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Category: Politics

Olaiya Junction Rd-2

Olaiya Junction Rd-2As the present administration in Osun enters its 6th year in office, the Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has said that the economic hardship in the state has come to an end.

The ‎Governor stated this during the official commissioning of the new Ife/Orile-Owu 33KV feeder line at Orile-Owu, Ayedaade Local Government Area.

Aregbesola noted that his administration is committed to making life meaningful and abundant to the people of Osun hence the infrastructural development in the nooks and crannies of the state.

The Governor commended the people of Orile-Owu and its environs for their patience over years before electricity was restored back to the communities with a total cost of N225 million.

He held that his administration decided to assist the service providers by rehabilitating the Gbongan-Ikire 33KV feeder line, making it to end at Araromi-Owu, Odeyinka and three farm settlements of Mokore, Oyere-Aborisade and Ago-Owu.

Aregbesola stressed that it is quite clear that the new 33KV relief feeder line will ensure stable power supply to the farm settlements thus stemming rural/urban drift by encouraging the teeming populace to return to farming in the farm settlement.

According to him, ” I want to use this opportunity to admonish us to return to the farms, what we used to rely on as a country and state is no longer there. Oil has now dipped seriously, even at about 41 Dollars per barrel from a price of over 100 Dollars, Nigeria still cannot sell her oil in the international market.

“Anyone who doe‎s not want to be wired by hunger must return to the farms, I want to assure you that more people will be coming from the cities to this place, please try and get enough place for them to stay, everybody must return to agriculture to survive.

“Our administration recently gave hectares of land to IITA for farming and with the electrification of Orile-Owu and other farm settlements, there will be boost in agriculture around these areas, we all need to take this advantage to take to massive farming for the growth of our state.

“There is no town or village in Osun that has not been touched interms of infrastructural development by our administration and with what we have seen happening to our oil, showed that we can no longer depend on it, therefore, I want to implore us to pay our taxes for us to continue to enjoy government,” the governor emphasised.

‎Speaking earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, Rural Development and Community Affairs, Engr. Oriolowo commended Aregbesola for his ingenuity in creating the ministry in Osun.

He noted that the agelong isolation of some settlements from the National electricity grid is now addressed with the construction of the new 33KV outdoor bay at 132/33KV transformer stations in Ajebandele in Ile-Ife.

He noted that the project cost the state‎ government N225, 065, 749.92 and was constructed with fibre cross arms and conductor size of 150mm2 on reinforced concrete poles with shorts pannage of 60m.

He said, “I want to thank Mr. Governor for his strong support for our Ministry which has enabled a total of 193 electrification projects completed the ministry and CSDP at the cost of N1,487, 015, 127. 18.

“Currently, three other feeder lines namely: Gbogan/Ikire, Osogbo/Ila, Ibokun/Osunjela and Iwo/Ejigbo are being rehabilitated while another new one is being constructed to link the 132/33KV transformer statations at Ilesa to Fadahunsi injection station in Ilesa”.

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Osun Distributes Tablets Knowledge 3b

Osun Distributes Tablets Knowledge 3bThe Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has said that states of the federation must look inward for their survival as funds coming to them from the federation can no longer support their development projects.

Aregbesola said with Osun’s receipt of N55 million for the month of September, the message was clear that all avenues hitherto untapped must now be examined in order to sustain development initiatives.

The Governor stated this at the commencement of the reconstruction of Orita-Olaiya-Ita-Olokan Road at Olaiya Junction to commemorate the 5th year of the Aregbesola-led government in Osun.

The project is part of the designs to ensure smooth transportation within the state capital, Osogbo.

He pointed out that money coming from the Federation Account has dipped badly hence the need for people of the state to look inward in advancing the course of the state by returning to Agriculture.

He said, “We must at this point tell ourselves the truth, there is no money coming from the federation account, 34 million barrels of Niger‎ia’s crude oil are on the sea without buyers.

“Money coming from the Federation Account has dipped seriously and our hope for survival is in our hands, what our forefathers lived on was agriculture.

“We must now go back to the farms and work. We also need to pay our taxes so that government can meet its responsibilities. For September, our state got N55.8 million. The money we received cannot pay for the power supply by IBEDC that we use at the state Secretariat‎ monthly”. The governor told people at the programme.

Advising people to adhere to town planning rules, Aregbesola also added that the issue of separating houses during road constructions and expansions could have been avoided if there had been strict adherence to town planning rules in the past.

