The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) has frowned at the use of military men to provide security during the forthcoming election in Osun State.
This came on the heels of the statement of the Resident Electoral Commission in Osun State, Mr. Segun Agbaje, who said that the state will not be less militarised during the forthcoming governorship election as it was the case during similar election held on June 21 in Ekiti State.
Agbaje said this in Abuja at an event organised to assess the level of the preparedness of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Residents and observers of the June 21 governorship election had witnessed heavy presence of the military men and other security agencies across Ekiti State during the June 21 poll.
Reacting to the state of Osun REC, the Executive Chairman of the Coalition, Mr. Debo Adeniran averred that the intervention of military men in democratic process is an aberration.
He said, “The government must realise that the use of military men to provide security during election is an aberration. It is antithetical to the spirit of true democracy. The police should be well-equipped to provide security during elections; we shouldn’t be inviting khaki boys from their barracks to intervene in democratic process.
“As we have been made to believe that Ekiti Governorship Election was free and fair, the events preceding it and the heavy presence of military make a mess of the result came out of the poll. The evident presence of the federal might before and during the poll with the reported harassment of All Progressives Congress members and its visiting governors in the state some days to the election was uncalled for. Everyone should be given equal opportunity because a pan for the goose is good for the gander.”
Speaking further, the human rights activist argued that the militarization of Osun State may influence the outcome of the election and therefore urged that the soldiers should be kept in the barracks until the situation demands their coming out.
“Basically, the military men should be kept in their barracks, not within the town to intimidate the people. As a matter of fact, military men could even instigate violence with a view to tilting the outcome of election in favour of the candidate that has better relationship with their commanding authority. We are not saying that the citizens should not be protected during the election, all we are asking for is that the military men should not come out until there is manifest threat of violence not contrived violence,” Adeniran said.
DAILY TIMES

