A member of the House of Representatives Alhaja Ayo Omidiran, has predicted that Osun State will soon be out of its economic crisis.
She said with the beginning of implementation of the communiqué of the stakeholders’ conference held on August 10, in Osogbo, the state is set for an economic turnaround.
The conference was organised by the Osun Legislators’ Forum and attended by public office holders and civil servants.
Top players in the organised labour and private sector also attended, the event, where decisions on the way forward were taken.
Mrs. Omidiran, who represents Irewole Federal Constituency, was one of the prime organisers of the conference.
She said Governor Rauf Aregbesola has started to implement the meeting’s outcome.
“The idea behind it was for us to bring the ideas together so that the state can harness its resources to continue to move forward. We were happy the governor supported it and put all the government machinery behind it. We are confident the outcome will positively influence the state,” Mrs. Omidiran said.
Osun is one of the states badly hit by the financial crisis that followed the drop in oil prices, which adversely affected the cash flow into the nation’s treasury.
The state is just clearing the backlog of salaries to its workers.
The communiqué of the conference read by the representative of the labour unions at the meeting, Mr. Richard Afolayan Oyegbami, recommends that:
* government should plug the loopholes in the way revenues are collected;
* Osun people must pay taxes and rates before being compelled to do so;
*the need to review the cost of governance, particularly to ascertain accurately the recurrent expenditure.
*government should embrace public private sector partnerships in agriculture, mining and tourism;
*government should patronise competent local contractors to deepen the state’s economy; and
*parents should contribute a token to augment the free education programme.
THE NATION

Recently, Nigeria lost one of her foremost traditional rulers, Oba Okunade Sijuwade Olubuse II, the 50th Ooni of Ife who joined his ancestors on July 28,2015.
The late Sijuwade who was grandson of late Ooni Sijuwade Adelekan Olubuse I, was born on January 1, 1930 in Ile-Ife, Osun State. He attended Abeokuta Grammar School and Oduduwa College in Ile-Ife. On leaving college, he had a three-year stint in his father’s company, before working as a journalist with the Nigerian Tribune newspaper for two years. He later went to the United Kingdom to study Business Management at the Northampton College. On return home, the late Ooni joined the Leventis Group as a manager. In 1963, he left to become a Sales Director with National Motors in Lagos.
It was during a visit to the then Soviet Union in 1964 that the young and enterprising Sijuwade spotted a business opportunity. Armed with immense experience, he launched a business career that later spawned conglomerates in car retailing and real estate in his hometown of Ile Ife. It stands to his credit that the modern housing estate he built in Ile-Ife, provides housing for senior staff of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), thereby helping to relieve acute housing shortage for the institution. For Sijuwade, it was not only a business investment but also his contribution to the development of the University town. As a businessman, Prince Sijuwade maintained a diverse social, political, ethnic and ideological group of friends at home and abroad.
Before ascending the throne as Ooni in 1980, he was a renowned philanthropist. Fittingly, he brought this attribute to bear all through his 35-year reign. In his lifetime, Oba Sijuwade was a rallying point and bridge builder between traditional and other religious institutions in the country. Even at that, he also had several encounters with controversies that pitted him against some fellow traditional rulers including the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi; the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona and even the Ogunsua of Modakeke.
For example, in January 2009 Sijuwade was quoted as saying that the Alaafin of Oyo was ruling over a dead empire (the Oyo Empire, which collapsed in 1793). Oba Adeyemi’s riposte was that the Ooni “was not in tune with his own history.” There is a general belief that one reason Osun State was created out of the old Oyo State was to resolve the battle for supremacy between Alaafin and Ooni. This was because both monarchs were very powerful at the time, and their conflict was causing division amongst Yoruba Obas. In spite of that, the late Oba Sijuwade was a consummate peacemaker.
Observers credited him with bringing peace between Ife and Modakeke communities at the height of the internecine crisis over land ownership in 2009. The late Ooni helped mediate the dispute, leading to the elevation of the Ogunsua of Modakeke as an Oba. Also, in August 2010, he mediated in the ownership dispute between Oyo and Osun states over the Ladoke Akintola University, at a meeting attended by then Osun Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, former Governor of Oyo State, which resulted in an action plan.
His mediatory role is among the enduring legacies for which the late Sijuwade will for long be remembered. In his tribute, President Muhammadu Buhari said the late Oba Sijuwade would be remembered for his “worthy service and invaluable contributions” to the sustenance of the cultural heritage of his people. He had lived a very fulfilled life, and has left worthy legacies for his successors to build upon.”
It is befitting that Oba Sijuwade who died at the age of 85 years, would not only be remembered for his immense contributions to Ile-Ife but also to the entire country and humanity.
DAILY TIMES

