Breaking News

Osun begins Interview for shortlisted Teachers across the State | OSUN GOVERNMENT RESOLVES ISSUES AROUND AMOTEKUN RECRUITMENT TRAINING | OSUN GOVERNMENT RESOLVES ISSUES AROUND AMOTEKUN RECRUITMENT TRAINING | Over 42,000 pupils, students receives free corrective glasses in Osun – Governor Adeleke. | GOVERNOR ADELEKE CELEBRATES HON KASOPE ABOLARIN ON HIS BIRTHDAY. | I Won’t be Distracted from Good Governance-Governor Adeleke | Osun Government Acted in Line with Public Interest by Submitting Petition to EFCC | Your Best Governor Award for Health Sector is Well Deserved – Telegraph Management | LENTEN: GOVERNOR ADELEKE FELICITATES CHRISTIANS | GOVERNOR ADELEKE CONDOLES AIDE, KAMIL ARANSI, OVER MOTHER’S PASSING | Osun LGs Governor Adeleke Briefs Traditional Rulers, Reaffirms that No Court Order Reinstates Yes/No Chairmen | GOVERNOR ADELEKE PRAYS FOR AND FELICITATES WITH DR DEJI ADELEKE AT 68 | Illegal Occupation of Council Secretariats: Osun Local Government Chairmen, NULGE Drag Yes/ No L.G Chairmen to Courts | Gov. Adeleke Eulogises Obasanjo at 88, Describes Him as Father of All. | Governor Adeleke Launches Stakeholders’ Consultation, Visits Chief Bisi Akande on Recent Developments | Governor Adeleke Launches Stakeholders’ Consultation, Visits Chief Bisi Akande on Recent Developments | GOVERNOR ADELEKE CONGRATULATES NEW NYSC DIRECTOR–GENERAL, BRIGADIER-GENERAL NAFIU OLAKUNLE. | GOVERNOR ADELEKE GREETS ALHAJA LATEEFAT GBAJABIAMILA AT 95 | GOVERNOR ADELEKE CONGRATULATES AIDE, TUNDE BADMUS, ON HIS BIRTHDAY | OSUN GOVT FAULTS MASTERMINDS’ POSITION ON THE LG CRISIS | Governor Adeleke Orders Investigation over Clashes at Egbedi Town

Category: Politics

JUMAT SERVICE IFE-ODAN 1

JUMAT SERVICE IFE-ODAN 1Speaker, Osun House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Najeem Salaam has felicitated with Governor Rauf Aregbesola, Muslim leaders and faithful across the state as the end of Ramadan fasting session is being marked.

In a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Mr. Goke Butika, Speaker Salaam said the import of Ramadan teachings of piety, good neighborliness and sacrifice must not be lost on the people of faith.

He said Nigeria in general and State of Osun in particular need fervent prayer from the people of faith, for the nation is faced with principalities of terrorism, poor leadership and discordant tunes, while the state faces governorship election.

Speaker Salaam frowned at the level of politicization of religions, saying that those who ought to intercede for the people of little faith have been exploiting the name of God to negotiate for their selfish interest, while some religious leaders are confusing their followers on the way to go, having mixed religion with politics of self aggrandizement.

The state parliament then admonished the religious leaders in Osun to preach peace, tolerance, good neighborliness and service to humanity, urging them to close the fault lines instead of widening the gulf of differences in the state.

