Former President Olusegun Obasanjo  weekend commended Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State for his neutrality in the crisis in the state following recent court ruling permitting the use of female head scarf “hijab” in Osun State  public schools.
 

 
Obasanjo, who was the chairman of the occasion at the  handover ceremony of a multi-purpose hall and a library donated by Senator Yinka Omilani to Ode-Omu community stated that the recent utterances of Aregbesola on the court verdict on hijab had doused tension in the state.
 
Osun hijab crisis Aregbesola had at the wake of the controversy that trailed the order allowing the use of hijab, denied ordering the use of hijab in schools because he did not order his wife and daughter to use hijab.
 
Obasanjo, who was represented by Gbaabile of Egbaland, Dr. Femi Majekodunmi, said the statement from the governor confirmed his neutrality in the conflict over the use of hijab by female Muslim students in public schools in the state.
 
He said, “He (Obasanjo) is in China now. He said the governor (Aregbesola) said something which confirmed his neutrality in the matter; that word went a long way in dousing the tension which recently heightened in the state.”
 
Obasanjo described the donor, Senator Omilani, a former Vice Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the South West, as a great philanthropist, noting that his contribution to his community, Osun State and Nigeria at large could never be overlooked. He urged the community to make judicious use of the facilities which he described as a significant legacy.
 
Speaking, Aregbesola reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to improving infrastructure in nooks and crannies of the state regardless of the current economic situation. He announced that the ongoing construction of Gbongan/Ode-Omu dual-carriageway would be completed before the end of the year.
 
The Governor attributed the slow-pace of work at various construction sites and projects by his administration to the effect of fall in the revenue accruing to the state, assuring that all the ongoing projects in the state would be completed before the end of his tenure.
 
He lauded Senator Omilani for his kind gestures, calling on other well-meaning Nigerians to emulate him, noting that no matter how committed government was, it could not do everything and called for support from the privileged and wealthy individuals in the society.
 
On his part, the donor of the library,  Senator Omilani attributed the construction of the ultra modern library and multi-purpose hall as part of his commitments towards the development of education and Ode-Omu community.
 
Omilani said the provision of supplementary readers in schools and public libraries was one way of expanding the horizon of knowledge and acquisition of life-long skill, saying the act would save the teeming youths from idleness and juvenile delinquency.

Governor  Rauf Aregbesola of Osun on Friday said the ongoing restructuring and reforms in all the state-owned tertiary institutions were not aimed at retrenching workers as being speculated.

Aregbesola said this at the inauguration of a N140 million e-Library and N34.4 million ultra-modern lecture hall at the state College of Education, Ila-Orangun.
 

 
The governor, who described the speculation as baseless, said the idea behind the restructuring exercise was not to witch-hunt but to improve the quality of lecturers.
He said his administration would not do anything that would inflict pains on workers and residents of the state.
“The restructuring is aimed at bringing up the quality of the lecturers.
“ I must also add that the government has no intention of witch-hunting or victimising anyone for his or her religious, political or ideological leaning.
“You will all agree that there have been many innovations in education and those still teaching with the knowledge they acquired 20 years ago have fallen behind time.
“We must also improve the quality of our teachers, if we want to improve the quality of education we are giving to the young ones.
“This puts to rest the false, unfounded and malicious speculation that the government is closing down these schools.
“What we are trying to do is to ensure everyone is qualified and fits into the bigger picture of the education we are providing in the state,” he said.
In his address, the Provost of the institution, Prof. Isaac Olayinka Oyewole, said that the new library would accommodate 2,000 users at a time.
Oyewole said with the new e-library, the institution could conveniently boast of housing a modern digital library unit.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Governing Council, Mr Niyi Akande, said the council was working toward transforming the college into a degree awarding institution.

Aregbesola made this observation yesterday at the 6th Toyin Falola Annual International Conference TOFAC, 2016 organised by the Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State.
 
The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Africanity’ which, according to the organisers, is about the distinct African identity and Africa’s contribution to humanity in face of the increasing marginalisation of the continent in global affairs.
 

 
Aregbesola said Africa presents itself as a mystery to Africans than non-Africans. He averred that the continental Africans are hardly conscious of their Africaness thereby taking their identity as Africans for granted.
 
He said Africans only showcase their African identity only outside Africa or in a situation of contact with other races. According to the Governor, the continent would remain underdeveloped unless it’s agriculture forms the fulcrum of its economy.
 