He emphasised that his government regret and offer sincere sympathy to those that will be affected with the construction of the road which his administration is embarking on.

The Governor admonished those affected to  see this as their own sacrifice of the present administration’s effort to enhance the status of our cities for better living conditions of the generality of the people.

Aregbesola stated that Mess rs RATCON Construction Company Limited will be undertaking the reconstruction of the road at the cost of N985,115,410.78 million.

He said, “The expansion of the road and the need to have a reasonable setback unfortunately meant that some buildings are already standing in the way and has to be separated. This could have been avoided if there had been strict adherence to town planning rules in the past.

“We regret this and offer sincere sympathy to those affected. They should see this as their own sacrifice in our efforts to beautify our city and develop a decent human environment. Nevertheless, we have set aside the sum of N392 million to the 127 people whose buildings were affected”.

The Governor appealed to people of the state to bear with government on the pains and discomforts associated with the road construction projects embarked upon, especially Gbongan-Akoda Road, noting that the delay was due to the unexpected financial  challenges that befell the nation.

He assured that all the projects embarked on by his government will be completed before the end of the present administration.
The Managing Director, Messrs RATCON Construction, Engr. Fouad Howayek held that Aregbesola deserves commendation for the massive on-going road construction works in the state.

He noted that RATCON has been partner with Osun since the first term of Aregbesola’s administration in the area of rehabilitation and construction of road projects.

‎According to him, “This kind of unprecedented achievement recorded in the last four years is an attestation to the fact that Mr. Governor’s passion for the rapid development of the state is undisputed,” The RATCOM boss stated

Speaking earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works, Engr. Nurudeen Adeagbo, stressed that the dual carriage way of Olaiya-Asubiaro-Ita Olokan spanning 2.8km forms the second phase of of on-going rehabilitation of selected roads in Osogbo township.

He stated that the road could have been executed along with others in the first phase if not for the paucity of funds in the state, adding that a total of N392 million will be required to pay compensation to people whose property will be affected by the reconstruction.

‎Adeagbo said, “This road project is to be executed by Messrs RATCON Construction Company Ltd. The company that handled the completion of 21 selected Osogbo township roads totaling 26.69km and the on-going Bisi Akande trumpet road awarded at N29.22 billion”

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Olaiya Junction Rd-1b

Olaiya Junction Rd-1b
SPEECH BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF OSUN, OGBENI RAUF AREGBESOLA, AT THE TURNING OF SOD OF ORITA-OLAIYA – ITA-OLOKAN ROAD AT ORITA-OLAIYA JUNCTION ON FRIDAY NOVEMBER 27, 2015
 
