It was just before night fall and the palace of the Ataoja of Osogboland, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji was thick with people as tourists, fun-seekers and indigenes thronged the royal compound to witness the lighting of the 16-point lamp, Olojumerindinlogun.
Within the Osogbo cultural landscape, the lighting of the 16-point lamp is an important aspect of the annual Osun Osogbo festival. Expectedly, the all-night carnivalfeatured traditional dances and music from various dance groups within Osogboland.
The night started with the palace chiefs lighting the 16-point lamp just before dusk after which the king came out accompanied with other ranking chiefs to dance round it. The king first had two round of dancesaround the lampwhich was kept burning by a palace chief  who regularly added cotton wool soaked with palm oil to it. On the third round, the king and his palace chiefs took the dance rites around the city and beforethey returned, the lamps were put off and carried away to where it is stored till the next OsunOsogbo festival.
The spiritual significance of the lamp ritual can never be over-emphasized. Legend has it that the 16 point lamp was taken from the spirits in the Osogbo groove by a powerful hunter called Olutimehin. A ranking chief in the land, Chief Popoola Folarinwa, the Ajaguna of Osogboland said the lighting rites were in line with an instruction the hunter received from the goddess of Osogbo when he took the lamp from spirits in the forest.
He said: “The lamp is part of the history of the founding of Osogbo kingdom. There was an elephant hunter called Olutimehin. While searching for water during hunting in the Osun groove at night, he stumbled onsome spirits dancing around this lamp. As a powerful hunter, he overpoweredthem and took the lamp from them. But the goddess of the river warned that for him to keep the lamp, he will have to replicate thedance steps of the spirits around the lamp. That is how Osogbo kingdom came about the lamp andjust as we are doing tonight, in the last 600 years we have been doing it in compliance with what the deity requested.”
The Ajaguna said it takes no special ceremony to light or put off the lights on the lamps. However, he said two things must not happen; one, the lights must not go off when the king has not danced around it twice. Two the king must not return during his dance tour of the city to meet the lights burning. To ensure neither of the two undesirable events happen, a palace chief has to constantly stay around the lamp stand to keep it burning and put it off at the appropriate time.
To the Osogbo people the lighting of the lamp reminds them of their ties to the Osogbodeity. It is a time to renew and strengthen ancestral bonds.
He added, “It means we are fulfilling the mandate that was given to us by the goddess of Osun Osogbo who allowed the hunter to keep the lamp provided he dances the spirit dance. The annual Osun Osogbo festival is a paramount celebration in Osogbo and it gives us the opportunity to reconnect with the deity of the land. It is a festival no Osogbo man would want to miss.”
Apart from its spiritual significance, the lamp provided photo opportunities for indigenes and tourists alike who took turns to take photographs with it. Besides, in the chilly night breeze, the lamp provided warmth as people encircled it.
For Goldberg lager beer, it was yet another opportunity to treat tourists and visitors to a classy beer experience. A mobile cart was deployed at the king’s palace to serve visitors with Goldberg lager beer. For the third year running, Goldberg lager from the stables of Nigerian Breweries Plc.,is the official beer sponsor of the UNESCO-rated annual festival in Osogbo. Drinking Goldberg was being equated to being in sync with the Osun Osogbo festival.
Tourists, festival revelers and indigenes proudly displayed their Goldberg bottles and cans as they enjoyed into the night. The brand’s activities during the festival has reportedly boosted economic activities in the city. According to a source, the activation of the Goldberg beer village has provided direct jobs and income to some families in Osogbo.
THE NATION

The Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has assured the people of its unalloyed support to President Muhammadu Buhari in its drive to change the fortune of the nation for better.

The Senate made this disclosure during a condolence visit to the Governor of Osun, on the transition to glory of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade on Wednesday in Osogbo.

The Head of the Senate delegation, Senator Adamu Abdulahi said that the Senate will leave no stone unturned in its effort to make sure that Buhari succeeds with the change project he has brought.

He promised that the eight Senate will remove all obstacles, seen and unseen that may impede Buhari’s success.