The annual Osun Osogbo festival was Flagged off on high note last week, with a press briefing in Lagos, writes Omolola Itayemi
At about 2pm on July 8, the Osun Osogbo 2014 programme unveiling took off on a high note when Managing Director, Infogem Nigeria Limited and Chief Festival Consultant for Osun Osogbo,  Ayo Olumoko, picked the microphone to welcome guests, royalty, artistes, corporate representatives and members of the media at the corporate forum heralding the festival this year at Eko Hotels and conference Centre, Lagos.
Remarkably, the arrival of the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji Olanipekun and his entourage, comprising his Olori and High Chiefs, added colour to the programme.
Speaking, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji, said the Osun Osogbo Festival had continued to grow bigger each year with new programmes and exciting events being added every year.
“And this year, it is definitely going to be bigger in terms of attendance, packaging, sponsorship and others for the year 2014. I can tell you that there are many indications for this assertion. For instance, in my travelling around the world in recent times, I have met people who told me they would be coming for this year’s edition of the festival,” Oba Oyetunji said.
Emphasising the enthusiasm with which some of the Africans in the Diaspora speak concerning the Osun Osogbo festival, the traditional ruler added that “some people even showed me a river they intend to refer to as their own Osun River but I was frank enough to let them know that Osun cannot have a duplicate anywhere in the world as only the Ataoja and top chiefs know what the festival entails each year and the spiritual process that goes with it which can only happen in Osun.”
Hon. Ladi Soyede, special adviser to Governor Rauf Aregbesola on Tourism and Culture, said the renaissance of Yoruba culture remains a priority of the Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola administration in a way that encourages industry and expertise in combination with a celebration of culture.
Soyede said: “Solid progress has been made in this regard in the past three years and has culminated in Osun Osogbo Festival becoming the biggest festival in Nigeria. From our records, the 2013 edition of the festival recorded 21,713 domestic tourists including 123 international tourists while Abuja Carnival 2013 recorded 19,015 domestic tourists and 113 international tourists.”
According to him, activities being promoted by the Government of Osun and which are aimed at promoting and enlarging the scope of the festival include the Tourism Ambassadors programme, Osun Osogbo festival trade fair, festival marathon walk, festival concert and the Osun Osogbo food festival.
Earlier, the festival coordinator and Asoju Oba Gbodofon of Osogbo, said: “All forms of socio-cultural developments have some attributes of celebration and thanksgiving to the almighty God. Festivals are, therefore, regarded as important socio-cultural means of supplications to the Supreme Being, at most times though His intermediaries according to individual beliefs.
Consequently, the month of August of every year has become a unique month among the people of Osogboland. It is the month of celebration, traditional cleansing of the city and cultural reunion of the people with their great ancestors and founders of the Osogbo kingdom. The celebration of Osun Osogbo Festival is a period of stocktaking and assemblage of all sons and daughters of Osogboland and most especially Yoruba-speaking people both in Nigeria and Disapora.”
Listing pre-festival events as including a corporate forum, Iwopopo (traditional cleansing of the city), Ataoja Football Challenge, festival musical concert, Ataoja Golf competition at Miccom Golf Resort, festival art exhibition and others, organisers announced other events for the week-long festival finale.
Billed to begin on Monday, August 18 and ending on Saturday, August 23, events to be part of the grand finale include Iboriade (Ataoja’s crown assemblage); Arugba’s berth/Association of Nigerian Thearte Practitioners  performance night; Susanne Wenger’s sacred colloquim; closing of festival art exhibition; Osun Children cultural fiesta; HIV/AIDS promotional campaign and Sisi Osun cultural pageant. Others are the Osun Osogbo Festival procession and Ataoja’s invitational reception as well as Osun Trade Fair.
Olumoko who also spoke at the event, said the essence of the festival is now very visible as he urged corporate organisations to partner with the Osogbo traditional stool and State Government of Osun towards celebrating Osun Osogbo even more
The quality of the activities put together to whet the appetite of the guests and make the grand finale of the festival a must watch.
The 15-minute display by a cultural dance group practically electrified the hall. The group, made up of delectable ladies with enchanting voices brought out the best in African dance.
Representatives of the sponsoring corporate organisations whose presence were felt by all include Nigerian Breweries Plc, MTN, Kasapreko, makers of Alomo Bitters and Seamanship Schnapps.
For the second year running, Goldberg Lager Beer, brewed by Nigerian Breweries, has been adopted as the Official Beer of the Osun Oshogbo Festival. Oba Oyetunji commended Goldberg for its steadfast commitment and support to the festival and the Yoruba culture. “It goes without saying that the Osun Oshogbo Festival is regarded as a 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 Oshogbo in Osun State. Goldberg’s identification with the celebrations shows the brand’s commitment to the customs and values of the Yoruba people, and we are happy about it,” he said.
On his part, Edem Vinda, the Brand Manager Nigerian Breweries Plc, represented by Kufre Ekanem said the brand was very happy to be associated with this age-old Nigerian festival that is very dear to the people of Oshogbo and the western region in general.
According to him, as Nigeria’s premier and largest brewing company with a portfolio of high quality brands, 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 Osun Oshogbo festival.”
THISDAY

About 1370 AD, the founder of Osogbo land, Oba Gbadewolu Larooye, and a hunter, Olutimehin, settled in the sacred Osun forest to establish the kingdom and thereafter, actualised a pact of association and togetherness with the River Osun deity.

The pact, rekindled every August, was the foundation of the Osun-Osogbo festival that has culminated into a huge tourist attraction.

The Osun groove was officially enlisted as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in Durban, South Africa, on July 15, 2005.

Recently, a 4-man delegation led by the principal coordinator of the 2014 Osun-Osogbo festival, Chief Jimoh Buraimoh, was at the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) in Abuja to seek ways of improving the festival.In his address, the director- General of the NCMM, Mallam Abdallah Yusuf Usman, announced its plans to upgrade the annual festival to one of the best investment destinations in Africa.