He noted that the continent must as a necessity graduate from being only source of raw materials to the West for it to be an economic power house among developed nations of the world. He disclosed that the need to return to agriculture informed his administration’s pioneering of food revolution in the state so as for it (state) to feed it’s people.
 
“There are two conceptual Africas. The first is the Africa endowed with huge and humongous human and material resources.
 
The second is the largely underdeveloped Africa with a history of slavery and colonialism, ravaged by wars, hunger, poverty and the leading global aid recipient.
 
“It is beyond disputation that Africa has some of the largest deposits of mineral resources in the world. Her leading lights like Professor Wole Soyinka, late Chinua Achebe, Ali Mazrui, Dudley, Ade-Ajayi, Tomori, Oluponna, Falola and others rank among the best in their fields.
 
This is outside of legendary sportspersons that have done the continent proud. “By the account of the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Africa led the global begging troupe with a total aid outflow to Africa in 2013 at $46 billion, only followed by Asia in a distant second with $25 billion.
 
“This is the burden that all Africans, especially the Diaspora, carry as they interact with the world. These negative indices are at the back of the mind of Europeans and other developed people when they meet or have dealings with black people. Regrettably, this was not the Africa of the past.
 
“What then has happened to Africa? How have we regressed? How have we become underdeveloped? The great task of our generation then is how to return Africa into its leadership position by harnessing its human and material endowments. “Africa’s economy should be re-oriented away from its present Eurocentrism to Afrocentrism.
 
We are not going to be an economic powerhouse if our agriculture consists mainly of producing the raw materials for others industrial production. “I pioneered food revolution in Osun by encouraging farmers to plant food crops, in order to feed our people. Africa should do the same. Our mineral resources should be developed to feed our industries, instead of feeding Euro-American and now Asian industries,” Aregbesola said.
 
The governor also reiterated the need to review the nation’s education system with a view to laying emphasis on skill acquisition so as to produce resourceful graduate that can stand on their own. He also called on the organisers of the conference to rethink and reconsider teaching in the indigenous African languages as this had been proved to aid better understanding by the late educationist, Professor Babatunde Fafunwa.
 
The governor equally called the attention of all stakeholders and government to address Africa’s women’s empowerment, noting that the current economic disempowerment of women in this part of the world could lead to unpleasant social consequences.
 
He continued: “Considering the situation in Africa, it is very seductive to ask for a second independence, not from external forces this time, but from self-imposed restrictions.
 
“The identity, recognition and respect we seek from outside will only come when we change our situation internally. Then we will get the respect of the world.”
 
The keynote Speaker, Professor Nini Wariboko said Africa has a retarded progress owing to the break down in its knowledge system.
 
Wariboko, a professor of Social Ethics from the University of Boston, averred that Africa was absent on the ladder of its deserving great position because there is a missing philosophy of Africa’s original identity.
 
He lamented that this lack of true identity is responsible for the continent’s stagnated growth. “Africa has not achieved it’s deserved greatness because of missing philosophy of original African identity.

A judge at the Osun State High Court, Justice Jide Falola, has warned religious leaders against instigating pupils to defy the constituted authority.
 

 
Falola, who expressed displeasure about how some students wore church garments to Baptists High School, Iwo, following the judgement he delivered on hijab wearing said this action could hunt the pupils involved in the future.
The judge sad this in Osogbo on Friday after adjourning the application for stay of execution filed against the judgment by the Christian Association of Nigeria.
The judge had delivered a judgement on June 3 that female Muslim students in all public schools in the state should be allowed to wear hijab to their schools without harassment or molestation because it was part of their fundamental rights to do so.

Falola said, “My attention was drawn to some students who were encouraged to defy the constituted authority. The only means of protesting this judgement is to appeal and not to encourage children of impressionable age to disobey the authority.
“These are children we pray for to become lawyers, judges, parliamentarians. Their pictures are shown all over the world, it is even on the BBC ( British Broadcasting Corporation).”
The judge also asked lawyers in the case to caution their clients (religious leaders) against destabilising the judiciary with baseless allegations against him.
He said his religion did not have anything to do in determining the hijab case. He explained that he determined the case based on the facts and the law presented before him.
Falola also advised Journalists against undermining the judiciary with write ups he said were calculated to compel the court to dance to their tunes.