Protocols,
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
I welcome you all to this event, one of the many that have distinguished our administration as leader in infrastructure development in this country. We are here to turn the sod on the reconstruction of Orita-Olaiya to Ita-Olokan Road.
This 2.8 kilometre road, at the very heart of Osogbo, is very crucial to the economic and social lives of the city. It is a link between the old and the modern parts of the city. While the Olaiya end is in the emergent new Osogbo, the Ita-Olokan end is in the very heart of the old city. The road leads to two major hospitals and the Osun Grove. The Grove, we are aware, is a global centre that attracts visitors from all over the world, especially during the Osun Osogbo festival. This same road interestingly accommodates the state’s correspondents’ chapel and the Osogbo offices of notable national newspapers. It also provides exits to Ilesa and Ibokun.
The deplorable condition of this road, given its importance, is not befitting to our capital city. Instead, it should be used to make an architectural statement. Indeed, it has been on the priority list from day one and if not for the financial challenges we have had in the recent past, we should have done this at least two years ago.
The reconstruction work on the road will see to its widening, to enable it carry more traffic, especially at the narrow parts towards Ita-Olokan. There will be provision of pedestrian walkway, lay byes (Bus Stops) and a slip road at the Olaiya end, coming from Abere. Messrs Ratcon will undertake the reconstruction at the cost of N985,115,410.78 million.
The expansion of the road and the need to have a reasonable setback unfortunately meant that some buildings are already standing in the way and has to be separated. This could have been avoided if there had been strict adherence to town planning rules in the past. We regret this and offer sincere sympathy to those affected. They should see this as their own sacrifice in our efforts to beautify our city and develop a decent human environment. Nevertheless, we have set aside the sum of N392 million to the 127 people whose buildings were affected.
At the inception of our administration, we had a vision of progress for Osun, of which road infrastructure development is a vital component. Because of the paramountcy of road transportation for the movement of people and goods in Nigeria, including Osun, we also accorded it priority attention in our development scheme.
Consequently, we came up with a map for the comprehensive development of our road network. These encompass rural and local roads, intra-city and inter-city roads, as well as inter-state roads. This road plan cuts across the length and breadth of Osun.
But we conceived our road infrastructure development plan in the full consciousness that people do not commute on road maps; they travel on actually marked-out asphalted surfaces. Consequently, we embarked on giving concrete effect to what we have conceived in our mind and mapped out on paper.
All over the state we commenced in earnest the construction of new roads, the reconstruction of some others, and the repair and rehabilitation of old and dilapidated ones.
This project is the continuation of the bigger Osogbo township road development project which stands out as a product of a visionary road map. They are intentionally aimed at making Osogbo the truly modern state capital it deserves to be.
In view of this, the roads are designed to ease transportation within the city, as well as in and out of it. Together. the roads stretch for 26.31 kilometres. You will recall that on April 24 last year, 21 roads in this projects were commissioned. They include: Station Road to Ebenezer Hotel Road; Boorepo to Elelede Junction Road; Elelede to Gbaemu Road; Gbodofon to Gbaemu Junction Road; and Adesina Crescent in GRA.
Others include: Oja Oba Road to Plantain Area; Balogun Biiro to Oke Baale Road; Alafia Street to Church Street, Awolowo Way; Coca-Cola to Capital Hotel Road; Oke Onitea Road to Anaye Market Junction; the Road from Opposite Capital Hotel to Oroki Road; Oroki Estate to Ilobu Road; Odetoyinbo to Heritage Hotel Road with Spur; and Kola Balogun Road Junction to Fiwasaye Olohunosebi Junction.
There are also the Osunbukola to Ede Road; John Mackay Road to Oke Baale; the road from Tanisi to Keji Adigun Street; Adams Street to Mercy Land and Road Spur; Steel Rolling Camp to Kabelo Filling Station; and Rehabilitated Ifeloju Omo-West Road.
A closer look at these roads would reveal a deliberate pattern of an Inner Ring network of roads within Osogbo which connect and complement the existing Outer Ring Road around the city.
These are in Osogbo alone. In Ilesa, we reconstructed and commissioned 17 township roads. These roads constitute an inner ring road that eased vehicular movements and decongested the traffic in the city by taking travellers outside the city away from the city centre.
In Ede, 13 township roads have been repaired through direct labour. They have now been completed.
In the different Federal Constituencies in the state, 79 kilometres of intra-city roads were constructed and rehabilitated. In addition to the intra-city roads, 20 other roads traversing the cities, and covering a total of 294.27 kilometres, were completed.
We are also constructing six selected roads, covering more than 74.1 kilometres, in the six geo-political zones of Osun. We inherited eight road rehabilitation projects of 144.29 kilometres from the previous administration which we have completed.
There are four more gigantic projects that we have embarked upon. These are: the reconstruction into a dual carriageway of the 36.85-kilometre road from Osogbo to Ila-Odo on the state’s border with Kwara State; the Gbongan-Orileowu-Ijebu-Igbo Road, which is also a dual carriageway.
The third is the Omoluabi Motorway, a dual-carriage road from Akoda to Gbongan Junction, with its Bisi Akande Trumpet Interchange.
Osogbo East Bypass Road is in the list of our major road construction undertaking. The East Bypass is a 17.5-kilometre road that will have a railway underpass at Ofatedo, an interchange at Ataoja, and two bridges across the Osun River. It is at an advanced stage of completion.
In continuation of our road development plan for Osun, we embarked upon and completed (in record time) the construction of 218 kilometres of road in all of our local government areas, including the Area Office.
We appeal to our people to bear with us on the pains and discomforts associated with the road construction projects we are undertaking, especially on the Gbongan-Akoda Road. This is due to the unexpected challenges amounting to financial disaster that befell this nation, especially under the ancien regime. I want to assure us all that we will complete these road projects before the completion of our tenure.
There are those who are scoffing at our road construction projects, complaining that we are slow and even accused us of taking on the big projects that are clearly federal roads. One of my defeated opponents, a former federal legislator, who was also defeated in a senatorial election, went about town, spreading falsehood by claiming that he had awarded the contracts for the federal road projects and that he had paid the contractors. This can only come from an inebriated mind. Right thinking people are at a loss of the capacity in which he could award federal contracts and effect payments when his highest political attainment was as chairman of a senate committee and a four-time defeated governorship aspirant. He was defeated at the election proper, defeated at the Election Petitions Tribunal, defeated at the Appeal Court and finally defeated at the Supreme Court.
However, I want you all to know that we completed our projects in record time. The Osogbo, Ilesa, Ede, Ife and the intra-city roads (we rehabilitated or constructed) were in record time. Messrs Ratcon that handled the Osogbo inner ring road even challenged them last year to bring any proof of similar projects completed in lesser time. They are still searching.
Secondly, we undertake the roads that we consider crucial to the economic and social lives of the good people of Osun, when the Federal Government under the control of their party failed miserably to do it. They are the least qualified to question our performance that has been described as sterling, given our modest financial resources.
It is my fervent hope that Messrs Ratcon will live up to their billing, do a good job and put smile on the faces of the residents and users of the road in Osogbo and beyond.
I must thank all those that have been of assistance in the conception of this project – the engineers and officials of the Ministry of Works, our financial partners and all men (and women) of goodwill.
I thank you all for your kind attention.
Osun a dara!