Signed:

Goke Butika

Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker

State House of Assembly of Osun

Read More
Cocoa-farmers

Cocoa-farmersThere is no doubt about  the fact that agricultural policies and programme of the current administration in Osun State headed by Rauf Aregbesola remain a key factor for economic transformation through food security, job and wealth creation especially for the youths.
It is not an overstatement that the state’s agricultural programme called Osun Rural Enterprise and agriculture programme (O-REAP) has been very strategic to the Six Point Integral Action Plan of the Rauf Aregbesola administration targeted at farm estate development through the upgrade of infrastructures in the existing farm settlements  such as rural roads, construction of culverts, channelization, river crossing among others.
The roads completed are Iwo-Pataara (12km), Esa-Oke-Esa-Odo Farm Settlement Road 5km, Mokore Farm Settlement Road (17.8km), Orile-Owu-Ago-Owu Farm Settlement-Ogedengbe Road (30km), Idiroko-Akinleye Farm Settlement Road (10.8km), Farmers Plank Sellers, Ido-Osun Road Network (5.5km) and Alaguntan Forest Reserve Road (20km).
Also completed are QIIP Farm Road, Kuta (9km), Okinni-Igbokiti-O-Fish Farm (9.8km), Reclamation of Olufi Market, grading of Iyanfoworogi-Orisunbare-Ajobo Junction and Aba Opa (10km), Fashina-Agbagba-Adekanye-Osu Express Road (5.5km), bridge on Saasa river to link Akinlalu, Oyere, while several other are on-going.
The O-REAP programme is an innovative programme and unique in its design as it focuses on a very ambitious and aggressive programme of mass food production through the implementation of different component activities by an array of ministries, departments and agencies of government.
It was also designed to strengthen farmers’ cooperatives associations, expand land available for food crop production and promote ground breaking investments and partnerships in agriculture.
Contrary to some spurious and very frivolous allegations in a section of the media by an opposition party that sees nothing good in the Aregbesola administration,off-handedly declaring that the O-REAP programe was fraudulent and amounts to nothing for the farmers, over 150 rural roads especially those leading to the existing the farm estates have indeed been constructed with river crossings and culverts where necessary amongst many other landmarks as will be revealed presently.
As at the time of filing this report, all the nine farm estates in the state including the ones established by chief Obafemi Awolowo in the 60s have been upgraded with necessary infrastructural facilities including electricity and potable water.All these were provided for the entire population living in the estates.
The government has also set up farm service centres in the nine federal constituencies in the state to enable farmers have access to agricultural inputs.
It was further gathered that 78 hectares of cattle hub was established at Oloba farm with the capacity of 10,000 cattle at full operation ,while an additional 400 hectares and 1,600 hectares of land had been secured by the state government for development of two additional cattle hubs in Ede and Ejigbo.
In the provision of storage facilities, one 500 metric tonnes capacity warehouse abandoned since 2009 has been revisited and completed in Osogbo; another 1,000 metric tonnes capacity warehouse abandoned since 1991 when the state was created has been completed while one hundred 10metric tonnes cribs have been constructed across the state to serve as on and off farm storage facilities.
The present administration has also empowered youth cooperative groups consisting of 40 youths engaging in cattle fattening, as part of first phase of the O-Beef empowerment programme across the State of Osun.
“N40million has been given as loans to support Piggery Farmers in the State, 3,645 Farmers across the State benefited from the sum of N476,350,000 from the Government Guaranteed Agriculture Loan Scheme; 268 Farmers benefited from the sum of N45,662,065 from O-REAP Loan Scheme, N153.6m ($952,000) agriculture finance loan for 66 farmer cooperative group”
The State Government procured 5,000 metric tons of fertilizers and sold it to farmers at 50% subsidy over the last 2 years; 1,830 rural farmers in 61 local communities received farm inputs from the state in collaboration with UNICEF. The government also re-constituted the fertilizer distribution committee to block leakages and ensure that the fertilizer gets to the farmers directly through innovative private sector led agricultural input supply programme.
It is on record that the state government sponsored 40 youths to Germany for intensive training in modern agriculture and 96 secondary schools assisted in arable crop production, fisheries and livestock production systems since 2013.
The government also established (O-REAP) Youth Academy as a deliberate effort towards giving youths a sustainable career in modern agriculture and 1,606 OYES Cadets have been trained in Modern Agriculture at the newly established O-REAP Youth Academies located in the nine federal constituencies of the state for increased food production.
Corroborating the feat recorded by the current administration in the agricultural programme, the Director General of the Office of Economic Development and Partnerships(OEDP) and  Coordinator of the O-REAP Program, Dr. Charles Diji Akinola said that the state government further went into partnering with private sector such as TUNS Farm Nigeria Limited to promote broiler production to empower poultry farmers and create jobs under the Osun Broilers Out-growers Production Scheme (OBOPS) with the sum of N539, 435,200. 578. Farms have been stocked with over 3,654,612 Day-Old-Chicks from inception in 2011 and Over N200 million have been made as profit by the Out-growers in the Scheme.
He stated that these schemes are meant to supply chicken and fish to O-MEAL Food Vendors to feed the Grade one to four pupils in the state public schools under the free school feeding.
Akinola also stated that the state government has for example, through an O-REAP programme activity QIIP encouraged rice production at Onilapa (Ogbagba) on a 410hectares of land aimed at increasing production yield from 1.5tonnes to 5tonnes.
On Tree Crop Production, Akinola noted that 64,000 oil palm seedlings and 25,000 cashew seedlings have been raised for sale, 500,000 cocoa seedlings, 6,000 Kola and 6,000 bitter kola seedlings distributed free to cocoa/bitter kola farmers respectively across the state while an all year round vegetable production project in Kuta on a 210 hectares of land is now fully operational.
He explained further that 2,000 farmers were supported to plant 1.3 million plantain suckers for refined plantain flour production, encourages cooperative groups to cultivate 80 hectares of yam farm cluster, for yam flour production adding that over 5,000 new farmer cooperative groups have been registered in the state by the Ministry of Commerce, Cooperatives and Empowerment.
Under the agricultural land expansion programme, Akinola noted that land validation and perimeter survey in nine farm settlements using GIS and Remote Sensing Technology, has been carried out under the O-REAP programme.
While noting that Aregbesola’s agricultural program has within the last three and half years put food on the tables of the people of the state, created jobs and wealth especially for the youths,Akinola described the wild and unfounded allegation of the opposition that the programme was fraudulent and meaningless to farmers in the state as reckless and mischievous in intent and should be dismissed by the good people of State of Osun.
THE NATION

