At last, the D-Day for the Governorship election in Osun State is very much around the corner.  Come Saturday, August 9, 2014, the electorate will be going to the polls to exercise their franchise. The occasion will provide for the people another golden opportunity to either renew the mandate given to Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola four years ago or decide otherwise should they find him wanting.
That is the beauty of Democracy – a Government of the people, by the people, for the people.  If Uncle Bola Ige were here with us today, he would have led the campaign for the emancipation of Democracy and all the democratic norms as he deploy his best diction, in the belief that only the best is good for the State of Osun.  Uncle Bola would have taken all the pains in explaining even to the man in the remotest village that Democracy is a system of government, particularly in the advanced world, which has given the people that singular power to decide their fate by themselves. It is virtually thirteen years ago that the Cicero of Esa-Oke and first civilian Governor of the old Oyo State, Chief Bola Ige, was brutally shot dead in his Bodija, Ibadan bedroom by yet to be identified gunmen. 
Uncle Bola, as he was fondly called by his teeming admirers all over the country was, as at the time of his assassination, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation.  That Uncle Bola was a politician of no mean stature is not debatable.  He also knew the inside out of the law.  No wonder, therefore, the finesse that he injected into the national polity whilst he was around.  Uncle Bola would always work for the best as far as Democracy was concerned. Just a little over a decade after the passage of Cicero, however, the million-dollar question here in Nigeria, has continued to be whether or not the local Democracy is  yet at par with what is obtainable in other civilized parts of the globe. 
Is Democracy in Nigeria free and fair?  Is Nigeria’s Democracy a system govern by the rule of law, and not by individuals?  Are all citizens equal under the law in Nigeria and no one is discriminated against on the basis of their race, religion, ethnic group, or gender.  Is Nigeria a nation where no one may be arrested, imprisoned, or exiled arbitrarily.  And if you are detained, do you have the right to know the charges against you, and to be presumed innocent until proven guilty according to the law?  What of the freedom of movement?  Can you move freely unmolested?  In a true Democracy, anyone charged with a crime has the right to a fair, speedy, and public trial by an impartial court.  Is it the same in our clime here? Uncle Bola would always tell anybody who is ready to listen that the norm in civilized societies is that true Democracy cannot be said to reign where a government is put in place by the force of gun, or under any duress whatsoever. 
For democracy to be truly worth its salt, he would explain, it must be sustainable and anchored on transparency, representation, pluralism and accountability.  It is all these that have called to question the new trend militarization of the national polity, with particular focus on the conduct of elections under heavily armed soldiers and stern-looking policemen with security sniffer dogs as witnessed recently in the Ekiti Gubernatorial election.  Uncle Bola would not have wasted a moment in describing as an aberration the militarization of electoral process under whatever guise. Now that the much-awaited Osun Governorship poll is around the corner, Nigerians have another opportunity to witness the level of democratic development in the nation. What actually are in the offing for the electorate in Osun State?  How prepared are the stakeholders and particularly the electoral umpires as underscored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)?  Is INEC truly independent? Will INEC assure the citizenry of a free and fair election?  And will the vote actually count?  These are some of the pertinent questions that Uncle Bola would have readily directed at those concerned without mincing words.
Only a few days ago, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner for Osun State, Mr. Olusegun Agbaje declared at a forum in Abuja that the state will not be less militarized during the scheduled governorship election as it was the case during similar election held on June 21 in Ekiti State.  Agbaje had anchored his pronouncement on what he tagged the heightening security situation allegedly being caused by inflammatory utterances of politicians in the state.  The REC pointedly accused some politicians in Osun State of seeing election as a do-or-die affair. Agbaje, while participating at the “Nigeria civil society situation room dialogue, organized by the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) with support from the UK Department for International Development (DFID), explained at that forum that as at the last count, no fewer than 19 political parties are fielding candidates for the August 9, Osun Governorship election.  He said that one of the political parties, the PDM withdrew from the race leaving only 19 candidates. 