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GOV-AREGBESOLA

GOV-AREGBESOLAThe book, Asiwaju: Leadership in Troubled Times could easily frighten the meek-minded away from leadership responsibilities. That publication, co-authored by columnists, Sam Omatseye, Segun Ayobolu and Tunji Bello (now the Secretrary to the Government of Lagos State) in honour of former Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who then clocked 60, succinctly captures what storms (expected and unexpected) could hallmark a particular period of leadership.

And when such economic, political and social hurricanes emerge, they end up defining that era; serving to bring out the best in leadership qualities or presenting the leader as one never prepared for the rigors of office.

Five years into the two-term tenure of the governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the “troubled times” that leadership faces are real as evidenced by the events of the half a decade.

Forget the last one year of acute global economic upheaval which has turned into shreds, Nigeria’s monolithic economy relying solely on sale of crude oil in the international market. That was a disaster foretold! It now threatens to cripple the country save the ingenious application of survival strategies of a new order at the centre.

Almost two decades into its birth as a state of Nigeria, Osun’s state of being could not have been an attractive project for those in search of “low-hanging fruits” at the time Aregbesola set out to be its governor.

No doubt, a state generating less than N300 million monthly as internally generated revenue from and for its almost 4 million citizenry could not have been a comfort zone for those looking for tea parties. It was already a state begging to be fixed. Five years down the line on November 27th, the surgical operations through the instrument of a six-point development agenda called “My Pact with Osun”, have changed the skylines in what must be a good study in “tearing down and building up”.

I have seen historical cases of how fortunes of hitherto despondent people were turned around. The story of Bogota, the Columbia capital slum which became a shinning example of development through vision is one. Today, history remembers Mayor Antanas Mockus for promoting culture of citizenship which brought about an articulate analysis and comprehension of the multiform and multifarious complexities of that slummy city. That led to a change of attitude. Second is that of Mayor Enrique Penalosa which built on the foundation of a completely reorientated citizenry to cause development and inflow of investments and infrastructure.

Jim Krane, in City of Gold: Dubai and the Dream of Capitalism tells us the sweet story of how a dusty desert land became the tourists destination of the whole world within a spate of three decades. Today, Sheikh Rashid Ibn Saheed Marktoum is revered as the father of modern Dubai.

Osun, in five years has similar tales to tell. Put together, the works that have gone into a holistic transformation and development agenda rank Osun among people who had resigned to fate only to be jolted by a phenomenal change in their state of being.

The works that have gone into education, roads, security, social welfare, health, agriculture, rural development are responsible for what visitors to Osun adjudge as true essence of leadership.

By the end of the first term in 2014, the Aregbesola administration could boast of over 900 kilometres of completed roads of various grades. The impact of that on economic activities are rippling.

Within the same period, Osun witnessed the construction of more than 50 new mega schools in the Elementary and Middle Schools categories in what have gone down as the most attractive learning centres to be built in the state in its more than two decades of existence.

The exciting unveiling of the Wole Soyinka Government High School, Ejigbo on Wednesday November 23, 2015 has further confirmed that the experts and stakeholders who sat for the 2011 Education Summit did not just engage in empty talk shop. They can see the outcome of their brainstorming sessions emerging in world classrooms, Tablet of Knowledge (Opon Imo), improved teaching personnel, increased funding for school administration, highly impacting school feeding for elementary school pupils, phenomenal increase in school enrollments among other landmark initiatives.