Pictures of the Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola with the newly posted Controller of Prisons to Osun Command, Mr. Tajudeen Olalekan Kehinde, during a familiarization visit to the Governor in his office at Government Secretariat, Abere, Osogbo on Thursday 13/08/2015.

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (right) with the newly
posted Controller of Prisons to Osun Command, Mr. Tajudeen Olalekan
Kehinde, during a familiarization visit to the Governor in his office
at Government Secretariat, Abere, Osogbo on Thursday 13/08/2015.

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (right) presenting the
State Emblem to the newly posted Controller of Prisons to Osun
Command, Mr. Tajudeen Olalekan Kehinde, during a familiarization visit
to the Governor in his office at Government Secretariat, Abere, Osogbo
on Thursday 13/08/2015.

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (2nd right); Secretary
to the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti (middle), newly posted
Controller of Prisons to Osun Command, Mr. Tajudeen Olalekan Kehinde
(right), Deputy Controller of Prisons Administration, Mr. Charles Esan
(2nd left) and Command Public Relations Officer, Mr. Olusola Adeotan
(left), during a familiarization visit to the Governor in his office
at Government Secretariat, Abere, Osogbo on Thursday 13/08/2015.

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (middle); Secretary to
the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti (3rd left), newly posted
Controller of Prisons to Osun Command, Mr. Tajudeen Olalekan Kehinde
(3rd right), Deputy Controller of Prisons Administration, Mr. Charles
Esan (2nd left); Command Public Relations Officer, Mr. Olusola
Adeotan (left), Assistant Controller of Prisons Operations, Mr. Suhaib
Ayodeji (right) and Mr. Ramon Olayiwola (2nd right), during a
familiarization visit to the Governor in his office at Government
Secretariat, Abere, Osogbo on Thursday 13/08/2015.

The Coalition of Odua Self-Determination Group (COSEG) at the weekend, called on a self styled political activist, Mr. Yinka Odumakin to desist from his deliberate attempt to undermine the achievements of Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun.
COSEG in a statement signed by its President and Secretary, Mr. Dayo Ogunlana and Mr. Rasaq Oloko-Oba respectively, called on all well-meaning Yoruba leaders to call Mr. Odumakin to order.
The group noted that it is rife to alert Yoruba people of the hatchet job and activities the the Publicity Secretary of the factionalised Afenifere Group.
Odumakin’s action of submitting a petition against the governor of Osun to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and various media attacks have shown that he is hobnobbing with some few disgruntled elements against the Yoruba people.
COSEG held that Odumakin’s recent failed summit billed for Osogbo and later transferred to Ile-Ife has also revealed that there is a calculated attempt by him (Odumakin) and the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun, Otunba Iyiola Omisore and a few others to sustain their attacks and through that detract the state government.‎
The group stated that Osun under the Aregbesola administration, remain investor-friendly and capable of attracting the best of minds for positive engagements because of its peace and tranquillity.
According to COSEG, “We are opposed to his petition given the achievements of Aregbesola in Osun. We condemn his media attacks on the governor. This is a  government that has completely revolutionised education across board – both primary and secondary levels.
“It is on record that Osun is among one of the few states in Nigeria that can be judged as peaceful and with lowest crime rate.
“Even with the meagre finances of the state, the administration in less than five years has completed close to nine hundred kilometres of road and this has not stopped but for the temporary challenges ocassioned by finances.
“The performance of Aregbesola’s government  has shown that he is one of the most prudent in Nigeria considering his projects and resources. There is no part of the state that is left untouched in terms of roads construction and maintenance”.
COSEG insisted that Aregbesola deserves to be encouraged at this time of economic challenge of Nigeria and not be detracted.
“The current economic situation of Nigeria must be seen as a general crisis and not one that should be blamed on a governor. But unfortunately, that has remained the agenda of those who feel it is possible to destroy the efforts built by Aregbesola for Osun as a pride of the Black race”. The Odua group emphasised.