An Osun State High Court sitting in Osogbo on Friday, July 8, 2016 adjourned to Tuesday, July 8, 2016 hearing of application for stay of execution of June 3 judgment allowing Muslim students to wear Hijab to the state public schools.
 

 
The State Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) had on June 22 filed an application before the State High Court, asking for a stay of execution of the judgment pending its determination by the Appeal Court.
But at the court’s sitting on Friday, July 8, counsel to CAN, Barrister Olufemi Ayandokun explained that the state Muslim Community represented by Barrister Kazeem Odedeji filed a counter-motion on Monday, July 4 but the last three days public holiday made it impossible for him to file any paper at the court’s registry.

Consequently, the matter was adjourned by the Presiding Judge, Justice Oyejide Falola to July 8 for hearing.
Meanwhile, the judge urged lawyers in the case to admonish their clients not to use religion to divide or destabilise the judiciary, saying, “judges can choose any religion of their choice while many may not even bother.
“I have read the motions and if it comes to an extent of shopping for a judge on a matter, then such step is deplorable and condemnable.
“A court is a sanctuary without bias. Judges are brothers and whoever handles a case will forget about religion.

It is easy for Nigerians to embark on blackmail when things are not in the colour they want it to be.
“My attention has been drawn to some people defying constituted authority. The only means of protesting in a case is by appealing and not by encouraging children to flout the decision of the court. These are students we pray for should be judges one day.
“Pictures of those students flied all over the world instead of us engaging in domestic and civil protest. In fact, it was on BBC. What do we gain from that? If adults were doing battle they should leave out these children.
“I am employed as a judge; I am bound by the law. May that day never come when court will bow down for a tiny God? The court should do their job well because nobody gains anything from acrimony and war.
“If you read about this situation, you will think that Armageddon has finally come. Here we are again together, so, it is everybody’s responsibility if we live in peace,” he said.
While stating that his judgment was based on the law and facts before him and that the matter was a constitutional issue that will still be taken to the Supreme Court, Justice Falola said if the same facts and the law is placed before him 10 times, he will “give the same judgment 10 times.”
He added, “I work on facts and law. My conscience is clear, my hands are not tight. This is a case of constitutional issue; I deal with constitutional matter, I do not deal with matters of religion.”

The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has described Africa as a continent of contradictions, richly endowed yet wallowing in abject poverty.
Aregbesola made this observation at the 6th Toyin Falola Annual International Conference (TOFAC) 2016 organised by the Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State on Monday.
 