According to him, more than 742, 000 Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs have so far been distributed out of a total of over 1.2 million PVCs.  He added that the INEC headquarters would still supply about 149,000 PVCs later in the month stressing that that the Temporary Voters Card (TVC) shall not be used.  The REC debunked allegations by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that the INEC was disenfranchising its members in the collection of PVCs ahead of the election. His words:  “The issue of whether INEC is asking people which party they belong to does not hold water as the allegation is laughable, they should come forward with proof, because we know that our staff have been trained to be apolitical and if any person tries that, such a person is playing with his job.”  Agbaje explained that the commission has produced a very credible register of voters for the conduct of the polls arguing that the process led to the Automated Finger Print Identification System (AFIS) which is a method employed to rid the register of multiple registrations. 
He further stated that results from the AFIS revealed a total of 37,273 multiple records while valid registration after the AFIS phase 1 was 1,318,120 a reduction of 2.75 percent.  The REC insisted that the total number of registered voters in the state is 1,407,222.  On the issue of photochromic ballot papers, he said what the commission has done to forestall such allegation is to discard all the old inks and get new inks from the headquarters. However, allegations are rife all over the place of dirty tricks by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its flagbearer, Iyiola Omisore to win the Osun election by all means.  One of the allegations is the purported unwritten instruction to INEC to play according to the interest of PDP if they want to get their wages. 
According to the rumour mills, INEC has all the names and ID of members of PDP and their supporters plus voters card of those that sold theirs for one bag of rice and five thousand naira.  INEC reportedly has the directive from PDP-led FG to delete every other voters data from INEC system in order to disqualify them or stop them from voting.  Just as the case of Ekiti election, many voters will not be accredited because they will never find their names on INEC data a development which sources said will give only PDP members and their supporters with other ID they bought from hungry voters access to vote.  INEC will allow little percent of neutral valid voters to vote knowing that their vote cannot surpass that of PDP candidate.  This plan which was allegedly used in Ekiti was revealed out of ignorance by PDP members in Osun State.  If Uncle Bola were here, he would have tasked INEC to see its role as sacrosanct, and therefore endeavour not to engage in double standard through connivance with any of the parties. 
Members of the security forces, at the same time, would have been enjoined to strive to be seen to be agents of law and not agents of particular political parties as they are being mobilized for electoral duties, even though the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is unambiguous on expectations from the Military.  The Constitution has defined roles for the military under any circumstance and it is doubtful if election supervision or monitoring comes under the purview of the armed forces.
Meanwhile, the gladiators have been engrossed in election campaigns to sell themselves to the electorates across the state with Ogbeni Aregbesola’s massive campaign network believed to be the most visible, not only in the major cities, but all the nooks and crannies of the state. Even though, on the paper, INEC said that 19 candidates are contesting the election, observers see the contest as mainly one between Ogbeni Aregbesola of the ruling APC and Iyiola Omisore of the opposition PDP.  Alhaji Fatai Akinbade of the Labour Party (LP) and Olusegun Akinwusi of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) are merely coming up as spoilers as shown by their outings.  One thing that is not in doubt is that wherever Ogbeni goes, his campaigns have always been greeted with tumultuous, clamorous and cheering crowd of supporters who have not pretended to endorse the man whom they always refer to as the peoples Governor as their right choice. 
Aregbesola, in effect, has also used the fora to showcase his array of achievements within the almost four years that he has taken up the mantle of office.  They cut across virtually all sectors, is it in the area of Agriculture, Education, Infrastructural Development, Health, Urban Renewal, etc., Ogbeni has got good stories to tell while the people have readily scored him above-average performance. Iyiola Omisore, on the other hand, has been going about to sell himself to the people in what his campaign organization tagged door-to-door strategy.  However, it is generally believed that the noticeable disunity in the PDP house coupled with the grassroots support which Aregbesola has, with time, mobilized across the state are some of the undoings of the PDP flagbearer.  