In his words,”I am assuring on behalf of my colleagues that we will leave no stone unturned to support President Muhammadu Buhari. We will surmount whatever obstacle, whether seen or unseen, this we assure Nigerians”.

Senator Adamu Abdulahi who was former Governor of Nasarawa State, described the Ooni as a stakeholder in the unity of Nigeria, a towering‎ personality and a bridge builder across all ethnics groups.

He said the Monarch always answered the call of any government in any matter that concerns the growth, development and progress of the nation.
The Senate in a letter signed by the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, said the demise of the Oba, who is a worthy Ambassador and a pride of the Yoruba race, is a very sad one.

The letter read, “The senate notes with sadness the demise of the Kabiyesi who was a worthy ambassador for Nigeria and a symbol of pride for the Yoruba race.

“It further notes that the monarch pursued the sustainability, unity and peaceful co-existence of every section of Nigeria. He was a great family man and highly revered in the Diaspora, he received many national and international awards in recognition of his various achievements.

“I pray Almighty Allah grant you the strength and fortitude to bear this irreparable loss. May the soul of Oba Sijuade find Al-jannat Firdaus, Amen.

“This letter conveys t‎he condolence of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to Your Excellency and through you to the Government and people of Osun state as well as the family of the deceased”. The condolence letter stated.

In his response, the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, who represented Governor Rauf Aregbesola urged members of the Upper Chamber to put aside their past differences ‎and work together to move the nation forward.

He charged them to lend their support for Pres‎ident Buhari to run the nation successfully.

He described the Late Ooni as a traditional ruler who combine‎d the office of an Oba with leadership of Yoruba race.

The governor noted that the monarch was a true representative of his people and their culture which he promoted both home and abroad.

According to him, “Do everything possible to put aside your individual differences and support the political will of President Buhari to change the nation for the better.

“I thank the senate immensely for moving the motion on the floor of the senate to sent a powerful delegation bearing condolence letter to the government, people of Osun and the family of the late monarch.

“Your letter is a manifestation of your love for our state and our esteemed late king.

“Oba Sijuade was a traditional ruler who combined the office of traditional administration of his domain with leadership of the Yoruba race. He was a worthy ambassador and a proter of Youruba culture ‎at home and abroad”.

Scores of ghost workers might have been detected in Osun State during the on-going ‘operation show your certificates screening and verification exercise’ in the state.
Investigation conducted revealed that the verification and screening exercise is on-going and yet to be completed, it was discovered scores of ghost workers were discovered in the local government, civil service and teaching service in the state.
The actual figure is not officially known as at the time of filling this report, it was gathered that some faceless workers who were drawing salaries from the coffer of the state were discovered.
Another set of ghost workers were drawing salaries from the purse of the state but were actually living in Ibadan, Oyo State, not working for the money they are drawing from the state.
The operation show your certificates and verification screening exercise was reached between the labour movement and the state during the current unpaid salaries impasse when the number of workers drawing salaries from the state government came up for scrutiny.
There are about 35,000 workers on the payroll of the state government leaving the government with N3.6billion wage bill monthly.
The state Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Jacob Babatunde Adekomi while speaking at the just concluded stakeholders’ conference organised by state legislators both in the state and National Assembly told the state government that the issue of salaries needed to be reviewed adding that the labour movement believed that there are possibilities of ghost workers among 35,000 workforce in the state.
Adekomi noted that chunk of workers of the state had left service in 2012 during the implementation of the contributory pension scheme in the state.
Both the state government and labour thereafter agreed that the screening exercise be conducted immediately after the suspension of strike over unpaid salaries to workers in the state.
As at the time of filling this report, the actual figure of ghost workers could not be determined as none of the ministry officials are ready to speak on the development.
The exercise is still on and once the exercise is completed, the report will be made public by the state government.

“He explained that during the time of Bola Ige, “the government bought equipment for us and we paid back. The difference is that only Aregbesola has given us interest-free loan in the history of this state.”
 