 
The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Africanity’ which, according to the organisers, is about the distinct African identity and Africa’s contribution to humanity in face of the increasing marginalisation of the continent in global affairs.
Aregbesola said Africa presents itself as a mystery to Africans than non-Africans. He averred that the continental Africans are hardly conscious of their Africaness thereby taking their identity as Africans for granted.
He said Africans only showcase their African identity only outside Africa or in a situation of contact with other races. According to the Governor, the continent would remain underdeveloped unless it’s agriculture forms the fulcrum of its economy.
He noted that the continent must as a necessity graduate from being only source of raw materials to the West for it to be an economic power house among developed nations of the world.
He disclosed that the need to return to agriculture informed his administration’s pioneering of food revolution in the state so as for it (state) to feed it’s people.
“There are two conceptual Africas. The first is the Africa endowed with huge and humongous human and material resources. The second is the largely underdeveloped Africa with a history of slavery and colonialism, ravaged by wars, hunger, poverty and the leading global aid recipient.
“It is beyond disputation that Africa has some of the largest deposits of mineral resources in the world. Her leading lights like Professor Wole Soyinka, late Chinua Achebe, Ali Mazrui, Dudley, Ade-Ajayi, Tomori, Oluponna, Falola and others rank among the best in their fields. This is outside of legendary sportspersons that have done the continent proud.
“By the account of the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Africa led the global begging troupe with a total aid outflow to Africa in 2013 at $46 billion, only followed by Asia in a distant second with $25 billion.
“This is the burden that all Africans, especially the Diaspora, carry as they interact with the world. These negative indices are at the back of the mind of Europeans and other developed people when they meet or have dealings with black people. Regrettably, this was not the Africa of the past.
“What then has happened to Africa? How have we regressed? How have we become underdeveloped? The great task of our generation then is how to return Africa into its leadership position by harnessing its human and material endowments.
“Africa’s economy should be re-oriented away from its present Eurocentrism to Afrocentrism. We are not going to be an economic powerhouse if our agriculture consists mainly of producing the raw materials for others industrial production.
“I pioneered food revolution in Osun by encouraging farmers to plant food crops, in order to feed our people. Africa should do the same. Our mineral resources should be developed to feed our industries, instead of feeding Euro-American and now Asian industries,” Aregbesola said.
The governor also reiterated the need to review the nation’s education system with a view to laying emphasis on skill acquisition so as to produce resourceful graduate that can stand on their own.
He also called on the organisers of the conference to rethink and reconsider teaching in the indigenous African languages as this had been proved to aid better understanding by the late educationist, Professor Babatunde Fafunwa.
The governor equally called the attention of all stakeholders and government to address Africa’s women’s empowerment, noting that the current economic disempowerment of women in this part of the world could lead to unpleasant social consequences.
He continued: “Considering the situation in Africa, it is very seductive to ask for a second independence, not from external forces this time, but from self-imposed restrictions.
“The identity, recognition and respect we seek from outside will only come when we change our situation internally. Then we will get the respect of the world.”
The keynote Speaker, Professor Nini Wariboko said Africa has a retarded progress owing to the break down in its knowledge system.
Wariboko, a professor of Social Ethics from the University of Boston, averred that Africa was absent on the ladder of its deserving great position because there is a missing philosophy of Africa’s original identity.
He lamented that this lack of true identity is responsible for the continent’s stagnated growth.
“Africa has not achieved it’s deserved greatness because of missing philosophy of original African identity.
“Greatness has been coming since independence yet development has not come.
“Africa’s true identity is a necessary catalyst for kick-starting stable and permanent socio-economic development of the continent.
“We must recreate, reactivate and revitalize the past in order to forge new future possibilities.
“Neither our past, nor present nor future is blocked. Hope is not lost but we must think in terms of possibilities and not impossibilities,” Wariboko said.
In his opening remark the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Debo Adeyewa, said the theme of this year’s conference was apt and topical.
Adeyewa said the topic came out of the efforts to correct the negative history and attempt to deny the contributions of Africa to the human civilisation and development.
He stated that this topic must be used to ascertain and correct erroneous thinking and belief about the black continent.
“The concept which arose as a response to attempts by the West to deny the contributions of Africa to world civilization and to demean its great institutions should address the intrinsic as well as the extrinsic features of the subject.
“More so, 2016 is an election year in the United State of America where a black man for the first time, has been at the helm of affairs for almost eights years. Can we say that the emergence of a black man has changed the perception of the West about Africa and Africans.
“Has the emergence of Obama not made more blacks pessimistic about the black race? Has the treatment of Obama not exposed the inherent tendency to humiliate and expose the black man?,” he said

Following the crisis that trailed the wearing of Hijab by female Muslim students in Osun State, the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria, MUSWEN, has advised on the Osun State Chapter, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), to respect the court ruling or seek legal redress if not satisfied with the judgement.
 
Addressing newsmen, executive secretary of MUSWEN, Professor Dawud O. S. Noibi maintained that the court ruling does not compel all Muslim students to wear hijab adding that “resort to self help will ultimately help nobody.”
 

 
Noibi said: “Our Advice to CAN in Osun State in view of the foregoing, is to deeply consider the advice which one of the most respected Christian leaders in Nigeria, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, offered at a recent round-table on Law and Religion.
 
‘’His Grace said the nation should adopt the policy that no law should prohibit what religion prescribes or require citizens to do what religion prohibits.
 
‘’The Osun State chapter of CAN should learn a lesson from this advice. Besides, on purely moral grounds, one may ask: how does a Muslim girl’s wearing of hijab offend a Christian? Moreover, the court ruling does not compel all Muslim students to wear hijab. It is left entirely to the choice of the individual student who wishes to obey the order coming from her Creator.”
 
The MUSWEN  scribe further urged the leadership of CAN in Osun State to seek legal redress if not satisfied with judgment. He said; “The CAN leadership must be told that what they are doing in this case is challenging the directive of Allah.
 
Do they really feel comfortable preventing people from doing the Will of God on earth as it is done in heaven? If, however, CAN still feels strongly about the judgement, let them follow the commendable example of the Muslims of Lagos State by following the path of law.”

