Gov. Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, said this while speaking with journalists at the praying ground in
Osogbo after the eid-il-fitr prayer.
Explaining that the financial crisis was not caused by his administration, Aregbesola stated that with the commencement of payment of salary in osun state, his government had also commenced the repositioning of the state for the better.
He promised that workers’ welfare would continue to be top on his agenda.
He said, “Our government is better prepared financial crisis of the past six months.
“I want our people, particularly the workers, to know that ease, happiness, joy, prosperity will always come if we demonstrate humility, stand firm in our faith, preach patience and love and remain on the path of God.”
The governor commended the entire workers and pensioners in the state for their “unrivaled endurance and resilience” in the face of hardship caused by non-payment of salaries.
Some persons who stormed the praying ground to express their support for the governor charged him to shun his detractors and focus on developing the state.
The governor’s supporters carried placards with various inscriptions, urging the governor to shun critics who were stigmatising him over the salary issues. Some residents also hailed him as he left the place and headed back to the Government House.
Alhaji Sheik Musa Animasaun, the chief Imam of osogboland also said nobody should blame osun state government for the financial crisis which caused the delay in salary payment.
He admonished Muslims not to return back to the sinful ways which they renounced during the Ramadan, saying they should strive to emulate the virtues of Prophet Mohammed.
Animasaun said, “We have noticed that the issue of salary in the state is getting a solution, we must continue to pray that all his strategies to take Osun to beautiful heights of his dream will come to fruition.”

The Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has commended the entire workers and pensioners in the state for their unrivalled endurance and resilience in the face of hardship caused by delay in payment of salaries.
He also tasked Muslims in Osun State, Nigeria and the world in general on the responsibility on them to champion love and peaceful co-existence.
This was the central theme of the message of Aregbesola on Friday on the occasion of the Eid-el-Fitri celebration which was contained in a statement by the Director of the Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Office of the Governor, Semiu Okanlawon.
Aregbesola said the government is poised to utilise the lessons of the national revenue crisis as a springboard to intensify the efforts to develop the natural potentials of the state to build a state that would be the envy of all.
The Governor also promised that the state government will never renege on its pledge to ensure comfortable living for whoever sets his feet on the territory of Osun State, saying the current challenge is temporary.
Quoting from Holy Qur’an Chapter 94 verse 6, which says: “So, verily, with every difficulty, there is relief,” Aregbesola said: “It is the promise of Allah to His creatures that no matter the magnitude of hardship that comes their way, He (Allah) will unfailingly end it with comfort.
“After hardship comes ease. After problem, solution. So, no matter how hard a situation may appear, they will surely come succour from God.
“I want our people, workers, traders, artisans, professional groups and others to know that ease, happiness, joy, prosperity will always come if we demonstrate courage, humility, stands firm in our faith, preach patience and love and remain on the path of God.
“We should know that only God brings affliction to mankind. And certainly, there is none, who can take it away and replace it with prosperity than Him (God).
“I wish to thank all the people of Osun for their patience, love and support while the hardship lasted despite the evil machinations of some who see some opportunities to throw this state into confusion in the national revenue crisis.”
Aregbesola urged Muslims to emulate the sterling character of Prophet Muhammad, imbibe whole-heartedly the lessons of Ramadan and put them into practical use in their everyday affairs both with fellow Muslims and people of other faiths.
The Herald

 
Former Chief Judge of Osun State, Hon Justice Olatunde Oluborode, (Rtd.) is dead.
The late jurist, according to a statement from his immediate family, was 80.
The family said burial details will be announced later.

Pictures of the Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola acknowledging cheers and enthusiasms from the Muslim faithfuls, during the 2015 Eid-el-fitri Celebration, at Praying ground, Oke-Baale, Osogbo, on Friday 17/07/2015.

Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, has promised to reverse the downward trend in development caused by the financial crisis which hit the country.
Aregbesola said this while speaking with journalists at the praying ground in Osogbo after the Eid-el-Fitr prayer.
Explaining that the financial crisis was not caused by his administration, the governor said with the commencement of payment of salary arrears, his administration had also started repositioning the state for the better.
He promised that workers’ welfare would continue to top his administration’s agenda.
Aregbesola said, “Our government is better prepared to reverse the downward developmental trend forced on the state by the downturn in national economy and its attendant financial crisis of the past six months.
“I want our people, particularly the workers, to know that ease, happiness, joy, prosperity will always come if we demonstrate humility, stand firm in our faith, preach patience and love God.”
The governor commended the state workers and pensioners for their endurance and resilience in the face of hardship caused by non-payment of their salaries.
Some persons who stormed the praying ground to express their support for the governor charged him to shun his detractors and focus on developing the state.
The supporters carried placards with various inscriptions urging the governor to shun his critics, who they said were out to stigmatise his administration over the salary issue.
The Chief Imam of Osogbo, Alhaji Sheik Musa Animasaun, said nobody should blame the governor for the financial crisis which caused the delay in salary payment.
He urged Muslims not to return to the sinful ways which they renounced during the Ramadan.
Animasaun urged them to emulate the virtues of Prophet Mohammed.
He said, “We have noticed that the issue of salary in the state is being resolved, we must continue to pray that all the governor’s strategies to take Osun State to his beautiful height of his dream will come to fruition.”
PUNCH

As Muslims in Osun State yesterday gathered to celebrate the Eid-el-Fitri, marking the end of this year’s Ramadan fast, Chief Imam of Osogboland, Sheik Musa Animasaun admonished residents not to blame Governor Rauf Aregbesola for the delay in payment of salaries to civil servants in the state.
Addressing Muslims faithfuls during the prayers, the Chief Imam said those doing that are only dissipating their energy, because the unpaid salaries and challenges facing the nation resulted from the malady afflicting the nation’s economy for which Nigerians must seek divine help.
According to him, “Governor Rauf Aregbesola cannot be accused of being the architect of the delay in the payment of salaries in the state. Those focusing on Aregbesola are only dissipating energy, because there is malady afflicting the national economy for which Nigerians must seek God’s favour and interventions.
Governor Aregbesola who was at the praying ground along with some top government officials was hailed and followed by a crowd, despite the issue of unpaid salaries. After the prayers, the governor and his entourage moved round popular streets of Oke-Fia through Alekunwodo-Olaiya-Popo-OjaOba to Oke Baale.
Some individuals and groups were seen carrying placards in support of the Aregbesola administration, some of which read: “Osun needs prayers; Nigeria needs prayers;” “Ogbeni! Allah is with you;” and “Aregbesola, continue to stand by Allah. He solves all challenges;” “Dont stigmatise Aregbesola over salaries;” “Aregbe, maa ba sere lo (Aregbesola, continue with your job)” among many others.
The Chief Imam of Osogboland admonished people to desist from returning to sins that they eschewed during the month of Ramadan, adding that the economic woes the nation is witnessing is as a result of sin.
He commended Governor Aregbesola for the development he has brought to Osun, admonishing him to always seek God’s face in times like this. The Chief Iman urged the people to remain prayerful and trust in God.
He stressed that what is happening in the country, especially the issue of unpaid salaries plaguing both Federal and states governments are not man-made but manifestations of God’s wrath.
The cleric lauded the government for the truce reached with workers and the commencement of payment of backlog of salaries in the state.
Addressing journalists after the prayers, the governor assured that his government is better prepared to reverse the downward developmental trend forced on the state by the downturn in national economiy and it’s attendant financial crisis of the past six months.
Aregbesola also commended the entire workers and pensioners in the state for their unrivalled endurance and resilience in the face of hardship caused by non-payment of salaries.
He stated that with the payment of January and February salaries, government has commence the repositioning of the state for the better,  promising that workers’ welfare will continue to be top on his administration’s agenda.
“I want our people, particularly the workers, to know that ease, happiness, joy, prosperity will always come if we demonstrate humility, stands firm in our faith, preach patience and love and remain on the path of God.
Speaking earlier in his sermon, Ustaz Kamildeen Raji commended the administration of governor Aregbesola for his lofty ideas of governance in the state, saying the feeding of school children and other infrastructural development will not be forgotten in a hurry in the history of the state.
He charged the governor to be focused and not distracted with the present situation of the state, adding that their is no human being or entity in this world that is not prone to challenge.
The cleric said “Everybody here for prayer should endeavour to pray for the state and the governor, despite all the challenges that Nigeria is going through which is also affecting our state. I believe that with prayers, there will be light at end of the tunnel.
“I charge our governor not to weary in well doing, every government has its challenges, the present challenge will soon be a thing of the past, there has never been any government that Osun has witnessed that has surpassed what Aregbesola has done.
“If we begin to count, we will not leave this place, is it the feeding of our children or the employment given to over 20,000 of our children, or the good roads that we are enjoying. Let us continue to pray for Osun, all will be well”. The cleric emphasised.
The cleric who condemned the act of terrorism held that Boko Haram has nothing to do with Islam, and that Islam in no way support the killing of human being.
DAILY INDEPENDENT

Pictures of the Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola with the Executive Chairman, Safari Books Limited, Chief Joop Berkhout, at Ibadan Airport on Tuesday 14/07/2015.