The result of the above is the 61 percent improvement in the performance of Osun pupils in examinations. Comparing the performance of between 2008 – 2010 which had 13.26%
performance level with the period 2011-2013’s 21.32% obviously shuts the mouths of those who had attempted to pick holes in the educational policies of the Aregbesola administration.

A recent report of the Oxford Department of International Affairs Multi-Dimensional Poverty Index rated Osun as next to Lagos in Nigeria. This was an indication that in spite of the hullabaloo over financial crisis, the state has been making tremendous progress through silent transformations.

Two weeks ago, the World Bank ranked Osun the best state in the implementation of the Rural Access Mobility Project, a project opening up access to rural farmers and dwellers to improve the wellbeing of the people.
But before then, the National Bureau of Statistics had earlier rated Osun as state with the least unemployment rate in Nigeria. Of course, that is not without its own concomitant effects on security lives and investments. Osun appears to have remained impregnable for hoodlums who have made life hell in some neighbouring states.

And what do the figures point to? Development analysts won’t have problems identifying the various intervention moves of the Aregbesola administration that are responsible for these positive rankings of a state that had occupied the unenviable place as second to the last on federal allocation ladder.

The state does not just flaunt an array of branded projects. OREAP, (Osun Rural Enterprise and Agriculture Programme); OYES (Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme), O-CLEAN) Osun Environmental Sanitation Project), O-SCHOOL, (Osun School Infrastructure Project), O-AMBULANCE (Osun Ambulance Services) and a host of others! These brands have not just been brands but vehicles in the development journey of the Aregbesola administration.

In the end, his era would be remembered for how many hitherto slummy ghetto settlements like Old Garage were transformed into Nelson Mandela Freedom Park which is today a world-class center of commerce and relaxation in the heart of the state capital.

His tenure would be identified with the number of dilapidated schools that turned out rascals that were transformed into excellent mega-schools with world class learning facilities positioned to churning out confident, well-groomed and productive citizens who can compete with any of their peers across the globe.

Above all, he would be judged on how much his visionary leadership in this troubled times have affected humanity as a whole.

Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s whose “jewel of inestimable value” was given a final burial rites on Wednesday, never had it rosy in the face of his determined development journey. It is on record that free education, the instrument with which that visionary leader set this region on a faster lane of educational, political, economic and social advancement was, in the beginning, unpopular with the people.

In the face of a daunting economic dilemma facing Nigeria, occasioning delays in salaries and pensions payments, meeting contractors’ obligations, funding budgetary provisions for capital projects and overheads, the message is clear that times like these demand critical and genuine assessment of situations in order to be in tune with the realities of the moment.

Three years ahead and still a work in progress, there is no doubt that more “troubled times” lay ahead if development must be achieved. The “trouble times” only lies in the readiness of the citizenry to see the genuineness of a vision that is focused on true development and buy into it. That will be when “troubled times” meet their match in visionary leadership.

*Semiu Okanlawon is the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Office of the Governor, Osogbo, State of Osun.

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Funeral Service of HID Awolowo 1

Photographs of the Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; Oyo State counterpart, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, his wife Florence and Deputy Governor, State of Osun, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori, during the Funeral Service of Late Chief (Mrs.) Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo, at Our Saviour’s Anglican Church, Ikenne, Ogun State, on Wednesday 25/11/2015.

From left- Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; Oyo State counterpart, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, his wife Florence and Deputy Governor, State of Osun, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori, during the Funeral Service of Late Chief (Mrs.) Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo, at Our Saviour’s Anglican Church, Ikenne, Ogun State, on Wednesday 25/11/2015.

From left- Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; Oyo State
counterpart, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, his wife Florence and Deputy
Governor, State of Osun, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori, during the Funeral
Service of Late Chief (Mrs.) Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo, at Our
Saviour’s Anglican Church, Ikenne, Ogun State, on Wednesday
25/11/2015.

Vice President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo (second right);  his Wife, Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo (right), Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (left), and Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi (2nd left), during the Funeral Service of Late Chief (Mrs.) Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo, at Our Saviour’s Anglican Church, Ikenne, Ogun State, on Wednesday 25/11/2015.

Vice President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo
(second right); his Wife, Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo (right), Governor
State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (left), and Oyo State Governor,
Senator Abiola Ajimobi (2nd left), during the Funeral Service of Late
Chief (Mrs.) Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo, at Our Saviour’s Anglican
Church, Ikenne, Ogun State, on Wednesday 25/11/2015.