Another noticeable negative factor within Omisore’s train is the campaign of force as against that of appeal to the sentiment of the electorate. One thing is obvious, wherever Omisore has gone to campaign, his loyalists have always left in their trail deadly encounters and vandalization of the campaign billboards and posters of Ogbeni Aregbesola.  Alas!  Only last week Friday, a gang of miscreants believed to be IBK boys of Omisore Governorship campaign team struck in Ilesa. The gang was reportedly sighted brandishing cutlasses and shooting astronomically, in the process of which citizen Tolu Adeosun, a member of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ward 9 Ilesa East was shot dead in front of his house around Osun Ankanra in Irojo immediately he was identified by one of the miscreants as APC member.  They threatened to kill more APC members. The late Tola Adeosun was said to have held naming ceremony for his new born baby just a day earlier.  A similar tale of terror in Ile-Ife sometimes ago when PDP members reportedly engaged the APC in a deadly brawl leading to destruction of properties worth several millions of naira is still fresh in the minds of Osun political watchers.  Hoodlums left in their trail the destruction of several campaign billboards of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the incumbent Governor whose Campaign Train has visited many towns across the state with no one dead.
But the last straw on Omisore and his PDP in Osun is the reported rejection of an offer to the renowned Masked-musician, Bisade Ologunde, aka Lagbaja, by the Iyiola Omisore Campaign Organisation to perform at the grand reception of President Goodluck Jonathan’s scheduled visit in Osogbo, Osun State.  Media reports had it that the award-winning Afrobeat artiste, had been approached to thrill supporters of Senator Iyiola Omisore, ahead of the August 9 governorship election.  In his response to the offer, Lagbaja was quoted as saying that “even though the court of the land discharged and acquitted you (Omisore) in the murder case against the former Minister of Justice in Nigeria, the late Cicero of Esa-Oke and foremost nationalist, Chief Bola Ige, I have deep-rooted innermost conviction that you are culpable in the death of my mentor and benefactor.”  “If you offer me all the allocation of Osun State during your four-year-tenure,peradventure you win (which I seriously doubt), I will not perform for Iyiola Omisore governorship election,” Lagbaja was further quoted as saying.  The camp of Omisore is yet to confirm or deny making the offer.  
Needless repeating the obvious that Lagbaja has acted in the true spirit of Omoluabi. Definitely, if Uncle Bola were here, Lagbaja knows for sure where the Cicero would have queued. Meanwhile, Governor Rauf Aregbesola has called on politicians in the State of Osun to ensure that peace reigns before, during and after the August 9 governorship election in the state.  He made the appeal during the just-concluded Eid-el-fitri celebration during which he specifically cautioned his supporters against violence during the election.  He also enjoined natives of the state to pray for peace during the polls saying he would not tolerate violence and acts that could affect the peaceful co-existence of the state. 
Aregbesola also urged religious leaders in the state to pray fervently for the success of the election.  While advising the people not to be intimidated by the antics of some politicians whom he said were after their selfish interests, Ogbeni Aregbesola said he is believing in God and the overwhelming support of the people of the state to be victorious at the poll.  The APC flagbearer submitted that he has done much to make life more abundant for the people of Osun State.  He remarked that it is in good life that the people can enjoy their existence, stressing that if the essence of life is for human beings to live well then peace, which is the only guarantee of happiness, must be the watchword for all and sundry.
If Uncle Bola were here, these, definitely would also have been his exhortations to the people. Uncle Bola would have further urged the electorate to be wary of the wolves now on the prowl distributing money, rice and kerosene as inducements for the Permanent Voter Card (PVC).  They are only out for ulterior motives, Uncle Bola would have said as he queries the money bags rhetorically where were they before now! 
Kunle Famoriyo was Liaison/Political Assistant to Late Chief Bola Ige (SAN).He is now the Publicity Secretary of  Afenifere Renewal Group(ARG).
ARGNEWS