Notwithstanding the challenges the Osun State Government is experiencing in the area of paying workers’ salaries, the success story of the loan scheme evolved by Governor Aregbesola-led administration last year in order to boost the economy of the state is worthy of note. The initiative aimed at moving the state away from being a civil service state to an economically-viable one through the revolving loans.
This is the view of the General Manager, Osun Micro-Credit Agency, Mr. Dayo Babaranti, who explained to Southwest Report that “the agency has extended credit facilities to 133 small and medium enterprises, 800 co-operative societies; 9,955 individuals across the 30 local government areas and the Area Office in Modakeke.
He said: “The agency came into being in June, last year and was launched at Freedom Park Osogbo where the people were told of the enormous opportunities accruable to them through the interest-free loan.
“The government has warned that nobody must be left out in the programme. One good thing is that we still have the opportunity of accessing the N2 billion micro-small and medium enterprises development fund from Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
“So, we have accessed N1.675 billion from that money. In fact, the CBN has sent a delegation to inspect what we are doing and they confirmed from all the beneficiaries of the loan that we actually disbursed the money.
“The belief of the government is that micro-finance banks are closer to the petty traders and that was why they said we should use micro-finance banks because the people who are in need of the money are those people selling pepper, foodstuffs and the likes.
“Secondly, our own demand is not as cumbersome as orthodox commercial banks. People are very appreciative of the gesture and more so, it is interest-free. When the programme was launched, some people did not believe it. It is unlike the Islamic banking system which shares profit equally with the customer. In this case, the government is saying, use this money for one year, don’t pay any interest; just pay back the principal. You can see that it is rare.
“The interest element on this money that the beneficiary should have paid is a cost borne by the government. The state government underwrites the interest just to alleviate poverty and take burden off the citizens of Osun State.
“The zero-interest of the facility has forced all micro-finance banks in the state to review downward the hitherto high interest rates to borrowers. The participating micro-finance banks have also employed more staff to manage the funds under the scheme.
“We have placed priority on the co-operative groups for the disbursement of the loans under this programme because they know themselves. We have one year, three years and five years tenures, among others. There is nowhere in the word that they will give you N100, 000 and ask you to pay N100, 000 back after one year. That is why this scheme is far better than the so-called interest-free Islamic banking system. In this scheme, nobody is sharing profit. Your profit is gross to you, just pay back the principal.
“The state government is responsible for our salaries. It is an agency of government. We have a full room that contains the form of applicants.”
Speaking on the impacts of the programme, Babaranti said it has improved employment. The SMEs we give are those that are manufacturing and or producing different type of things. As a result of increment in their capital, they have employed extra hands.
“People who have benefited from this programme are paying tax which improved the state’s internally-generated revenue (IGR). Most of those motorcyclists have learnt one trade or the other. It was during the documentation that we discovered this. It was because of lack of capital to buy instrument and start their own businesses that turned them to street boys, okada riders and people who foment trouble. This has also led to the reduction in crime rate as we have given money to those classes of people to start their own businesses.
One of the beneficiaries, who is also the General Manager, Lawod Metal Limited, Mr. Funso Olawoye, said: “We benefited from Osun Micro-Credit Agency. It has enabled us to improve on our productions as more workers were also employed. Babaranti, however, commended the beneficiaries for being committed to the repayment guidelines and procedures.
“There was a moratorium of six months during which we will begin paying the loan; which is from this month. It is interest-free and a three-year term. I have procured more equipment with the money.”
He explained that during the time of Bola Ige, “the government bought equipment for us and we paid back. The difference is that only Aregbesola has given us interest-free loan in the history of this state.
“We must praise Governor Aregbesola and at the same time we want to urge the government to expand the scope on this free-interest loan. We want them to patronise local manufacturers and pay us on time,” he said.
On the number of employees in his company, Olawoye said: “We have over 50 personnel that are permanent in this company and we hope to increase it to 100 if there is fund to increase production.”
Recounting his experience, Director Alaral Technical, who is the state chairman of Nigeria Association of Small and Medium Produce Spare Parts Mr Ali Alabi said: “Personally, I have benefited from the micro-credit loan and I know many of our members also benefited, particularly in the N220 billion Federal Government SME’s funds.
“Incidentally, N2 billion of that belonged to Osun State which the state government, through the Micro-Credit Finance have disbursed.