President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari (second right); his Vice, Professor Yemi Osinbajo (second right), Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (left) and Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun (right), during the Funeral Service of Late Chief (Mrs.) Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo, at Our Saviour’s Anglican Church, Ikenne, Ogun State, on Wednesday 25/11/2015.

President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari (second
right); his Vice, Professor Yemi Osinbajo (second right), Governor
State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (left) and Ogun State Governor,
Senator Ibikunle Amosun (right), during the Funeral Service of Late
Chief (Mrs.) Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo, at Our Saviour’s Anglican
Church, Ikenne, Ogun State, on Wednesday 25/11/2015.

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Audu

AuduThe Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has extended his condolences to the family of Audu in Kogi over the death of Prince Abubakar Audu who died at the age of 68 on Sunday.

In a statement by the Director of the Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Office of the Governor, Semiu Okanlawon, Aregbesola described the death of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the last Kogi Governorship election as sudden and shocking.

Aregbesola, who prayed for the repose of  Prince Abubakar Audu’s soul, extended his “profound condolence to the immediate family, members of APC in Kogi,  the government and the entire people of Kogi State.”

The governor urged the family to take with equanimity the death of Prince Audu; saying death is an inevitable end for every living being.

Aregbesola said: “One clear lesson is the transient nature of life itself; it’s not about Prince Audu, but about the fact that death is a certainty that must come to every living being, not only human but every living being.

The governor noted that Prince Audu’s death was not only a loss to his immediate family and the APC but also to the people of Kogi state, who he served as commissioner and governor twice.

“It is my fervent prayer that Allah will grant him Aljanah Firdaus and give the people of Kogi State the fortitude to bear the loss. We also pray Allah to comfort his family and give them courage and hope.”

He also urged family members and supporters of Prince Abubakar Audu to take heart and consider the death an act of God, saying Audu lived a life of service whose concern for the unity, stability and progress of Kogi remained unshakable until he breathed his last.

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Wole Soyinka High Sch-1

Pictures of Professor Wole Soyinka and Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, during the commissioning of Wole Soyinka Government High School, Ejigbo, State of Osun on Monday 23-11-2015

Professor Wole Soyinka and Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, during the commissioning of Wole Soyinka Government High School, Ejigbo, State of Osun on Monday 23-11-2015

Professor Wole Soyinka and Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf
Aregbesola, during the commissioning of Wole Soyinka Government High
School, Ejigbo, State of Osun on Monday 23-11-2015

Professor Wole Soyinka (Middle); Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (2rd left); his wife, Sherifat (left); Deputy Governor, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori (2rd right) and Speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon. Najeem  Salam (right), during the commissioning of Wole Soyinka Government High School, Ejigbo, State of Osun on Monday 23-11-2015

Professor Wole Soyinka (Middle); Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf
Aregbesola (2rd left); his wife, Sherifat (left); Deputy Governor, Mrs
Titi Laoye-Tomori (2rd right) and Speaker of the House of Assembly,
Hon. Najeem Salam (right), during the commissioning of Wole Soyinka
Government High School, Ejigbo, State of Osun on Monday 23-11-2015

From right, Wife of Osun State Governor, Sherifat Aregbesola; Governor Rauf Aregbesola; Professor Wole Soyinka; Deputy Governor, Mrs Titi Loaye-Tomori and others, during the commissioning of Wole Soyinka Government High School, Ejigbo, State of Osun on Monday 23-11-2015

From right, Wife of Osun State Governor, Sherifat Aregbesola; Governor Rauf
Aregbesola; Professor Wole Soyinka; Deputy Governor, Mrs Titi Loaye-Tomori
and others, during the commissioning of Wole Soyinka Government High
School, Ejigbo, State of Osun on Monday 23-11-2015

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Osun and IITA MOU-1

Pictures of Governor Rauf Aregbesola, the Director General, International  Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan; Dr. Nteranya Sangiga and Deputy Director General Partnership & Capacity Development (IITA);  Dr. Kenton Dashiell, during the Signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Osun Government and International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, at Governor’s office, Abere, Osogbo, on Tuesday 17/11/2015.

From left- Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Director General International  Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Dr. Nteranya Sangiga and Deputy Director General Partnership & Capacity Development, IITA, Dr. Kenton Dashiell, and Head of Administration, (IITA), Mrs. Sylva Oyinlola, during the Signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Osun Government and International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, at  Governor's office, Abere, Osogbo, on Tuesday 17/11/2015.

