still life of cocoa
The Governor of Osun Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has restated his administration’s resolve to encourage farming as a panacea to the current economic challenges.
Governor Aregbesola made the statement while addressing a gathering during the 2015 Ibadan Branch of Ijebu-Jesa Social Club Day and Award Ceremonies, held in Ijebu-Jesa, State of Osun.
Governor Aregbesola berated the immediate past administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan for promoting corruption and illegality in the oil sector, which according to him resorted in the current economic woes and crises facing the entire nation.
He recounted that the palpable leakages and theft menace being characterized with the management of the nation’s fortunes under the watch of former President Jonathan aided the sharp fall in the global prices of crude oil.
Governor Aregbesola expressed a shock and regret in the way and manner at which the nation’s treasury was adversely mismanaged and looted under the past administration, saying corruption being illegally perpetrated in Nigeria under the past governments at the centre had resorted to the downfall of the nation’s economy.
Aregbesola said if the oil sector had been transparently and decently managed in the past, the country would have gone over the current economic travails.
He attributed the porosity, fraudulence and leakages adversely recorded in the nation’s gold treasure i.e oil sector to the less value and acceptance of crude oil in the international market, adding that a larger percentage of the stolen crude oil allegedly saturated and forfeited the international market obviously reduced the acceptability of oil in the world.
He held that the stolen barrels of Nigerian crude oil were sold with little or no money and this culminated to partial rejection of the nation’s great resourrces.
Governor Aregbesola disclosed that nothing reasonable is coming anymore from the Federation Accounts, saying the country has been badly managed in the fast.
Governor Aregbesola who lamented over the declining revenue to the state, said the there is urgent need for the state to restrategize and shift attention to agriculture, solid mineral resources and industrial revitalization.
Governor Aregbesola held that the nation has reached a peak where nothing could work without effective and adequate participation in agriculture, stressing that every Nigerian must go back to farm in order to liberate the country and the states out of the economic misnomer.
Governor Aregbesola who described agriculture as the only sustainable sector that can take the country to its deserved destination and greater heights, said if the country had continued on the agricultural legacies of its founding fathers, the country would have moved forward beyond its present stage.
Governor Aregbesola said the people of the state must see the need to inculcate the spirit of agricultural promotion and as well develop interest in farming to cushion the adverse effects of the nation’s economic downturn.
Governor Aregbesola who promised to continue on his giant strides of socio-economic development pledged that his government would not renege on his electoral promises to continuously bring smile to the faces of the populace.
Aregbesola said his government has been changing the face of education through modern facilities and provision of home grown feeding to the thousands of the pupils in the public schools, adding that his policies on school uniforms freely distributed to the students of public schools as well as tablets of knowledge had proved his administration as a model among its peers.
Aregbesola said the state is turning around the school environment in a phenomenal manner to ensure that every child is attracted to education, as it remains the best legacy that can be inherited by all.
He said his administration has skillfully identified education as the strongest weapon against poverty and hunger, saying this among others were the reasons for prioritizing education in the state.
He said, “our nation has been cruelly mismanaged due to bad governance as our fortunes had equally siphoned and squandered by the political demons.
“Immediate past administration was the largest contributor of our woes in all aspects of the economy especially on the oil sector.
“There is no iota of doubt in the fact that the presidential permission of oil theft under the erstwhile government led to the downturn in the global prices of the crude oil because the stolen barrels of crude oil were badly sold in the international market and this has culminated to the present economic situation as millions of our country’s barrels of oil awaiting buyers on the seas.
“Our state has however resolved to promote agriculture sector and encourage our people especially our youths on the need to go back to farm as the state is blessed with agile and versatile-able men and women who can contribute significantly to our economy.
“The time has come to add value to our lives through farming and we shall not relent on this gesture to give our state a new face through a realistic economic diversification, because it will be calamous to allow drought and yearning to badly complement the current challenges at hands.
He therefore called on the people to assist the state through prompt payment of tax, saying this would go a long way to facilitate more developments in the state.
Aregbesola disclosed that land use charges would be introduced next year to those with huge investments and edifice structures to aid his populace-programmes.
Aregbesola said, “our state needs tax to fund all its numerous projects and this could be done if we pay our tax regularly as we promise to use our resources judiciously because our goal is to make Osun a modern, industrial and commercial state.
Earlier in his remark, the Chairman House Committee on Public Procurement, Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Oluwole Oke lauded Governor Aregbesola for being patriotic and adherent to his electioneering campaign promises to the people.
Hon. Oke who described Governor Aregbesola as a true lover of Ijesas and the people of the state said Governor Aregbesola’s administration has brought about the required transformation in education and social infrastructures.
He held that Governor Aregbesola’s policies and programmes are based on sincerity and pragmatic action, which according to him are targeted on both human and material development of the lives of the citizens.
He held that Governor Aregbesola is a politician who loves all and who doesn’t discriminate irrespective of socio-political and religious backgrounds as his philosophy of life purely based on collectivity and togetherness.
He said, “Governor Aregbesola is a man of his words. Though we are not from the same political structure, but he has successfully upheld his promises to the people and portrayed himself as a worthy leader and true ambassador.
“My constituency has in no doubt felt the contributions and positive impacts of the current government and this has manifested greatly in the teeming lives of the people of the constituency.
“His contributions on education have been widely accepted and continuously impacting the lives of our children, as this this kind gestures show that our Governor is a man of passion and compassion to the welfare of all.