I am not a politician. I am also not a card-carrying member of All Progressives Party (APC) but a Rauf Aregbesola sympathiser. If I am tagged a politician because of my belief in the progressive creden­tials of Aregbesola, so be it! In the same vein, if I am labelled an ‘Areg­be wrapper’ as a result of my love for this man, I owe nobody any apology!

At a time like this, I cannot but re­member my days at Ijebu-Jesa Gram­mar School (IJGS), Ijebu-Jesa when it was all fun traveling to towns and villages especially, within the-then Obokun Local Government Area of the old Oyo State for sports and related so­cial activities. I can confirm that those were relatively good old days when towns were towns and schools were schools. At a time like this as well, one cannot but begin to wonder what be­came of our government that, for close to three decades, residents of my Local Government were at the mercy of the State Government. No thanks to the bad roads and absence of other social amenities that were naturally taken for granted in saner climes.

Specifically, between 1985 when I left IJGS and 2010, when Aregbesola was sworn-in as Osun Sate Governor, schools in Osun State had become something else and hitherto passable roads had become death traps that residents completely got cut-off from the rest of the world. People groaned in the rough of aches and moaned in the tumble of pains. Hunger begat hunger, poverty took the place of affluence and it was as if the gods were angry!

The Rauf Aregbesola-led admin­istration on November 27, 2010 and Osun State was again on the path to greatness. Within the first three years in office, Aregbesola saw to the training and empowerment of over 5,000 youths in Information Technology through the Osun Youth Empowerment Tech­nology Scheme (OYESTECH); some thousands of the stand-alone, multime­dia, e-learning Opon Imo Tablets were distributed to students while others are expected to benefit from the scheme through local production by a company already sited in the state. Within the same period, no fewer than 750,000 pu­pils and students were given free school uniforms, with over 3000 tailors trained and empowered to sow school uni­forms. Primary School Funding Grants also increased from 7.4 million to N424 million a year while Secondary School Basic Funding Grants rose from N171 million to N427 million a year.

During the period under review, tu­ition fees in state-owned tertiary institu­tions got reduced by close to 30 per cent even as 254,000 pupils were fed daily with nutritious meals through govern­ment’s O’MEALS scheme, a project that also led to the employment, train­ing and empowerment as 3000 cooks.

Since the foodstuffs were sourced and prepared locally, the scheme brought about the annual injection of N4 billion into the economy of the state. Aregbesola’s era also witnessed the in­auguration of Omoluabi Garments Fac­tory as well as Omoluabi Conservation Fund into which N4.2billion reserve has so far been injected. Also worthy of mention is Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES) which has succeeded in taking off the streets and engagement of 40,000 unemployed youth. Efforts to enrol more youths into the programme are also in top gear. State-of-the-art Po­lice Stations were built and Patrol Vehi­cles, Armoured Personnel Carriers and related security equipment were also donated to Security Agencies towards the enhancement of security of lives and property. Aregbesola-constructed roads that adorn nook and cranny of the state, in addition to O’CLEAN’s bi-monthly state-wide environmental exercise and Agricultural Farm Settlements Project through which 1,765 hectares of land were cleared and prepared for farmers?

The State was able to build 74 Pri­mary Health Centres and rehabilitated its nine hospitals and 12 Comprehen­sive Health Centres, thereby aiding the provision of Sustained Free Health Ser­vices to all, irrespective of age, gender, political affiliations or religious incli­nations. Through its Free Medical and Surgical Missions Programme, govern­ment was able to provide free treatment and surgeries to thousands of citizens; and, through its Osun State Ambulance Service Authority, not less than 400 youth have been trained as paramedics. 123 kilometres of waterways (streams, arteries and canals) were dredged to keep the state flood-free for three years and Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) increased from N300m to N1.6b without any increase in tax payable by citizens.

In my personal opinion, the Edu­cation Sector seems to have been the most beneficiary. Apart from those ed­ucation-related dividends which I have enumerated above, Osun State Govern­ment, under Aregbesola, also embarked on the building of no fewer than 40 El­ementary, Model and High Schools to cater for its ever-increasing population of pupils and students. Some have been completed and already put to use while some will be commissioned within the next two weeks. This is in addition to the 20 new sites which will also be opened within the same period. Dur­ing the period under review, 3,000 ad­ditional teachers were employed; with all outstanding allowances paid and all entitlements settled. The governor also graciously approved the creation of four Permanent Secretary positions (that is, Tutors-General) for the teaching cadre. And, on July 18, over 30 brand new Omoluabi Scholar Buses were distri­bution to the state’s high schools. The number is expected to increase to 100 by September.

But why Aregbesola again? The answer is simple! So far, so commend­able! Aregbesola is an achiever who, within so short a period of time in of­fice, has transformed Osun State into an attractive city, a state of aquatic splendour and a centre of tourist at­traction offering superb views. A man of poise and panache, this small-in-stature-but-mighty-in-spirit Ilesa-born politician has changed the face of Osun into a state looking ahead to the future. No doubt about it: Aregbesola is witty, disciplined, teachable, responsible and passionate about leaving not only Osun State but also the world better than he met it. Little wonder he was described in Wikipedia as “the best Governor Osun State has ever produced since the creation of Osun State.” Of course, that’s why we all want him at Bola Ige House for another term of four years!

Komolafe writes from Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State.