Pictures of the Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Professor of Arabic Language, University of Imam Bin Saud in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Prof. Ibrahim Bin Abdullah, during his visit to the governor in his office last weekend.

Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Professor of
Arabic Language, University of Imam Bin Saud in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,
Prof. Ibrahim Bin Abdullah, during his visit to the governor in his
office at the weekend.

From left, Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; Professor
of Arabic Language, University of Imam Bin Saud in Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia, Prof. Ibrahim Bin Abdullah and Vice President, Supreme Council
of Sharia in Nigeria, Sheik Abdul-Rosheed Adiat, during his visit to
the governor in his office at the weekend.

As part of efforts to support the free health care programmes of the Governor Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola’ led-administration of Osun State, the State office of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has donated the drugs worth of N300,000 to the State government through the Ministry of Health.
While performing the donation of the drugs on behalf of the apex bank at the Ministry complex, Government Secretariat, Abeere, Osogbo, the CBN’s Acting Branch Controller (BC), Alhaji Bashiru Ibrahim, noted that the apex bank in the land donated the drug to Ministry to support the first edition of the 2015 Biennial Maternal New born and Child Health weeks.
He explained that the donation was a part of the bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the State. Alhaji Ibrahim maintained that the donation was made through the personal contributions of all the general Staff of the Osun CBN office, saying that the apex bank began what they called “Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project” during the period of Chief Joseph Sanusi as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria in 2004.
He said, “This gesture is as a result of financial contribution of the members of the Staff towards the growth and development of the society, particularly, in the area of Health Care service delivery System in each of the Bank branches since introduction of the Corporate Social Responsibility in the bank. But we have done a lot for our immediate environment in Osun State, like building of Hostel for Enuogbope Orphanage Home, Kobongbogboe, Osogbo, provision of School bus to Handicapped School, Mooro ,Ife North Local Area of the State, among others.
“Today, we are in the Osun State Ministry of Health to donate our windows mite of drugs in support of 2015 Biennial Maternal New born and Child Health weeks.” Earlier, receiving the drugs on behalf of the State government, the Ministry’s Director of Primary Health Care(PHC) and Diseases Control, Dr. Kayode Ogunniyi, thanked the CBN staff for the gesture to the Ministry and by extension to the people of Osun State, assuring that the drugs would be judiciously used across the thirty(30) local government areas, including Modakeke area office. Ogunniyi said,
“This donation to the Ministry is timely; I want to assure you that the drugs will be distributed across to the length and breadth of the thirty Local Government Areas of the State, so that the mothers of new babies in the State will benefit immensely in the contribution of the apex bank staff to the development of health system in Osun State. By this gesture, you have contributed immensely to the maternal health care programme of the State government, especially, mother and child care programme.”
The Citizen Ng