From left- Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Director
General International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA),
Ibadan, Dr. Nteranya Sangiga and Deputy Director General Partnership &
Capacity Development, IITA, Dr. Kenton Dashiell, and Head of
Administration, (IITA), Mrs. Sylva Oyinlola, during the Signing of
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Osun Government and
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, at Governor’s office, Abere, Osogbo, on Tuesday 17/11/2015.

From left-  Deputy Governor, State of Osun, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori, Governor Rauf Aregbesola, Director General International  Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan; Dr. Nteranya Sangiga and Deputy Director General Partnership & Capacity Development (IITA);  Dr. Kenton Dashiell, during the Signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Osun Government and International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, at Governor's office, Abere, Osogbo, on Tuesday 17/11/2015.

From left- Deputy Governor, State of Osun, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori,
Governor Rauf Aregbesola, Director General International Institute of
Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan; Dr. Nteranya Sangiga and Deputy
Director General Partnership & Capacity Development (IITA); Dr.
Kenton Dashiell, during the Signing of Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) between Osun Government and International Institute of Tropical
Agriculture, at Governor’s office, Abere, Osogbo, on Tuesday
17/11/2015.

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (middle), Director General International  Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Dr. Nteranya Sangiga (2nd right); Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti (left) and Deputy Director General Partnership & Capacity Development of the IITA, Dr. Kenton Dashiell (right), during the Signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the State Government and  International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, at Governor's office, Abere, Osogbo, on Tuesday 17/11/2015.

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (middle), Director
General International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA),
Ibadan, Dr. Nteranya Sangiga (2nd right); Secretary to the State
Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti (left) and Deputy Director General
Partnership & Capacity Development of the IITA, Dr. Kenton Dashiell
(right), during the Signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
between the State Government and International Institute of Tropical
Agriculture, at Governor’s office, Abere, Osogbo, on Tuesday
17/11/2015.

 

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Osun and IITA MOU-2

Osun and IITA MOU-2
REMARKS BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF OSUN, OGBENI RAUF AREGBESOLA, AT THE SIGNING OF MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU) BETWEEN THE STATE GOVERNMENT OF OSUN AND THE INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURE (IITA), HELD AT THE EXCO LOUNGE OF THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR, BOLA IGE HOUSE, ABERE, ON TUESDAY NOVEMBER 17, 2015
Protocols,
A Timely Partnership
I am most pleased to be here and welcome you all to this great event, the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the State Government of Osun and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).
Under this partnership, we are releasing 204.39 hectares of land around Ago Owu in the state, to IITA for the purpose of conducting research and setting up demonstration farms for best farming practices. IITA will carry out cassava, plantain and other crops multiplication. It will also train Osun youths on modern, commercial and profitable farming. This will no doubt complement our agriculture programme and give it a new fillip. It will bring capital to our state, extend robustly the agriculture value chain, create jobs and hopefully make millionaires out of our farmers, especially the youths that are being attracted to farming.
IITA, a member of the Consultative Group for International Agriculture Research (CGIAR), is a foremost research institution established in 1967 for the development of agriculture in this region. The State of Osun, created in 1991, is a predominantly agrarian state. Agricultural development, especially for food production, has been the main thrust of our administration’s policies since our coming in November 2011. Our relationship with IITA, therefore, looks like it was made in heaven. Given our both commitment to agriculture, it is inevitable that our paths would cross.
To be sure, this is not our first collaboration. At the beginning of this year in January, we signed an MoU that eventually produced today’s ground breaking event. IITA has been very supportive of our flagship agriculture programme, Osun Rural Enterprise and Agriculture Programme (O’REAP) in many ways.
I must commend the institute’s Director General, Dr Nteranya Sanginga, whose coming has reenergised IITA and has taken it from the insularity of a research enclave into the planting fields of the vast farms. I hate to compare, but given the innovations he has carried out at IITA and how he has taken it a notch higher the development ladder, I must say that Dr Sanginga understands the critical role of agriculture research institutes in our continent’s grim battle against the scourge of hunger and poverty, more than any of his predecessors.
Under him, we are seeing IITA breaking out, providing the lacking critical linkage between research and implementation. This our partnership simply means that we are going to have direct-to-farm linkage of scientific innovations in farming by the very best of agriculture scientists.
The parcel of land being released to IITA is very strategic. It is embedded within a farm settlement of 4,000 hectares of the 11,496 hectares of land we are developing in the Ago Owu area. We have also opened up another farm settlement in Mokore on 3,340 hectares of land. This IITA centre is surrounded by some 28 farming villages whom we expect would be the first beneficiaries of the farming innovation that would come from the centre. There is no doubt that this would spread to the entire farming community in Osun and then to our neighbouring states.
Big things start small. I am convinced that what we are starting today would lead to agriculture revolution, not just in Osun, but in Nigeria as a whole.
With our Bonny Light selling for $38.18 yesterday, we don’t need a soothsayer to tell us that our focus must shift to agriculture if we must survive the looming financial storm. We believe that it is for this reason that God has positioned Dr Sanginga in our country at this time, as a light first to Nigeria and the continent of Africa as a whole. We are confident therefore that IITA would surpass our expectations and showcase this project as a worthy and unsurpassable model.
I therefore thank the entire IITA team that has been working behind the scene to make this deal come through. I will also like to thank our team led by Dr Charles Akinola of the Office of Economic Development and Partnership (OEDP) and other organisations and individuals that have been of good assistance to us.
I thank you all for your kind attention.
Osun a dara!