SUNNEWS

ADDRESS DELIVERED BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF OSUN, OGBENI RAUF AREGBESOLA, AT THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF O’YES-TECH EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME, HELD AT GOVERNMENT HOUSE LAWN, OSOGBO, ON THURSDAY JULY 31, 2014
Protocols,
FOR TECHNOLOGY AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
It is with unfeigned feeling of happiness that I convene with you all this morning for the launch of one of our valuable youth empowerment programmes, Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme-Technology (O’YES-TECH).
As you are aware, immediately our administration came into being, we promptly moved into action in order to arrest and reverse the unacceptably reprehensible chronic youth unemployment in Osun.
Therefore, in accordance with our promise to run government in unusual ways, we came up with a pioneering public sector youth employment project, known as the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (O’YES). It was conceived as a single but effective blow that would create a hugely irreparable hole in the well-entrenched fortress of youth unemployment.
And it did! Through this highly innovative scheme, we were able to take 20,000 of our youths away from the hopelessness and uncertainty of the unemployment market. The programme was designed as a two-year rolling scheme during which the volunteer cadets would be usefully and gainfully engaged and given soft landing after two years.
It is a programme under which the youths would undergo series of trainings that would make them, on the one hand, useful to society and, on the other hand, useful to themselves. During the course of the two years, the O’YES cadets are deployed in various public service capacities.
This would not only serve to inculcate in them the spirit of public service, it would also add immense value to the cause of societal development. But the cadets are equally given opportunities to acquire life-long vocations and skills in the diverse areas of our numerous development policies and programmes.
Such capacity-building skills trainings are the exit programmes into which the Cadets would graduate in order to enable them have economically and socially fulfilling existence thereafter. The O’YES-TECH is an important component of these exit programmes.
It was conceived by our administration, but it was designed and packaged in partnership with a private ICT firm, the RLG of Ghana. The O’YES-TECH is six-month highly intensive course in information and communication technology.
Under the programme, we plan to train 20,000 young people from the O’YES Scheme in batches of 5,000 each at 10 training centres spread across the state to facilitate easy accessibility.
During the course of the training the cadets are exposed to various aspects of applied computer technology which includeBasics of Computer system, Computer Software Application, Computer Hardware, Computer Networking, Mobile Phone Software, Basic Electronics, Mobile Phone Hardware, and Entrepreneurship Studies.
The programme has the following underlying objectives:
•        To train and set-up 20,000 youths in mobile phone assembly and repairs, computer technology (Desktop and Laptop) and entrepreneurial skills within.
•        To equip the trained youths with the necessary skills needed for sustainable employment (both as salary earners and as self-employers) in the ICT industry.
•        To create a platform for the trained youths to learn and share new and innovative technological ideas in the ICT industry during training.
•        To provide trainees with an exclusive environment to network and generate more job opportunities through practical placements and repair clinics during and after the course.
Accordingly, the ICT skills that the trainees acquire from this programme give them a wide-range of opportunities for gainful employment. It gives them the required ICT skills to make them eligible and highly sought-after for white-collar jobs.
And better still, it puts them in a good stead to be masters of their own fate by setting up their own business outfit. Should any of them decide to tread this self-employment path, they will have our government standing solidly behind them to give them the necessary backing.
We have made provision to assist them with start-up capital fund so as to overcome the daunting problem of financing their dream projects.
As a matter of fact, out of the first batch of 5,000 youths that have already been trained, 100 of them were sent to the RLG headquarters for further practical training in Ghana. Many of these – precisely 52 of them – have been offered direct employed by the company’s phone and laptop factory in Ilesa.
Another 100 of the trainees are being engaged today by the company in sales activities, while 40 more are being empowered with kiosks and tools for after sales services. Some others have been similarly employed by other ICT firms such as CHAMS Plc and BEACON Power Services.
I am convinced that the O’YES-TECH will continue to be an unfolding story of goodness and bright future for our youths. I want to sincerely express my gratitude to RLG for its most fruitful and rewarding partnership with us.
O’YES-TECH is one of the ways we have been meaningfully engaged with our society, especially on job creation and youth development. We therefore have a deep sense of fulfillment that it has impacted positively on the people. Our greater joy is that your investment of hope in us by giving us your mandate has not been in vain. It is a mark of good and forthright political judgment that you have chosen us to be your leader. That singular decision has brought about the unprecedented development in the state in the past three and a half years and has changed the fortune of the state for better. We are on the march again and I am asking that you give me your support, just as you did in 2007 so that I will continue to serve you for another term of four years.
We need to take youth engagement to the next level and banish unemployment from our state. This among others will be the object of my pursuit as you renew my mandate. I count so much on your good judgment.
I thank you all for your attentive audience.
Osun a dara!