•Party pays tribute to late monarch 
Osun State All Progressives Congress (APC) has hailed Nigerians and others for sympathing with the Yoruba nation over the passing of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade, Olubuse II, whose body was buried last Friday.
In a statement yesterday, its state chairman, Prince Adegboyega Famodun, said that “even if all of us had wished for it, there was no way we would have stopped his passing, for his time to leave had come. And he has gone”.
Famodun, however, expressed relief in the memory of Oba Sijuwade’s dignified presence in Yorubaland and the world.
The late Ooni, the APC chief said, was a glorious symbol of the Yoruba culture ever seen in nearly two centuries.
The statement reads: “He (Ooni) was ‘Atobalete’ personified. Borne a king, he also lived it like nobody else had done before him in 200 years. Okunade Sijuade, Olubuse II was an exceptional and authentic representation of royalty that Yoruba nation has ever experienced in two centuries.
“Occasionally, his personality stirred controversy; he had been through some rough and tumbles. But what made the late Ooni so special is that he commanded your respect, even when you were reluctant to give it. The authority of Oodua radiated through him.”
Famodun added that the APC “is proud to be associated with this great monarch, who will live on in our memories as one of the greatest and compelling personalities in Yorubaland, Nigeria, Africa and the cultural world that nobody could afford to ignore”.
“Like him or hate him, the late Ooni is one royalty, whose charismatic and cultural opulence will live on in the history of world royalties. He has set a standard that will be difficult to outshine in Yorubaland. That is what makes him so unique.
“We accept his passing as natural; just as we realise that mourning the event is also natural. However, the Ooni lives on with his ancestors while we carry on and live the traditions of our forefathers to make our people prosperous and our country great.
“Osun State, the APC and the Yoruba nation thank the world for empathising with us on the death of the Ooni of Ife.
“His great soul will luxuriate in peace and comfort in the world beyond as it pleases the Creator spirit to offer him,” the APC said.
THE NATION