Read More
O-Meal – 1b

O-Meal - 1b‘Stomach Infrastructure’ is the lesson we are supposed to take away from the recently concluded Ekiti Gubernatorial Election.  Stomach infrastructure is what it says, and refers to politicians providing handouts for the voters to fill their stomach (primarily on voting day or few days before). A PDP chieftain was quoted as saying derisively; “We know the Osun voter is not worth more than N10,000 (ten thousand Naira) and a bag of rice and we definitely have that in abundance”. Such is the disdainful conclusion and the pitiful value they have placed on the state and the Osun Voter! A huge slap on the Yoruba race!

This cynical theory goes along the myopic lines of “it’s when your stomach is totally taken care of that you can think of making use of the social amenities and infrastructure”. The better saying in my opinion is “give a man a piece of fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish and you feed him for life.” Stomach infrastructure without investing in more sustainable social amenities and infrastructure, such as schools, hospitals, roads, etc., inadvertently condemns the population to famine after feasting for one day.

The generally held belief in relation to Dr Kayode Fayemi’s defeat in the 21st June, 2014 election is that while he was busy developing social infrastructure, his opponent was taking care of the stomachs of the people in form of distribution of rice and cash. The rest is history as Fayose with his theory of ‘stomach infrastructure’ outsmarted the man ensuring the availability of social infrastructure.

Looking beyond than the initial description, some academics have gone further to say that ‘stomach infrastructure’ does not rest on food alone; it includes the politician’s personal relationship with the people; his regular and constant interaction and socializing with them. There have been several tales of how Fayose developed cordial relationship with the ordinary citizens in Ekiti State, interacting with them, attending their social functions, eating with them and of course, constantly giving them food.