“We used to have what we call Small-Scale Industrial Credit Scheme, which was inherited from the old Oyo State. The state government also partners with Bank of Industry (BOI) for SME funding which some of our members also benefited from.
“The most recent is the intervention fund by the CBN released for SME which is particularly of interest to me because it is interest-free. It is not interest-free at the national level but the Osun State Government decided to pay the interest. It was disbursed with no interest to all those that applied through the SME.
“I can authoritatively say that the interest is written off by the state government and that is a very big plus. Before now, we have been clamouring for fund for development with generous interest rate but this one is a good one. We have been asking the Federal Government and the BoI to reduce the rate of SME development fund to 2% or 2.5% that is obtainable in the Southeast Asia, India and China. The maximum interest rate for SME is between 2% and 2.5%.
“The tenure given to us is a good one; it ranges between five years and 15 years. There is nothing you want to do with that money that you will not make it on the long run.
“One, the interest rate is very low. Two, the moratorium is there. Then the tenure is also long. That is what we have been clamouring for in Nigeria. If we have to compete with the developed countries such as China and India, our funding must be competitive.
“Though the money has helped us a lot, the major problem we experience currently is that the economy is so dull. We pray that the change in government will change the tide of things because the situation is very terrible.
According to Alabi, Osun State remains a civil service state. We supply spare parts to Nigeria Breweries, Cocoa Products Industry (CPI) in Ede and many other places.
Commenting on whether the state could be moved to an industrialised one away from civil service state, he said: “It is possible. Look at CPI Ede, when it was functioning, not less than 1,000 people were benefiting indirectly from it. The area was like market every day. In fact, people used to come from Ghana to buy ashes there. They employed not less than 500 workers. They have some contractors which I am one of them. We supply spare parts and also carry out repairs for them.”
THE NATION

The Osogbo, the capital of Osun, will be agog on Aug. 21 as devotees of Osun goddess, tourists, cultural enthusiasts and indigenes, celebrate the grand finale of the Osun-Osogbo festival.
The 2015 edition began on Aug. 11 with the clearing of the traditional paths called “Iwo Popo’’.
The grand finale will witness a votary maid (Arugba Osun), going to the river with a calabash filled with antiquities to worship the goddess of the river on Aug. 21.
Osogbo town and the Palace of Ataoja of Osogbo had been bustling with activities in preparation for the grand finale of the Osun-Osogbo festivity.
MTN Nigeria, Alomo Bitters, and Nigerian breweries sponsor of the event were seen putting finishing touches to boast festival.
A trader in Osogbo, Mr Tunde Akinboboye, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that “he makes more money during the period with his colleagues’’.
Akinboboye said he made the money from tourists who come to Osogbo to witness the Arugba Osun as she goes to the groove on Aug. 21.
Mr Victor Remilekun, a staff of Gani Olaoluwa Hotel, told NAN that hotels in Osogbo were fully booked.
Remilekun said tourists from other countries and government officials across the country had booked almost every hotel in the town including theirs.
He said the event would add value to the socio-economy lives of the people as tourists and people from the state and country troop into the Osun.
“I know the activities will create avenue for informal workers to make money during the festival,’’ Remilekun said.
A security operative, Mr Fagboyinbo Abiodun, in Dada Estate in Osogbo told NAN that the police had been on 24 hour surveillance before, during and after the Osun-Osogbo festival.
According to him, everything is in top gear and security personnel will be dispatched to every nook and cranny of the groove and the entire state to fight crime.
He advised criminals to flee the state.
The Ataoja of Osogbo had said that the 2015 festivity would be promising and colourful as well as add more cultural and socio-economic value on the people.
The state government has declared Aug. 20 as public holidays for the traditional festivity of the Isese celebration.
The Ayo Olopon contest (Native ayo contest) comes up Aug. 20, while the final holds on Aug. 21 and Aug. 22.
The Osun-Osogbo Trade Fair will be closed as the festival rolls off for 2015.
THE GUARDIAN

Osogbo is agog with activities as the festival holds. Tourists are flooding the ancient town to witness this 600 hundred year old festival. The fiesta has evolved over the years to become one of the most anticipated celebrations in Nigeria and the world. It is held in August and commemorated to renew the pact Osun people had with their deity.