The Osun State Government has announced the schedule of the year 2016 Eid-el-Fitri free train ride between Lagos and Osogbo, the state capital.
The government said Saturday the train rides will commence on Tuesday, July 5.

The government is extending the welfarist gesture to residents despite facing severe financial hardship that has made it difficult to pay workers’ salaries.
According to the government, the free train ride is in line with the Rauf Aregbesola administration’s tradition of facilitating convenient movement of its citizen in and out of the state during festive seasons.
A statement from the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Cooperatives and Empowerment disclosed that the free train would start on Tuesday and end on Saturday.
The statement said the free train would convey people from Lagos to Osogbo on Tuesday July 5 by11am.
Similarly, the return journey from Osogbo to Lagos was fixed for Saturday, July 9 at 11am prompt.
According to the statement, the provision of the free train ride is with a view to facilitating a hitch-free homecoming during the Muslim festival period.
Similar arrangements apply during every eid el-Kabir, Christmas and Easter celebrations.
“This gesture is from the government of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola to the people, to provide the opportunity for indigenes and non-indigenes, who would like to visit the state during the festive period.
“The free train ride commences with the ascension to power of Aregbesola in 2010 and has been a regular gesture from his government to the people during Christian and Muslim festival periods since 2011.
“This government wants transportation comfort for its citizens, who hitherto normally encounter hardship and fare hikes during the festive periods”, the statement noted.
The Government therefore enjoined people from Lagos, Ogun and Oyo States to utilize the free train opportunity offered by the Aregbesola government to come home and celebrate the sallah with their relatives.

Pope Francis has called for peaceful coexistence among Nigerians, particularly residents of Osun State, irrespective of the socio-cultural and religious beliefs.

The Pope made the appeal during a visit of the Roman Catholic Church to Governor Rauf Aregbesola at the Government House in Osogbo, the state capital.
 

Source: Channels TV

The Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has reiterated the extreme importance of the environment to the existence and general well being of mankind.
 

 
Aregbesola observed this at the presentation of kits to the state’s highway managers by one of the leading commercial institutions in the country, Sterling Bank.
The Governor lamented the carefree attitude of Nigerians to the environment, saying the manner in which people just overlook the environment without any adequate attention to general cleanliness of where they live is worrisome.
According to the governor, apart from the biological make-up of human beings as they are created by God, it is only the environment that makes them what they are.
He noted that for people to live healthy and productive life, the environment must be clean, bright and well catered for regularly.
Emphasising the importance and the need to take care of the surrounding, Aregbesola averred that after food, the next thing on the priority of human beings is the environment as it could make or mar human existence depending on the way it is attended to.
He said: “Our environment defines us as human beings.
“But we all overlook our environment as if we can exist independently of the environment we live in.
“We act as if the only thing we owe ourselves is the cleanliness of our body alone.
“We neglect the environment in which our body lives.
“No amount of cleanliness we do to our body will endure if our environment is un-hygenic.
“To tell you how important our environment is to us, generally paying attention to our environment is the next most important thing after food.”
Aregbesola called on all stakeholders, who operate within the environment, to wake up and make the environment the best it could be made of to aid better living, adding that the most avowed critics of the state could not fault the progress the government has made in the state in making the environment the best for conducive living.
He commended the bank for contributing its quota to making the environment a better place for the people of the state.
He called on other corporate organisations to emulate the corporate responsibility demonstrated by Sterling Bank in donating the kits.
In his remark the Executive Director of the bank, Lanre Adesanya, said the presentation of the kits is in line with the bank’s strategic focus on the environment as one of its corporate responsibilities.
Adesanya stated that environmental cleanliness is one of the cardinal points of Sterling Bank’s corporate responsibilities.
He commended the Governor for the administration’s effort at changing the landscape of the entire state despite the challenge being faced in both public and private sectors.
He continued: “I must say here that our partnership with the state governments on environmental cleanliness is very solid and enduring.
“If you are going to talk about a cleaner in Nigeria, you cannot but mention Sterling Bank as one of the prominent organisations that has been at the forefront of environmental cleanliness nationwide.
“Mr. Governor, let me assure you that Sterling Bank will continually engage in initiatives that will protect the environment, especially those that are connected to the protection of lives through our renowned partnership with the state governments in order to maintain a healthy environment to guarantee good health for our people.”