There have been several tales too, of how that theory will be ‘imported’ to Osun State to assist the PDP candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore, in winning the 9th August, 2014 gubernatorial elections in the State of the Virtuous. Unfortunately for PDP in Osun, Omisore is no Fayose and he is up against a man of the people, one with such a popular touch that even the Governor-Elect of Ekiti State will acknowledge.

The sight of Omisore trying in vain to convince the people that he too can ride on “Okada” has crept into our consciousness. An Omisore going to the market to buy roasted corn but guarded by masked security men, inadvertently scaring away the people he is trying in vain to impress…?We see an Omisore awkwardly holding two ears of corn, a failed publicity stunt!

PDP and its backers have forgotten other things, including the important fact that dynamics in Osun are clearly different from that of Ekiti State; that they are dealing with an Aregbesola who is no just more popular than Fayose but who has also invented and developed his own brand of ‘the stomach infrastructure’ which has proven more profitable, more positive and more progressive than the shallow and retrogressive intent bandied about by the PDP and its backers. Suffice to add that Ogbeni, inadvertently through his actions in and outside the government house has invented a ‘stomach infrastructure, that has stood the test of time.

As a commissioner in Lagos State, his office received the highest number of visitors, more than that of the then Governor with his residence always a beehive of activities. Even after leaving office as a commissioner, Aregbesola never alienated himself from the public. It is on record that he always attended to visitors in his private offices in Lagos up until the wee hours of the morning; selflessness that is so ingrained in him, he continues to do so with relish even as a Governor.

Aregbesola’s personal life thus defined, his programs as Governor evidence a people-oriented administration. His six-point Integral Action was anchored on providing programs and projects that will positively and directly impact on the ordinary man on the streets. By so doing, Aregbesola has invented a more expansive ‘stomach infrastructure’ program in Osun to the extent that even though PDP have come with their cosmetic ‘stomach infrastructure’ the people are not in any way impressed because they have a better and longer lasting form in the programs of the Ogbeni.

What stomach infrastructure can be more effective than provision of employment for youths? This was the first thing the Aregbesola administration tackled in his first 100 days in office. Through the Osun Youths Empowerment Scheme (OYES), 20,000 youths were employed and today the number has risen to 40,000. Most of these youths now work as teachers and computer analysts in the various agencies established by the Governor.

PDP and their candidates’ stomach infrastructure is based on distribution of N10,000 and a “Kongo” of rice; Aregbesola’s administration has introduced an education reform program, a longer lasting formof stomach infrastructure, for thousands of people. Through the education reform program, 300,000 pupils are fed daily in public elementary schools in the state while 750,000 students were given free school uniforms (with more still reeling out). The ripple effect of the reform program has been the creation of sources of income for up to 3,000 vendors who serve the pupils daily, with the free school uniform programcreating jobs for more than 3,000 fashion designers. The free meal program has greatly encouraged poultry farming in the state so much so that at the last count, the number of poultry farmers in the state had risen to over 1,000. In addition, over 1,000 farmers have been empowered by the Aregbesola administration to provide the needed raw “food” materials to sustain the free meal program.

Still on education, just last Friday, 18thJuly 2014, the Aregbesola administration rolled out its Omoluwabi Free Scholars’ Bus, which will take students to and from schools daily. The free scholars’ bus is providing “stomach infrastructure” to drivers and conductors who have been employed to operate the fleet of buses.

Aregbesola administration recognizes the Old and the Vulnerable and extends N10,000 (Ten Thousand Naira) monthly stipends to over 1600 beneficiaries in the “Agba” Osun” Scheme.Yet again, on Thursday, 17thJuly 2014, 2,250 households in Osun State benefitted from another program called “Conditional Cash Transfer” (CCT). Selected households headed by women will be given stipends of N5,000 (Five Thousand Naira) monthly for 11 months during which time they will undergo free vocational training. At the end of the 12th month, each will be given N100,000 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) to start the trade in which they have undergone training. Can there be a better or more sincere  ‘stomach infrastructure’ compared to this?

