 policemen were undergoing trials at the Provost Office for offences ranging from extortion to dereliction of duty among others.
He said that the report of the trial would be made public in about a month’s time when the trial would have been concluded.

The Governor of Osun state, Governor Rauf Aregbesola has called on Nigerians to be patient with President Buhari’sadministration.

He said this while receiving an award from Nigerian Association of Technologists in Engineering (NATE).

Speaking on the current situation in the country, Aregbesola said change is a gradual process.

The Governor also called on Nigerians to support the present administration as it seeks for solutions to the present economic crisis.

Adding that “Change does not come easily; change comes generally with pain and it is this pain that will turn out for good.

“There is no doubt that we are going through serious socioeconomic and political challenges and it is my fervent belief that after this period, Nigerians will experience good life, joy and happiness.

“I am of the opinion, with strong conviction that after this painful period, glorious era of joy, happiness and prosperity will come.

“I appeal to Nigerians to exercise patience with the present government, as the process of change is difficult and usually accompanied with huge pains.”

A member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Board of Trustees (BoT), Olisaemeka Akamukale, also said Nigerians are becoming impatient with the Buhari-led administration.

The Job Center has been established as a State Government funded one-stop employment support service. O-JOBS is an operational arm under the aegis of the Office of the Governor with the principal function of providing private sector companies with a bespoke online job recruiting forum to access Osun indigenes and resident

The Osun Job Center has 31 Desk Offices located at each of the 30 Local Government Secretariats and Ife North East Office to help facilitate the goal of lowering unemployment within the State.
Employability Skills training:  to enhance the employability and entrepreneurship of participants.
Career Counselling:  to help explore career opportunities to make informed employment and education choices.
Job fairs; to connect job seekers to employers.
An infrastructure for the business community to post its skill needs.
It is for the osun indigenes.
To register log on to; http://osunjobcenter.org/

The Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, has called for a ban on export of primary farm produce, as part of strategies to grow local production and enhance the value chains of the country’s agricultural investments.
 

 
He said only innovative ventures in agriculture could make farm produce to be converted into secondary products, adding that Nigeria must create strategies that would make agriculture to be attractive to a new generation of young Nigerians before farming could be viable option towards economic diversification.
He noted that the country has not shown serious efforts towards making farming a viable venture. “We should stop exporting primary products and start adding value. The value of a kilogramme of exported cocoa beans increases 5,000 per cent by the time it comes back as chocolate.”
While challenging Nigerian agricultural scientists, technologists, nutritionists and other allied experts to be innovative, Aregbesola lamented that for ages, Nigerians have failed to improve the varieties of foods that are obtainable for their various farm produce.
“Our foods have remained the same from time immemorial. It is the same type of foods we derive from our crops in the past that we still do now. Nutritionists, food scientists and food technologists should find better uses for our crops.”

“The orientation of our agriculture towards producing raw materials, especially cash crops, for the industries in Europe and the America must be reversed from producing what we don’t use to producing what we use.
“Agriculture is needed primarily for food production. Only well fed people can drive economic development. Good nutrition is the primary basis of good health. Good nutrition therefore drives productivity in two ways; first through good health and secondly the unbounded energy and confidence that come from it,” he added.
He pointed out that Nigeria’s agriculture products are non-competitive, due to low productivity, adding, “While Nigeria and much of Africa are leading producers of cassava for instance, the traditional yield per hectare has been around 15 tonnes (Nigeria) and 10 tonnes (Africa), while global average in 2010 was put at 12.5 tonnes.
“However, India’s average yield in 2010 was 34.8 tonnes per hectare and Thailand’s yield is reported to be a whopping 120 tonnes per hectare.”

The Governor of Osun has on Tuesday said there will be no going back in his government’s human development policies as he launched the Osun Job Centre.
 

 
He said the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme O-YES policy brought great micro-economic impact on the state with N200 million monthly allowance given to the youth under the programme.
The Governor stated these at the commissioning of the Osun Job Centre at the parking lot of the Ayegbaju International Modern Market in Osogbo.
Aregbesola added that his administration is taking job creation to a greater height with the establishment of the job centre where government will not need to employ workers directly but create an environment where finding jobs will become easy for the unemployed and better jobs for the youths.
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He pointed out that the centre will provide an interface between applicants and employers by maintaining a database that will be made available to employers who need to recruit, adding that‎ it will also keep record of job vacancies which applicants can consult.