Nigerians have every reason to be tentative and melancholic about the current state of their nation. It is a fact that the economy of their country is in dire strait. In fact, the economy is screaming, heamorrhaging at several points and needing immediate fixing to stave off an imminent collapse. The signs of the economic stirrings include shrinking disposable incomes of the people, failure of governments to meet salary obligations to workers, growing graduate unemployment, mounting insecurity, deficit power supply, fuel shortages, dwindling revenues from oil, rapacious corruption, and depreciation of the naira.
The failure of governments to meet salary obligations to workers, to me, remains the scariest indicator of the increasing erosion of the legitimacy of the political leaderships in the country. It is universal truism that political legitimacy is founded on the trust people have for their leaders. A parallel exists in the home, when a father/ husband loses moral authority over the wife and children if he could not provide for their sustenance. When our governments default in this all important statutory responsibility, what moral authority do they possess to compel the private sector players to live up to similar responsibility, or tell the people do this and they obey?
Such a prospect is nothing but a descent into a dystopian state. Thankfully, Nigeria has been pulled from such tipping point through a strategic bailout worth N805 billion by the Presidency that included the granting of soft loans and restructuring of states’ debt-servicing obligations.
Twelve of the 36 states are on the list of highly indebted states. Osun State, whose governor is Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, is unfortunately in that league. The import of this is not lost on critical watchers of his administration, one of the most purposeful and responsive Nigeria has had under this democratic dispensation.
I have a personal fascination for the leadership style of Ogbeni Aregbesola because there is a parallelism between Osun and my own Edo State. Chief Luck Igbinedion, as my state governor between 1999 and 2007, ran the most banal government since the creation of that state in 1991. When Comrade Adams Oshiomhole came on board on November 12, 2008, the scenario changed. Through uncommon leadership, he has given a positive meaning to governance and thus won the love and respect of the people. He has set political benchmark for future leaders of the state. It is the same thing Ogbeni Aregbesola has replicated in the State of Osun since his November 27, 2010’s enthronement.
One of the legacies of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the founder of modern Yoruba nation, is infusing in the Yoruba people the positive mindset of assessing and accepting their potential leaders. The political philosophy of Awo, aptly captured Awoism, enunciates the leadership values that could be used to separate a good leader from a bad one. That Awoism is well entrenched in the Yoruba political culture is underscored by the fawning disposition of all politicians in the region to this philosophy. And the fact that the people are so imbued with the value content of Awoism is equally underscored by the speed with which pseudo- Awoists are passed over and authentic ones endorsed for leadership positions in the region.
I will unapologetically submit that Aregbesola counts among the true disciples of Awo in contemporary Yoruba nation. Paraphrasing the American anarchist, Emma Goldman, Ogbeni holds the Yoruba nation in awe by his personality, his prophetic vision, and his intense revolutionary spirit. In his State of Osun, he has simplified politics, reducing it to a political capsule, which when administered induces in the people communal ecstasy. Which is why he commands awesome followership in the state. It is an established fact that there is a strong affinity between him and Osun people. It has nothing to do with the pejoratively termed amala politics; it is more about a recognition of an intertwined fate and a shared destiny by them. For a proof, take time off to watch him in action at a public outing; and you will discover an unrestricted felicitation between him and his people.
It is this soul mate type relationship well earned by verifiable accomplishments in tangible and intangible goods and services provisioning that the nation’s bitchy economy almost truncated when Ogbeni’s progressive credentials received bashing for his inability to pay workers salary. One of the most extreme reactions to the development was a push for his impeachment.
That particular episode is, for progressive leaders in a predatory capitalist economy like ours, a very pathetic reminder that distraction can come from the least expected source. Ogbeni, rattled by the unsavoury development, painfully jolted the memory of his people with this statement: “People cannot just forget the condition that we met here on our assumption of office and the conditions that are here now”. This would have been true in a rational world where there is unity of purpose. But liberal multiparty democracy is all about competitive quest for power, where one man’s failure is the ladder to success for another.
Ogbeni has only won a respite; he needs to reinvent his socio-economic policies and programmes to be assured of a permanent victory. Aluta continua
OSUN DEFENDER