Can anybody say there is a better ‘stomach infrastructure’ than thousands of employment to youths working in the urban renewal program of the Aregbesola administration in agencies such O’Clean, O’Ambulance, O’Renewal, O’Yestech and O’School? Definitely not!

Wherever he goes, wherever he works and wherever he resides, Aregbesola has always been and continues to identify with the ordinary man on the streets. On assumption of office, it was always common sight, the governor stopping his convoy to interact with people. He introduced the ‘Walk to Live’ where he, alongside members of the State Executive Council, as well as the people on the streets embarked on fitness walk monthly.Through this program Governor Aregbesola walked in the midst of the people, interacting and joking freely with them with the climax of such events being a rally where he addressed the people on the importance of keeping themselves fit and other salient state issues.

He is arguably the only Governor in Nigeria who regularly communicates and intermingles with the people of his state wherein the people are free to engage the Governor in no holds-barred interactive sessions about the programs of his administration. “Ogbeni Till Daybreak” is an eight-hour non-stop interactive program from night till dawnin which the people are invited to engage the Governor in a no holds-barred interaction, they are given free time to ask ANY QUESTION. Another of such programs is ‘Gbangba Dekun’ which is also interactive and involves the Governor and the people.

To show Ogbeni’s love for the people and his desire to always mingle and interact with them, the three programs i.e. Walk To Live, Ogbeni Till Daybreak and Gbangba Dekun, are rotated round the major communities in the state with the people given the opportunity to air their views on the Aregbesola administration and directly contact the Governor. Because each community has peculiar problemsdistinctive from others, the Aregbesola administration has painstakingly taken its time to address each problem, the result being the ongoing massive development in Osun, a marriage of stomach infrastructure and its social counterpart.

For Osun voters, stomach infrastructure is NOT about being given a fish today but about learning to fish for tomorrow. It’s about empowerment. It’s about employment. It’s about functional education. It’s about efficient and effective health care delivery service. It’s about durable social infrastructure. All these THEY DEFINITELY HAVE ALL in abundance, hence their rejection of the strange, narrow-minded and retrogressive ‘stomach infrastructure’ or the Greek Gift imported from Ekiti.

Need we say it loud and again: In Osun, Stomach infrastructure is not about a “Kongo” of rice and N10, 000. Osun is not Ekiti!

Adeyanju Binuyo

Read More
JUMAT SERVICE IFE-ODAN 1

Photos of  the Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Senator representing Osun West Senatorial District, Hon. Mudasiru Hussain, during a prayer session for Governor Aregbesola’s re-electoon on his visit to the town on Friday 25/07/2014

From right-* Speaker, State of Osun House of Assembly, Hon. Najeem Salam, Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Senator representing Osun West Senatorial District, Hon. Mudasiru Hussain, during a prayer session for Governor Aregbesola's Re-election on his visit to the town on Friday 25/07/2014

From right-* Speaker, State of Osun House of
Assembly, Hon. Najeem Salam,
Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Senator
representing Osun West Senatorial District, Hon. Mudasiru Hussain,
during a prayer session for Governor Aregbesola’s Re-election on his
visit to the town on Friday 25/07/2014

From left-* Adimula of Ife-Odan, Oba Adeyemi Emmanuel Morontade, Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Speaker, State of Osun House of Assembly, Hon. Najeem Salam and Senator representing Osun West Senatorial District, Hon. Mudasiru Hussain,during a prayer session for Governor Aregbesola's Re-election on his visit to the town on Friday 25/07/2014