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Osun and IITA MOU-3

Osun and IITA MOU-3

In a bid to make agriculture the mainstay of the state’s economy and stay afloat the oil gluts, the Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).

The signing ceremony which took place at the Executive Lounge of the Office of the Governor in Osogbo‎ will have the state release 204.39 hectares of land around Ago Owu in the state, to IITA for the purpose of conducting research and setting up demonstration farms for best farming practices.

IITA will also carry out cassava, plantain and other crops multiplication and train Osun youths on modern, commercial and profitable farming.

Signing the MOU on behalf of the state government, Governor Aregbesola stated that releasing the farmland to IITA will complement Osun agriculture programme, extending robustly the agriculture value chain and create jobs for farmers, especially the youths that are being attracted to farming.

The Governor commended ‎IITA and her Director General Dr. Nteranya Sanging for being supportive of Osun’s flagship agriculture programme, Osun Rural Enterprise and Agriculture Programme (O’REAP) in many ways.

He stressed that agricultural development especially food production has been the main thrust of his administration’s policies since his assumption of office in November, 2010. ‎

The Governor attributed challenges facing farmers to lack of critical linkage between agricultural research and implementation, adding that with the MoU and partnership with IITA, Osun stands to have direct-to-farm linkage of scientific innovations in farming with the best of agriculture scientists.

According to him, “with our Bonny Light selling for $38.18 yesterday, we don’t need a soothsayer to tell us that our focus must shift to agriculture if we must survive the looming financial storm.

“We believe that it is for this reason that God has positioned Dr. Sanginga in our country at this time, as a light first to Nigeria and the continent of Africa as a whole.‎

‎”Osun is a predominantly agrarian state. Agricultural development, especially for food production, has been the main thrust of our administration’s policies since our coming in November 2010.

“Our relationship with IITA, therefore, looks like it was made in heaven. Given our commitment to agriculture, it is inevitable that our paths would cross”. The governor stressed.

‎Speaking earlier, the Director General Office of Economic Development and Partnerships (OEDP), Dr. Charles Akinola stated that there had been relationship with IITA for over four years.

He held that the MOU is an epoch-making event that will facilitate a working relationship with OREAP carrying out crop multiplication and all inputs of planting material will be adequately considered.

He said, “we are anticipating large impact from this partnership, the location is close to the two major farm settlements that we have in the state.

“In these areas, we hope it will translate to the development of 14,000 settlerso. We expect that the impact of IITA will be felt among about 85 villages and the state as a whole”.

In his address, the Director General of IITA, ‎Dr. Nteranya Sanging‎ stated that the time has come for Nigeria to diversify from its dependence on oil, saying with the disappearance of the oil boom, the country must turn to agriculture to survive.

He held that the only source of wealth for Africa is agriculture, noting that agriculture is one of the best ways to get the teeming youth of Africa employed‎.

He implored Governor Aregbesola to keep to his own side of the MOU adding that IITA will hit the ground running in Osun with the 1,00‎0 extension workers provided by the state for the multiplication of seedlings.

He said “I want to ask these two questions, just think of Africa or Osun state with‎out cassava or yam?. If not for the research of IITA there may not have been cassava as it is in the soil of Africa, our Genetic resource centre contained all seeds.

“What we have to do is to use that resources for the benefit of Osun, we will soon start a small programme on Banana and cassava, we will give some of the seed to Osun”. The IITA boss stated.

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