The excitement is building once again as local and international tour­ists count down to the yearly Osun Osogbo festival. For culture enthu­siasts and tourism die-hards in Nigeria, Africa and the Diaspora, the release of the calendar for 2014 edition, which has be­come one of the hallmarks of the people of Osogbo as well as indigenes of Osun State, is an indication that the aim is to surpass the previous celebrations on all fronts. The excitement which usually precedes the event, was on hand again at a corpo­rate cum stakeholder’s forum held at the Convention Centre, Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, where the organiz­ers unveiled some of its plans for a better outing this year.

Chief Jimoh Buraimoh, a high chief and chairman of the Festival Advisory Committee assured that this edition would be better organized than previous ones especially with the array of local musicians that would be on parade even as he affirmed that the annual event has helped to build goodwill, cultural awareness and peace not only in Osogboland but beyond.

“Today, the enlistment of Osun Grove in July 2005 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site has helped a great deal in ascertaining this fact, Buraimoh noted.

He announced that the Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola leadership has transformed and is still transforming the Osun grove since assumption of office and has actually structurally created an in and out crowd control entrance and exit to the grove. The government has demolished the existing pavilion in the grove and has constructed a theatre-like stage and re-modifying the festival route with construction of a road drainage system with designated car parks and so on.

On the issue of security, Chief Buraimoh assured that the government is taking the challenge of security of lives and property within the state seriously as adequate arrangement has been made for the grand finale presentation of the 2014 edition.

Confirming the dividends, Ayo Olumoko, Managing Director, Infogem Nigeria Limited, the official marketing consultant of the festival said a powerful delegation of Osun devotees is expected from the Diaspora as well as other African countries and numerous tourists from around the globe.

Although the number of foreign tourists has grown steadily since it became a world heritage site, one of the challenges of this growth is the impact of mass tourism to the grove.

Speaking at the event, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji, Olanipekun II, the Ataoja of Osogbo, commended the sponsors for their steadfast commitment and support to the festival and the Yoruba culture.

“Certainly, the Osun Osogbo Festival is regarded as very important festival, not only in Yoruba land and Nigeria, but also in the world. The event is a huge tourist attraction that lures the global community to Osogbo. The sponsors’ identification with the celebrations show their commitment to the customs and values of the Yoruba people, and we are happy about it,” he said.

The paramount ruler enthused that quality sponsorship of the festival would make the celebrations more memorable than previous editions. “As organizers, we always try our best to make sure that everyone who participates in the festivities takes away a unique experience. With the involvement of public and private stakeholders in this year’s edition, we are sure that it would be even bigger and better than what we had in the past.”

With partners including Intercontinental Distilleries, MTN, Alomo Bitters, Nigerian Breweries and others still planning to join, the number of musicians expected to entertain during the festival has doubled, while sponsorship fever has remained high.

Mr. Mfon Bassey, the Brand Manager, Goldberg, Nigerian Breweries Plc, said the brand was very happy to be associated with this age-old festival that is very dear to the people of Osogbo and the western region in general. According to him, Nigerian Breweries has partnered with this festival over the years  and for the second year running, the Goldberg brand is proud to be part of the festival as the “Official Beer Sponsor”.

He said the brand has continued to keep its consumers actively engaged all year round through exciting social platforms as well as promotion of the traditions of the people adding that the festival is one cultural celebration that everyone looks forward to with great anticipation.

Giving details of Goldberg’s participation at the festival, he revealed that the brand would be showcasing a 21-day Beer Fiesta where the people of Osogbo and visitors would be exposed to an unforgettable beer experience with lots of music, comedy and rewards. In addition the brand will also be sponsoring key programmes of the event which holds from August 18 -22, to add value to the overall content.