From left-* Adimula of Ife-Odan, Oba Adeyemi Emmanuel Morontade,
Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Speaker, State of Osun
House of Assembly, Hon. Najeem Salam and Senator representing Osun
West Senatorial District, Hon. Mudasiru Hussain,during a prayer
session for Governor Aregbesola’s Re-election on his visit to the town
on Friday 25/07/2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola addressing some traditional rulers gathered at the Adimula of Ife-Odan’s palace , during a prayer session for Governor Aregbesola's Re-election on his visit to the town on Friday 25/07/2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola addressing some
traditional rulers gathered at the Adimula of Ife-Odan’s palace , during a prayer session for Governor Aregbesola’s Re-election on his visit to the town on Friday 25/07/2014

JUMAT SERVICE IFE-ODAN 4A

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola enthusiastically acknowledging cheers from the ecstatic people of Ife-Odan who trooped out en masse to receive him during a Prayer session for his Re-election at Ife-Odan on Friday 25/07/2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola enthusiastically
acknowledging cheers from the ecstatic people of Ife-Odan who trooped
out en masse to receive him during a Prayer session for his Re-election at
Ife-Odan on
Friday 25/07/2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola enthusiastically acknowledging cheers from the ecstatic people of Ife-Odan who trooped out en masse to receive him during a Prayer session for his Re-election at Ife-Odan on Friday 25/07/2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola enthusiastically
acknowledging cheers from the ecstatic people of Ife-Odan who trooped
out en masse to receive him during a Prayer session for his Re-election at
Ife-Odan on
Friday 25/07/2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola enthusiastically acknowledging cheers from the ecstatic people of Ife-Odan who trooped out en masse to receive him during a Prayer session for his Re-election at Ife-Odan on Friday 25/07/2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola enthusiastically
acknowledging cheers from the ecstatic people of Ife-Odan who trooped
out en masse to receive him during a Prayer session for his Re-election at
Ife-Odan on
Friday 25/07/2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola enthusiastically acknowledging cheers from the ecstatic people of Ife-Odan who trooped out en masse to receive him during a Prayer session for his Re-election at Ife-Odan on Friday 25/07/2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola enthusiastically
acknowledging cheers from the ecstatic people of Ife-Odan who trooped
out en masse to receive him during a Prayer session for his Re-election at
Ife-Odan on
Friday 25/07/2014

Read More
14

Download and Share our Countdown Posters. It is 14 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
14

Read More
sss-officials-nigeria

sss-officials-nigeriaOperatives of the Department of State Services, alias SSS, on Friday descended on the corporate headquarters of a Lagos-based research and marketing firm, holding its staff hostage, ransacking its offices and premises and whisking away three of its personnel, witnesses and staff of the company have told PREMIUM TIMES.

TNS-RMS, based in the Ojodu area of Lagos, is a full service research agency founded in 1980. It offers market research and marketing services for organisations and multinationals in West and Central African sub-regions.

Our sources, who asked not to be named for fears they might be arrested, said the operatives arrived the company at about noon on Friday with a search warrant.

“They just came and said they have a warrant to search our offices and premises,” a witness said. “They did not say what offence we committed or what they were looking for. They remained on our premises till past 4 p.m. ransacking files and scrutinizing computers.

“At the end of the day, they took away our chairman, Kareem Tejumola, who is over 70 and three other staff members to their Lagos state office in Shangisha.

“They were released around 10:30 p.m. on Friday and asked to report back on Saturday for further interrogation.”

Another staff member said shortly after the operatives began their search, they started asking questions about the opinion poll the company was conducting on the forthcoming August 9 governorship election in Osun state.

He said at a point, the staff members were asked to put together all the questionnaires administered and the data collected in respect of the opinion poll.

The operatives took the documents, and at least two laptops being used for the analysis of the poll away, the source said.

The spokesperson of the SSS, Marilyn Ogar, could not be reached to comment for this story at 1:30 a.m. on Saturday.

But a source in the Service confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that the operatives were dispatched to the company to confiscate documents relating to the opinion poll. He asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak on the matter.