There is no way a judge would spew such banalities on a state chief executive if, indeed, she was not consumed by hate and it is rather a shame that we still have such bigoted individuals, with the power of life and death, adjudicating in our hallowed courts of justice
No matter in which university her worshipful majesty, Justice Folahanmi Oloyede, read her law, she could never have passed through the likes of Professors Okunuga, Ijalaiye, Kasunmu or Olawoyin, the way she completely desecrated the judiciary by her ill- advised petition against the Osun State governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, which petition, it is obvious, she must have written out of some deep-seated bitterness. There is no way a judge would spew such banalities on a state chief executive if, indeed, she was not consumed by hate and it is rather a shame that we still have such bigoted individuals, with the power of life and death, adjudicating in our hallowed courts of justice. Reading this woman’s petition, you would not think that any other state, besides Osun, has a backlog of unpaid salaries.
Meanwhile in Benue State, for reasons not unconnected with non-payment of workers’ salaries, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja temporarily froze the state’s accounts in Skye Bank, Zenith Bank, First Bank of Nigeria and First City Monument Bank while for the same reason. The Daily Independent of May 16, 2015 reported that workers in Plateau State sacked the entire state 24 lawmakers from sitting over their failure to prevail on the state government to pay their salary arrears running to about seven months.
While this is the situation in at least 23 of Nigeria’s 36 states we have the words of the Edo State governor, Comrade Adam Oshiomhole, to the effect that President Jonathan “could only be said to have paid wages only to the extent that Okonjo-Iweala borrowed from the Central Bank; from various bond instruments including drawing down over N3 trillion from pension funds. It was in realisation of this truly pervasive problem that governors of both the APC and the PDP approached the federal government for a bail out which was granted. Unfortunately, given Yoruba’s historic bad belle and pull-him-down syndrome, things were bound to be treated differently in the Southwest, especially in Osun State, where a particular individual, forever wanting to be governor, was sure to find ‘agent provocateurs’, ready to pull his chestnuts out of the fire for him. This, I suspect, is where this judge, who has subsequently been thoroughly excoriated for desecrating the judiciary by legal juggernauts like Chief (Mrs) Folake Solanke, SAN and Professor Itse Sagay, SAN, comes in.
It  is  also with  this  macabre circumstances in mind, this complete disregard for judicial norms  as well as  everything that can be  considered  decent, and respectful, that Adewale Adeoye, a CNN African Journalist Award winner,  decided  to weigh in on Oloyede’s monumental faux pas. His views are presented, mutatis mutandis:  “Governors should, by all means, be held accountable for their deeds.  All the same, Justice Oloyede erred.  Her petition is curious, suspicious and raises serious issues about the separation of powers just as it is a complete negation of the prescriptions of the code of conduct as it concerns judicial officers.  As one, it is obviously not in Justice Oloyede’s place to initiate impeachment proceedings against the governor.
Her petition is novel, has never been known to happen; not here nor in the advanced democracies. This Judge has no history of being a radical and so must have acted at the prompting of politicians, or of a political party.  That she did so publicly is as dreadful as it is bizarre.  No judge, not even in a banana republic, should be seen acting in such a rash and repugnant manner. Why, for instance, has the Chief Justice of the Federation not written such a petition to the Senate calling for the impeachment of former President Goodluck Jonathan when the federal government was borrowing in trillions to pay salaries?  Without doubt, her action demonstrates a gross lack of professional etiquette and so she can justifiably be described as a threat to the judiciary.
We have heard that a section of the judiciary stinks with corruption and by this, she has confirmed that such corruption is not limited to financials only; it could very well be attitudinal.  Her inability to check and moderate her sentiments smells to high heavens, exposing her as being extremely weak and unable to rein in her impulses. She demonstrated a flirtatious display of reactionary alliance with the roguish PDP; a party which has spared no effort in making governance in the State of Osun impossible.  Without a doubt, that  party is from whence came the contents  of her petition and it is meant to distract  a governor who is doing his best to ameliorate the effects of their party’s  unrestrained looting which ensured that trillions of naira that should have ended up in the federation account  never got there in the first place.  Nigerians must thank God PDP et al, have been dispatched to political Siberia to rot.
Judges are neither police nor expected to be politicians. Judges are there to interpret the law based on evidence before them. They are not prosecutors, nor can they be judges in their own case. This misdirected judge quoted figures that are confidential to the state even when she did not get them, leveraging on the FOI law, which obviously means  that she has either been personally spying or has agents  leaking state secrets to her.  Clearly, Justice Oloyede is a remnant of the old order, a rookie of the political clan, planted in the judiciary; a clan that wishes to see Nigeria remain a fiefdom of ineptitude, run by a rogue cartel wishing to dominate government for selfish ends.
It is the responsibility of any society that wishes to uphold the separation of powers, that intruders like her must not go unpunished by the appropriate authorities.”  Were Justice Oloyede a woman of principles, or a citizen who truly means well for her state; if she were a woman of her word, she should have promptly resigned her appointment except she still cannot see the difference between her high office as judge,  and that of  a mere busy body who has obviously been playing  ‘Edward Snowden’, on the state’s  official secrets .
The State of Osun, I think, should proceed to make her have her day in court for this profanity. In concluding, let me say a word for the poor, suffering Nigerian worker.  Nothing can be worse than not getting paid for work done and it becomes more excruciating when this situation continues for months on end.  And, given Nigeria’s parlous circumstances, this situation could go on for years. Or how many times can state governors run to a federal government that is, itself living by its shoestrings? This is why I think the Nigerian Labour Congress should now quit adversarial relationship with the different arms of government. Labour should set out to properly serve the interest of Nigerians workers by posing and finding answers to questions that are crucial if they hope to take workers out of their present cul-de-sac.
For instance, labour’s insistence on uniform salary in all states of the federation is unhelpful because states are not equally endowed.  Also, if the federal government will not perpetually come to states’ assistance in the payment of salaries, then it must quit negotiating salaries and allowances on behalf of other tiers of government. It is absolutely fallacious to think that states like Ebonyi, Ekiti, Osun etc, can comfortably pay the same salary as Lagos, Rivers, Kano, Akwa Ibom, for instance. States must be allowed to pay salaries it can afford based on honest negotiations between Labour and government. For instance, Osun did not have its current problem until the senior workers union arm twisted the government to extend the minimum wage agreement to all categories of staff. From that point on,
Most states discovered they could no longer afford their monthly salary bills. It must be pointed out that in any state of the federation, the public service does not cater to more than about 10 percent or thereabouts of the population. When this small fraction takes everything a government earns in a month, what is left for government to do anything else?  Only this past week the House of Representatives decided to investigate why the capital component of the current budget is not being implemented.  Should any serious body go into such things when even a kindergarten knows why?
Labour must do this hard work on behalf of workers or give states a free hand to determine their staff strength.
THE NATION