SUNNEWS

Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, has warned the political class against militarization of Nigerian politics.
The governor, who spoke through his Special Adviser on Environment, Mr. Bola Ilori, at a press briefing in Osogbo, on Wednesday, said that deploying troops for election duties was a violation of the constitution and a gross abuse of office.
Ilori said that it had become so ridiculous that soldiers were now being deployed to mediate in land disputes.
According to the special adviser, the frequent deployment of military personnel in purely civil matters could work against the advancement of democracy.
He said, “If you use the military to hijack power, you should expect that the military would not sit back and watch you enjoy what you did not work for. They may strike and that will be too bad for our nation.
“The Nigerian political class is giving ideas to the military that they can hijack power with the way some people are using them to hijack power. The political class has gone to the extent of inviting soldiers in land dispute”, Ilori said in apparent reference to the incident between the Lagos State Government and Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musliu Obanikoro, who brought in soldiers to stop work on a government project.
While expressing the confidence that Aregbesola would win the August 9 governorship election, Ilori said the governor had performed very well and the people of the state were ready to vote him in for another four years.
INFORMATIONNG

The Emergency And Citizen’s Enquiry/Contact Center is for Osun citizens to have a hit line they could make an emergency call through free toll while rescue/responses are guaranteed.

With this number 080067866786 (12 digits) distress calls can be made toll free and quick responses are asured.

The contract was awarded to Aeronautical Engineering and Technical Services Limited, a Nigerian Airforce company.

This state is joining other states of the world in providing high technology emergency opportunity to Osun people. Thus, it is the first if its kind in Nigeria. – Group Captain Akeen Adenonehin (Head AETSL Hi-tech team)

MKO International Airport, Osogbo under construction is also being handled by AETSL

The Emergency call centre has the capacity to function as an emergency coordination platform as well as a government contact center for its citizens.

With it, residents of Osun would be able to place toll-free calls to the centre while vetted operators would be on hand to answer questions in local dialect and other languages.

Download and Share our Countdown Posters. It is 9 days to the Day Osun Decides. Who will you be voting for?  Share with us on Facebook (Government of the State of Osun) or Twitter @stateofosun

People from every walk of life share their experiences and thoughts on the Governor of the State of Osun in Amazing and memorable Quotes. Share with your friends and give your thoughts and feedback on any of our platforms. Facebook (Government of the State of Osun) or Twitter @stateofosun