“We got instruction from above to stop the company from releasing result of its survey. We are told the result of the poll was going to indicate that (Rauf) Aregbesola would win the election. Government does not want that kind of poll at this time.”

The Osun governorship election is scheduled for August 9 and both the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] and the All Progressives Congress [APC] have been accusing each other of trying to rig the election.

PREMIUM TIMES

Read More
Ogbeni's Potrait –  (6)

Ogbeni's Potrait -  (6)Prelude to the June 21 Ekiti State election, this column waded in on the side of the incumbent Kayode Fayemi because it was the right thing to do, taking cognisance of his antecedent and his performance in office. Also judging by the puny personality of his major contender in terms of integrity quotient, record in office, possession of the requisite gravitas and nobility for high office, this column insists that Fayemi and not Fayose is more deserving of the office even though one cannot help but respect the choice of Ekiti people.
In the same manner and going by the parameters listed above, this column will vote for Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola to remain as the governor of Osun State on August 9. The Ogbeni advantage, just as in Fayemi’s, is made seemingly unassailable when ranged against an opponent, Iyiola Omisore, who is weakened and compromised by an odious antecedent. In the days of yore when elders were the spirits of the land and taboos were indeed, abominations to the living and the dead, an Omisore would not deign to be a leader in Yoruba land. In those days, elders would sit at dawn at the first crow of the cock and speak as one with the gods; pour libation and set the land aright, an Omisore would never have found the face to stand before the people to seek to lead them.
But this is an age that is at once licentious and forgiving; an age that easily changes black in white, using confounding ‘means and machinery’. We are in an age that not only gets away with murder (in a manner of speaking), the more dastardly murderous a man can dare to be, the better he is ‘regarded’ in the society. It is in this kind of weird world that an Omisore would stand a strong contender in a governorship election.
It is not to say that Ogbeni is the quintessence of humanity or a citizen of the celestial realms. It is just that he has a track record and a reference point that even his opponents cannot fault. Ogbeni is also a man of immense passion; burning passion for the people; passion to drive change, to improve and to make good. You may quarrel with his method or even the fiery intensity of his passion, but it is often in the quest for the greatest good for the people.
This column had occasions to prick and jab him on some of his actions, especially his dalliance with religion in his state, but his finer motive it turned out, is to upgrade learning and education in his state. Though Christians may have misconstrued it as antagonism towards their faith, what are we to then make of his government’s move to catalyse the building of a mega Christian centre, perhaps the largest of its kind in the country, in his state. Of course, Muslims would see this as deploying the state’s machinery for the propagation of the Christian faith, but for the Ogbeni, the nobler motive is to tap into Christianity’s huge economic potentialities to develop his state.
Such is Ogbeni’s passion, which had been manifest right from his days as the commissioner for works in the Bola Tinubu years in Lagos. He is part of the mastermind and architect of some of the great developmental strides that have unfurled under Babatunde Fashola in Lagos. Of course, Ogbeni is not only a master of the grassroots; he is the essential man of the people who eats his roast corn with the people both on and off camera. The people of Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos, his constituency and domain, would testify to this.
If half of the governors are half as passionate about working for the people as Ogbeni, there would be less strive in the land and the country would progress in leaps and bounds. In nobler climes, Ogbeni would not have had to campaign to be returned to office. But this column wagers that the Ogbeni passion would carry him through: for a man who is credible both on the streets and in the State House, who has rolled out as much physical infrastructure as the fabled stomach substructure, the people of Osun will be utterly nihilistic not to return him. They need to be vigilant too.
THE NATION

Read More
O-Meal – 1a

Photos of the Food vendors serving Mid-Day meals for pupils under Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme (O’MEALS) showing their support for Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s Second Term Re-election at Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo, State of Osun, during the weekend

Food vendors serving Mid-Day meals for pupils under Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme (O’MEALS) showing their support for Governor Rauf Aregbesola's Second Term Re-election at Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo, State of Osun, during the weekend