The Governor stressed that before the coming of his administration there was a high and frightening level of youth disorientation‎ which brought about the OYES that engaged 20,000 youths in public works in less than 100 days after inauguration.
According to him, “All the programmes we have implemented and the one of today have been captured in the Green Book which we entitled: “My Path with Osun.
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“Today, if you open the book, you will find all we have done and are doing. If anybody had told you that in Osogbo there would be the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, would you have believed it was possible? But is it there now or not?
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“If anybody had told you that a road would start from Osogbo and run through to Ila Odo Kwara Boundary in one tenure; would you believe it was possible? But is it there now or not?
“When I said we would employ 20, 000 youths in our hundred days in office, many laughed and called us jokers. Today, has the joke been translated into truth or not?
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“If anybody had told you that a second ring road would come into existence in Osogbo would you believe it? But is it there now or not?‎”
The Governor stated that his administration is responsible to all the people in the state and not a section of it.
He revealed that of the four million population of Osun, there are 60 thousand civil servants (retired and working), whose salary and pension are much more than the revenue accruing to the state today.
Aregbesola averred that to pay workers salary alone will amount to neglecting over 3.9 million people of the state.
He said, “If you are to use all the resources of the state to pay salaries life will be hard and unliveable, therefore our government uses its creativity to spread the resources we have to all citizens. By this, we can achieve development.”
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In her speech, the Coordinator of Job Centre, Ms. Mobolaji Akande, said Osun is the first state in the federation to establish such centre to help reduce employment crisis the country is battling with.
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Mobolaji said the the Job Centre was designed with two purposes of providing comprehensive data base of Osun job seekers and provide a robust system for collating accurate figures of employment and unemployment rates in the state.
According to her, the data collated would help the state government to plan better for economic policies through highlighting areas of skills and skill deficits.
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She stated that the Job Centre would provide employment support services such as career counseling for job seekers; employablility skills training; verification of certificates; job fairs to connect individuals to employers of labour and seminars to be given by experts from all fields of the economy.
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“With these services, the Centre aims to turn out job seekers that are well equipped to make better choices be it in their educational training or their future careers and in so doing, set more realistic goals for themselves.
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“This will enable the state government to better plan it’s economic policies by highlighting areas of skills or skills deficits possessed by its human resources.
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“The Osun Job Centre is a State Government-funded programme and its services are provided at no cost to the users of its facilities. It will serve as an intermediary between job seekers and employers, with the goal of matching the company’s needs and requirements with a job seeker’s skills, experiences and interests.
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“The Centre does not create neither does it find jobs for users of its facilities.
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“What it does is complement other youth empowerment programmes that this administration has put in place,” Akande said.
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In his remarks, the Controller of Labour, Osun State Chapter, Bode Abikoye, said unemployment and poverty among youths combined as the single biggest bane affecting the nation’s economy.
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Abikoye also mentioned undue market forces as one of the worst causes of unemployment in the country.
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He commended Aregbesola for his vision by providing the job centre to curb the increasing wave of unemployment ravaging the land.
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He said that “Unemployment and poverty among Nigerian youths have been the single biggest bane of economic development in the country.
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“Enthronement of undue market forces also caused unemployment particularly starting from the later eighties during the military regimes.
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“The establishment of the Job Centre demonstrates the vision of Governor Aregbesola. This Centre will no doubt help in combating unemployment in the state.”

Traditional rulers under the aegis of the Osun Divisional Conference of Obas have called on Government and law enforcement agencies in the state to up their intelligence gathering in order to sustain the state’s enviable record of very low crime rate in the country.
 

 
They said that recent cases of kidnaping of monarchs in the country should be dealt with decisively by the Police in order to put an end to it.
The Traditional rulers stated this in a Communique signed by its Secretary, the Aragbiji of Iragbiji, Oba Abdul-Rasheed Olabomi at the end of the meeting of Osun Divisional Conferences of Obas at the Palace of the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun.The monarchs urged the police to intensify efforts in the task of securing the country.
The Aregbesola government had earlier in 2012 and 2014 released 20 modern Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) and over 100 patrol vans and bikes for the use of the police.
The Conference commended the effort of the Aregbesola-led administration for providing logistics and equipment to combat crime in the state? also urged government not to relent in ensuring that crime rate that had been hitherto low does not increase.
According to the Communique, “Conference appreciates the developmental efforts of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the Governor of Osun?. Obas call on Government and law enforcement agencies to ?step up intelligence with a view to making the state inhabitable for criminals.
“Intelligence gathering and community policing should be adopted to reduce crime in Osun and Nigeria as a whole,” The Monarchs emphasised.

The Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun, on Thursday celebrated the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Akure involving him and other  contestants  in the town’s chieftaincy tussle.
 

 
The monarch, who was full of praise to God and the Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, as well as the kingmakers, said it was God who installed him.
The monarch spoke in Osogbo on Thursday  at a press conference he addressed as part of activities making the commencement of the 2016 Osun Osogbo Festival.

The monarch was sacked by the lower court and he proceeded to the Court of Appeal in Akure but the court ruled that the case should be started afresh at the High Court.
One of the chiefs in the town, who is the Ajaguna of Osogbo, Chief Gabriel Oparanti, burst  into songs of thanksgiving and dancing to appreciate God for the  favourable court verdict.
The monarch said, “I thank God for the grace given me to be part of this year Osun Festival.  This is my first public speech since the (Court of Appeal) court in Akure said I should remain in the palace.
“I thank the kingmakers because God did not put them to shame on the matter. My reign was punctuated at the lower court and we moved to the Court of Appeal in Akure and they said I should remain in the palace.”
The Ataoja also described Aregbesola as a good leader, who was not given to vendetta.
He said that he (Ataoja) and Aregbesola were not together when the latter was seeking to become the governor of the state but the governor rose above that and drew him closer after he had assumed office.
He said this kind of leaders were rare in the country while praying to God to uphold the governor.
“I thank the Osun State Government under Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, a governor, who does not go on a vendetta mission.”