Governments across the states of the federation are increasingly enhancing public sector service delivery through the use of technology, writes Shola Oyeyipo
That some governors are spending so much on residents’ identification scheme, being a major prerequisite for e-governance is understandable. This is because a well-coordinated identity management process would ensure availability of accurate data for short, medium and long term planning in the private and public sector of the economy.
And if properly applied, especially in the area of information and communications technology, identity management is expected to usher in radical transformation in sectors such as education, healthcare and agriculture, and it would be expected to result in evident leap in internal revenue generation, cost-savings and fraud reduction, especially in some states that have been battling the problem of over-bloated civil service.
Presently, three states – Lagos, Anambra, and Osun – are prominent among others that are investing in residents’ identification projects initiated to enhance economic planning through the use of accurate population data in the formulation and implementation of public service policies.
Some of the advantages of the process include improved service delivery in the areas of health, education, security, welfare and transportation, among others. By bringing undocumented residents out of the shadows, government is better positioned to plan on how best to allocate resources to meet the needs of the people.
Other benefits of the smart identity card include reduced turnaround time on salary processing, prepaid payment for financial transactions, ability of holders to draw 20 per cent of monthly salary in lieu of payment, automated biometric verification of staff and retirees’ as against manual verification usually accompanied by long queues, and the storage of health data required during medical emergencies, among other functions.
The Anambra and Osun schemes are being executed by Chams Plc to assist the governments of the two states provide better public services at less cost to residents across rural and urban areas of their states.
While the Anambra project is at infrastructure building phase, Osun State has commenced deployment and issuance of smart identity cards embedded with MasterCard prepaid capabilities to civil servants and retirees in the state. Issued to enhance salary and pension payments, the Osun smart identity card provides reliable identification and authentication of 33,000 civil servants and retirees in the state. It eliminates the manual verification usually accompanied by long queues, replacing it with verification by flashing card on the access control machines or kiosk anywhere within the state secretariat.
Launching the smart identity card and the automated pensioner verification exercise tagged: ‘I am alive’, Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State said it was beneficial to government, workers and retirees’ in the state. He expressed the optimism that the initiative would help to eliminate sources of financial waste and leakage being used by some people deprive government of its money, while also helping to block the possibility of defrauding workers and retirees’ of payments due to them.
“It was through the application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to our tax administration and revenue collection that enabled us to increase our internally generated revenue by 100 per cent within the first few months of our administration.
“We have since intensified our effort to make ICT an inherent part of our public administrative system. The introduction of this new smart electronic identity card is another component of that overall effort.
“It will expectedly bring about many benefits to all of us – the individual, civil servants and the government. It will be given to all
workers across all ministries, departments and agencies, including local government council workers.
“The smart identity card is electronic and personalised with biometric features to each of its users. It will add immense values to the functioning of workers and will equally improve the capacity and cost of administration by government,” Aregbesola disclosed.
Director of Information and Communications Technology, Osun State, Mr. Bambo Bashorun said the introduction of smart identity cards by the state was timely because it was being executed at a time the nation was facing serious security challenges as well as the dwindling resources.
“The issuance of the card will guarantee proper accountability and plug holes through which resources are wasted. Creating a database of all civil servants in the state is so important especially at this time of our challenging national life from increased level of insecurity to dwindling resources.
“With the data base created, the identity card issued and I Am Alive process automated, the state had ensured that no single kobo is wrongly allocated to undeserved person in the state.”
Demola Aladekomo, Group Managing Director, Chams Plc said the launch of a smart identity card by the Osun State Government was another milestone in the information and communications technology ecosystem in Nigeria.
He said the smart identity card was multifunctional and more than an identity card because it has e-payment capabilities and
can be used as debit or credit card by holders across the country, and anywhere in the world.
“The utilisation of information and communication technology to improve service delivery in the public sector in Nigeria will make governance inclusive – bringing it closer to the people. Inclusive governance and the use of technology to reduce the high incidence of fraud and wastage often associated with the public sector will further catalyse the growth and development of our national economy.
“Globally, governments are investing in meeting the identity management needs at city, state and regional levels because it provides exceptional opportunity to cut capital and recurrent administrative costs, while also protecting vulnerable citizens such as retirees by making it difficult for dishonest persons to steal their benefits.”
He added: “It is a welcome development that Osun is at the forefront of heralding access to improved public services through information and communication technology.”
On his part, veteran journalist and columnist, Tunde Fagbenle, who is an indigene of Osun, said “It doesn’t take much stretch of the imagination to appreciate the overall value and cost advantage of the smart ID both in saved man-hours, personnel management efficiency, and probity.
“Wasn’t it but yesterday the country was awash with scandal upon scandal of billions of naira of pensions money embezzled, not to talk of the ordeal pensioners continually suffer in the process of getting paid their paltry dues monthly?”
Fagbenle thought it an exciting time to be alive in Osun State, and as such, rejoiced that pensioners in the state would no longer suffer and wallow in abject poverty on a daily basis.
“The plights of Nigerian pensioners have been a thing of concern for many years now. The picture of haggard-looking pensioners collapsing on queues for their meager pensions during verification exercises is no longer new. But it may be a thing of the past in Osun State with the deployment of the beneficial technology by the state government,” he added.
With the adoption of residents’ identification programmes by Anambra and Osun States, it no doubt will enhance the ability of the state governments to make short, medium and long term plans for the benefit of their people.
Upon completion, these state governments will no longer depend on sketchy data in their bid to formulate and implement policies, projects and programmes because the number of people to cater for across all sectors – rural and urban areas – are known.
What more, the programmes will also ensure appropriate allocation of resources to various sectors of the economy in a manner that meets the real needs of residents of the concerned state.
“For instance, using data from its residents’ identification project, a state government will be able to classify neighbourhoods based on their population thereby making adequate provision for public utilities in each neighbourhood based on the number of residents,” Fagbenle disclosed.
THIS DAY

Osun State government has said that it has uncovered plans by some people, said to be going round major cities in the state marking buildings for demolition in a bid to incite the populace against the government.
A statement signed by the state commissioner for information and strategy, Mr Sunday Akere and made available to newsmen, said the state government was not embarking on any kind of demolition.
Akere told residents of the state to challenge anyone that marks their building for demolition and report such to the police for proper action.
Akere also denied claims by the opposition party, particularly, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, that the state government has concluded plans to introduce a new tax regime, if Aregbesola is re-elected, adding that Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s administration neither intends to introduce any tax regime nor intend to increase its usual tax levy as allegedly claimed by the PDP.