Osun state governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has appealed for calm and understanding among the state workers who have expressed their dissatisfaction with the partial payment of salaries despite a recent bailout fund from the federal government.
In a statement signed by the governor’s spokesman, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, the governor stated that the rationale behind the partial payment to workers was the need to accommodate the state’s senior citizens and pensioners within the limited funds available.
Parts of the statement read: “The Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, wishes to appeal for calm and understanding from all workers in the state. “The Government wishes to state that it realised the need to accommodate our senior citizens, the pensioners, within the limited funds available in order to ensure an all-inclusive payment that will alleviate the hardship that the delay in salaries and pensions had caused.
It should be noted that happiness never decreases by being shared. “We are committed to meeting our obligations to the workers as more funds become available to settle such.This period calls for deep understanding of our challenges and we appeal to all and sundry for cooperation in this regard,”  Osun state was one of the worst-hit states in terms of the non-payment of salaries, owing workers for up to 7 months arrears at some point.
It was believed that the recent bailout package released by the federal government would help Osun and other states clear the backlog of salaries but it appears it is not yet uhuru in the state.
 

The All Progressives Congress in the state of Osun has advised labour and workers in the state’s employment to have at the back of their minds the hard fact that Nigeria’s economy will take some time and some belt-tightening with creative engagement before things can return to normal.
‘The damage done by the PDP’s corrupt, reckless and horrifying mismanagement in the last seven years is such that except most states of the federation have sustained lifeline from the Federal Government, things may not return to normal soon.
According to the party, a creative new thinking as to how this problem could be solved, moving forward, should be the challenge of everybody.
‘Narrowing ? our thinking to self interest may not work because the country is not only broke, it also faces the huge problem of exiting (not alleviating) poverty’.
The party ?was reacting to the understanding reached between the state government and labour that ended the six-week old workers’ strike.
In a statement made available to the media in Osogbo today, the APC noted with satisfaction that labour categorically distanced itself from the actions? of rabble- rousers who purported to be protesting against government’s inability to pay workers’ salaries in the last six months.
‘Those protests, which the labour itself described as ‘politically motivated’ ?came in the wake of a vicious propaganda campaign which Osun PDP mounted to denigrate the APC government and Gov Rauf Aregbesola.
‘What Osun PDP stands for is to continue in poverty or at best lie about alleviating poverty; so they become agitated when Aregbesola started to implement programmes that will make Osun exit poverty’, the party said.
‘This was the principal reason the state was targeted before, during and after the governorship and presidential elections.? But before these events, not only were salaries paid on schedule, workers had 13th month salary bonus between 2011 and 2013′, the APC argued.
‘It was therefore, totally misplaced anger that was directed at Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola for the crisis. Those who sponsored and propagated the misplaced anger did so out of envy that Aregbesola was raising Osun above their ignoble pedestal of impoverished ideas’, the party declared.
‘Now that it is open secret that PDP government led by Goodluck Jonathan was the thief that stole the nation broke, it calls for greater understanding from both labour union and the workers to help the state address the aftermath of this PDP crime against our country,’ the party urged all stakeholders.
The question of Internally Generated Revenue is again not being properly understood by our people. A man who was able to raise Osun IGR from N300 million to N1.6 billion monthly without increasing tax on workers is five times superior to the PDP people who stagnated at N300 million.
Secondly, the federal government would not allow Osun to develop and profit from its natural resources and generate revenue to run the state. All kinds of shady characters have authority of the federal government to mine gold in Ilesha but Osun government  is not allowed to do so. And ignorant people are still talking about IGR when in fact the constitution and the federal government have prevented all the states of the Federation from exploiting their own resources, the APC further stressed.
The party therefore, admonished all stakeholders that the days ahead will be difficult but with an understanding APC federal government led by President Muhammadu Buhari, we shall eventually overcome.
‘However’, the party warned, ‘everybody will have to be prepared to make significant sacrifice’.
BUSINESS TODAY