It is a fun filled and enthralling event that leaves tourists desiring for more. They should be prepared for a two week idyllic adventure as it features key activities. Jovago.com, Africa’s No 1 hotel booking portal highlight some of these joy-springing traditional performances to look forward to.

Procession to Osun River

Natives believe the Osun River has healing and spiritual powers. This mystery adds to the frenzied atmosphere of the festival thus, everyone looks forward to this trek.

The procession starts from the palace of the Ataoja to the Osun Sacred Grove where the river is located. It is led by the Ataoja of Osogbo and Arugba-virgin maiden. The Arugba, a female that has not been deflowered becomes the cynosure of all eyes as she carries out the responsibility of carrying the rituals meant for the Osun goddess. At the river, tourists pour out their desires to the river god and it is believed their wish will be granted.

Oloju-Merindinlogun 

The Atupa Oloju-Merindinlogun, meaning lamp, is a significant feature during the celebration. The lamp is 642 years old and has 16 points. It is  lit on the 6th day of the festival from 7 am to 7 pm with the Ataoja, his wives, Ifa priest, Osun priest, and traditional chiefs walking circles around it thrice while dancing to the admiration of the people and tourists.

Iwopopo

The Iwopopo or street cleansing is one of the early activities of the festival. The people come out in their numbers to pay respect to the Ataoja of Osogbo as well as pray for peaceful co-existence in town. The programme is spiced by musical performances.

Competitions

The festival has a handful of competitions lined up to entertain visitors. These  are mainly traditional games.

Children are also part of the fun as games are organised to encourage them appreciate culture. It is in four divisions namely dancing, drumming, and Yoruba spelling bee.

BLOGPOST

The Controller of Nigerian Prisons Service in Osun, Mr Tajudeen Olalekan, has urged the state government to construct a prison yard in Osogbo.
Olalekan made this remarks when he visited the Speaker of Osun House of Assembly, Mr Najeem Salaam, in Osogbo on Wednesday.
He said it was unfortunate that there was no prison yard in the state capital, stressing that building one in Osogbo would complement and decongest the Ile-Ife and Ilesa prisons.
According to him, it will also assist the command in the improvement on the existing facilities for the use of prison inmates and their trial.
He called on the state government to grant the request as fast as possible.
In his response, Salaam said the government had started work on what it would take to build a prison yard in Osogbo.
He said the construction of the prison was included in the 2013 budget but it could not be done due to paucity of funds.
Salaam said six acres of land had been allocated for the construction of the prison, adding that when the fund was available, the project would begin.
“Although, we are not prisoners in Osun, there is the need for us to have a prison yard in the state capital for the rehabilitation of incarcerated convicts,’’ he said.
(NAN)

The Osun State House of Assembly has said that it was untrue that it received a petition prior to the one sent by a serving judge in the state, Justice Folahanmi Oloyede, against Governor Rauf Aregbesola for alleged financial mismanagement.
Speaker of the Assembly, Najeem Salaam, stated this at the plenary session on Monday, August 17, 2015, in response to the claim made recently by the publicity director of the Civil Coalition for Emancipation of Osun State, Seun Adeoye, on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily that the group had sent a petition to the House earlier and was ignored.
Oloyede sent a petition to the Assembly calling for the impeachment of the governor and his deputy, Titilayo Laoye-Tomori.
Salaam said there was no record showing that any petition was sent before Oloyede’s own, adding that some other petitions came in the form of letters only after the one sent by the judge.
He said: “It is a blatant lie that any petition had been sent earlier. We have the record of what we are doing in the House. The first petition we received on this issue was the one sent by the judge”
According to Salaam, the petition has been treated with fairness, in line with the mandate given to the legislature.
“For that reason I want to implore the people to be careful and say things the way they are, rather than scoring cheap political points,” he said.
He stressed that the House of Assembly would continue to follow the path of justice, in line with the mandate and responsibilities of the legislative arm of government.
DAILY INDEPENDENT

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