Hon. Oke however lauded the members of Ijebu-Jesa Social Club for standing up in realizing all round development of the commmunity, saying their impacts on the socio-economic lives of the people of the town and its environs could not be underrated.
He said the self-help developmental projects embarked upon over 50 years ago by the club had reflected the undiluted passion for developments, saying their unrelented contributions to the town would be forever commended.
“Ijebu-Jesa people are very business enterprises and productive as we have indigenes of the town in top positions and head of various industries and companies in Nigeria and overseas, and I believe this virtues had been demonstrated by our people in developing this town,” he said.
Hon. Oke charged the members of the club to do more on education, saying for any community to succeed, there must be human development which according to him could be achieve through education.
He lamented over the current economic situation in Nigeria, saying the country has turned to a stage where it could not survive without public supports and contribution.
According to him, “our children must be given adequate and quality education and this can only come to reality when we give ultimate support to the government.
Hon. Oke solicited for cooperation and collaboration from all and sundry towards the success of the current government in the state, saying the current economic imbroglio in the nation has hindered the trends of development in the states, hence called for support to government efforts.
He said, “this is not a period to abuse the personality of Mr. Governor or accuse anyone on the current economic challenges, because all the giant strides making in the state are not for Mr. Governor alone but for the entire citizenry.
“We need to applaud and appreciate the efforts put together by our Governor in turning around the state’s economy for the betterment of all.
“We need to rise up and support Governor Aregbesola as the State needs helps, prayers for continuous development because our Governor is working squarely to promote the socio-economic lives of our people.
In his remark, the National President of Ijebu-Jesa Social Club, Chief John Fademi described Governor Aregbesola as a promoter of infrastructural development and socio-cultural transformation whose indelible landmark achievements had contributed meaningfully to the teeming lives of the populace.
Chief Fademi attributed the immense contributions of Governor Aregbesola in the last five years of governance as pro-masses and anti-poverty and hunger in all forms.
He described Aregbesola as an ardent supporter and sympathizer of Ijebu-Jesa’s development, saying his love for the ancient town could not be overemphasized as this had reflected in his giant strides of socio-politital, educational and infrastructural development of the town since his assumption of office.
Chief Fademi emphasized that the impact of Governor Aregbesola’s administration has been felt in both intra-city, inter-cities and inter-states roads network, adding that the town has been successfully exposed, channeled and linked with major cities in the state, which according to him has contributed significantly to the socio-economic and educational lives of the people in the town.
He noted that the nomenclature of Aregbesola’s educational restructure and reclassification has brought the required discipline, diligence, integrity and decency to the system so far, as a reasonable difference and change had been made in the output of education in all the public schools in the state.
Chief fademi further saluted Governor Aregbesola for prioritizing quality and qualitative education and as well taking serious strives on socio-infrastructural development in all sectors of the economy, which according to him has impacted greatly in the lives of the people in the town and state at large.
Chief Fademi acknowledged the fact that the tenure of Governor Aregbesola has heralded unprecedented development, stressing that the current government has done excellently in all sectors especially on education and infrastructure.
Speaking on the significance of the club, Chief Fademi however revealed that Ijebu-Jesa Social Club came into existence in 1955 solely and purposely to foster development between the sons and daughters of the town and as well contribute meaningfully to all round transformation, growth and development of the teeming lives of the indigenes of the ancient town and its environs.
Chief Fademi held that since the creation of the club, it has championed the cause of the town on numerous developmental projects which have in one way or the other impacted in the lives of the people in the town.
He said the club having identified the policy of self-help as the only way to assist and contribute meaningfully towards the efforts of government in the state, said the club has successfully contributed and continued to contribute its quota on education, health, infrastructure and civic development.
Chief Fademi said the club has successfully built schools, health centres and continuously refurbishing the palace and town hall of the town since its establishment.
He said the club has produced people of high profile in the country and beyond, saying the sons and daughters of the town are greatly making waves in all aspects of human endeavours home and abroad.
He therefore implored Governor Aregbesola not to relent in his gigantic waves of development as his administration over the years had turned around the fortune of the state positively.
According to him, “we have no doubt that Governor Aregbesola is our friend in Ijebu-Jesa and this has been demonstrated largely in his remarkable contributions to the growth and development of the town.
“Our Governor has been doing wonders since he assumed office and he has performed excellently in all facets of the economy as he has equally proved to us as a promise-keeping leader and God-fearing Governor whose does things diligently and passionately to promote the teeming lives of the populace.
“On our part as a club, we have been contributing meaningfully to promote the socio-economic, cultural and infrastructural lives of our people in the town as we have impacted positively on education, health and infrastructures.
“Our club remains a motivator in unlimited projects implementation and we shall continue on the standard of development and transformation through self-help.
In his goodwill message, the Chairman, Ibadan Branch of Ijebu-Jesa Social Club, Professor Tolu Yoloye expressed delight in the fact that the club has been growing from strength to strength as it provides social interactions and peaceful co-existence between and among the people of the town.
Professor Yoloye commended Governor Aregbesola for aggressively turning around the state through the provision of modern infrastructural facilities to aid education, saying the town has never witnessed such a gargantuan development prior to the present administration.
“Our Governor is a worthy ambassador because he has been tested and trusted to be a leader of note whose passion for development cannot be compromised”, he said.