Food vendors serving Mid-Day meals for pupils under Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme (O’MEALS) showing their support for Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s Second Term Re-election at Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo, State of Osun, during the weekend

Food vendors serving Mid-Day meals for pupils under Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme (O’MEALS) showing their support for Governor Rauf Aregbesola's Second Term Re-election at Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo, State of Osun, during the weekend

Food vendors serving Mid-Day meals for pupils under Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme (O’MEALS) showing their support for Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s Second Term Re-election at Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo, State of Osun, during the weekend

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola acknowledging cheers from Food vendors serving Mid-Day meals for pupils under Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme (O’MEALS), during his Endorsement for Second Term in office at Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo, State of Osun, during the weekend

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola acknowledging cheers from Food vendors serving Mid-Day meals for pupils under Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme (O’MEALS), during his Endorsement for Second Term in office at Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo, State of Osun, during the weekend

Food vendors serving Mid-Day meals for pupils under Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme (O’MEALS) showing their support for Governor Rauf Aregbesola's Second Term Re-election at Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo, State of Osun, during the weekend

Food vendors serving Mid-Day meals for pupils under Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme (O’MEALS) showing their support for Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s Second Term Re-election at Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo, State of Osun, during the weekend

Read More
Mini-Buses – 2

Mini-Buses - 2Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola, has reaffirmed that total transformation of the State of Osun remains his priority.

Aregbesola made the statement while giving account of his stewardship during a programme organised by All Christian Leaders and Ministers Forum (ACLMF) at the auditorium of Olorunda Local Government Secretariat, Oshogbo, Osun State.

The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Chief (Mrs) Laoye Tomori, declared his administration is greatly determined and focused at total transformation of the state to another mega one.

He maintained that in its resolve at actualizing the desired objective, the governor of the culturally endowed Osun State in South-West Nigeria has brought real transformation to governance in the state and gave democracy its real meaning as the government of the people.

Besides, he said Osun has been transformed from one that could barely meet its obligations, to a solvent state and viable economy.

A record 20,000 youth were employed by the state within his first month in office through the Osun State Youth Empowerment Scheme (O’YES) as a result of his devotion to constructive engagement of the youth, he said.

He added that his administration has showed a lot of commitment to education with the on-going overhaul of the school infrastructure in the state, training and development of teachers, encouraging basic school enrolment through the introduction of free meals and uniforms, and lately the launch of the “Opon Imo” or “Tablet of Knowledge” -mini computers consisting over 65 text books covering various subjects to be distributed free to all secondary school students in the state.

PMNEWS

Read More
aregbesola-won-ICT-gov-of-yr-2014-award-300×224

aregbesola-won-ICT-gov-of-yr-2014-award-300x224IN a keenly contested race, which paraded enterprising ICT state governors in the country, the Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has emerged winner of the Centennial ICT Governor of the Year Award at the 2014 Titans of Tech Awards organised by Technology Africa.

The report from the Intelligence Unit of Technology Africa, which resulted to the Governor’s nomination indicated that Osun State under the leadership of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has undertaken a major upgrade of the State’s ICT infrastructure including the setup of a brand new and modern Government Data Center, as well as data communications links between all the Government Offices.

The report further revealed that Governor Aregbesola is a pioneer with a history of consistency, Innovation and passion for the development of ICT in the state of Osun.

He has demonstrated a peculiar interest in improving ICT literacy in the state of Osun through the introduction of the OPON IMO – Tablet of Knowledge (e-Learning & Science category). The Governor has also commissioned the $50 million ICT Factory in Osun first of its kind in the state.

The 2014 Titans of Tech Awards, which was dedicated to Nigeria Centenary celebration was chaired by former Director, Computer center at ECOWAS Dr. Sola Afolabi and had in attendance stakeholders from the Nigerian ICT Industry, top government functionaries, captains of industry and business moguls.

BIOREPORT

Read More