This, he said, would be achieved by reviewing the management’s plan with stakeholders in order to discover the challenges confronting the sites so that it would continue to provide employment opportunities for the people.

“The management’s plan is due for review and we intend to organise a meeting with stakeholders to review the plan and see what we have been able to document in the last four years, identify the challenges we face and see how we can overcome the challenges so that we can push the site as one of the best investment destination in Africa,” Usman said.

He noted that culture and tourism were contributory factors that led to the rebasing of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), saying that Osun-Osogbo festival’s contribution had been very significant.

“We were informed earlier that the rebasing of our economy has put us as the greatest economy in Africa and the contributions of culture and tourism were as significant as have never in the past. The Osun-Osogbo festival is one of such contribution has been very significant,” the NCMM boss noted.

While assuring of his unflinching support to managing the site, he stressed that culture was an enterprise that would empower the people and provide employment opportunities.

“The festival is an age-long event that attracts Yoruba’s and other Nigerians that are interested in culture and tradition but the participation of the private sector has made it an important site and festival. It is very clear that the promotion of culture is not just about history, artefacts, sites but also an enterprise; it is a project that can put food on the table of many people, and support creativity and invention; it is a source of employment and poverty alleviation.

“We will continue to work with you to promote the site so that it will continue to provide employment for the people. We are the institution that is supposed to be overseeing the management of the World Heritage Site but the Osun groove is owned by people who believe that it is a place where people visit and get cure from one form of illness or another,” Usman said.

He further revealed his plans to engage private sectors in the management of the Sukur Cultural Landscape, saying, “We want to involve private sectors in managing our sites, especially the Sukur Cultural landscape so that it will continue to provide employment opportunities for the people around.”

On his part, Buraimoh was optimistic that every family in Osun State was committed to the festival, stressing that it was the reason for its identification as one the most unique festivals in Nigeria.

“Every family is committed to the Osun-Osogbo festival and this is why it is the most unique festival in Nigeria. It is a community programme that we must do because it affects all families, whether Muslims, Christians or traditionalists. Whether there is war or not, problem or no problem; the festival must be celebrated because it has been mandated that it must be done every year,” Buraimoh said.

While thanking the state government for providing the pavilion, he further commended the NCMM for working tirelessly to ensure that the pavilion was well erected.

“We happened to be the people that modified the festival to what it is through the help of our consultant. Today, we thank God that the groove has a new look. The state of Osun contributed its own quota by giving us the pavilion which was equipped through the NCMM,” he further stated.

Also speaking, the chief consultant of the festival, Mr Ayo Olumoko, was confident that the festival had boosted the image of Nigeria and stated that the programmes had been improved every year.

“We are here to talk about how our programme will wax stronger, especially to seek the intellectual aspect of your support. The Osun- Osogbo festival has been doing good things for this country and the programmes have been re-engineered every year since we started in 2008. If there is any good thing that is happening in Nigeria, it is the Osun-Osogbo festival.

“From 2002 to 2004, we worked tirelessly to ensure that we have another UNESCO-listed site in Nigeria. Many were presented but fortunately, the Osun-Osogbo festival was listed through the efforts of the NCMM,” he concluded.

LEADERSHIP

Five months after the closure of four tertiary institutions owned by Osun State Government as a result of strike action, the academic and non-academic staff of the institutions have agreed to suspend their action.
The unions  suspended the action after the state government agreed to meet some of their demands.
The Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, (ASUP), Osun State Polytechnic, Iree and Public Relations Officer of Council of Academic Staff Union of Osun State Own Tertiary Institutions, Mr. Dotun Omisore disclosed the decision of the union to newsmen in Osogbo.
It would be recalled that the non-academic staff union of the tertiary institutions had on Monday returned to work while the academic staff resumed academic duties yesterday.
The affected institutions are Osun State Polytechnic, Ire, Osun State College of Technology, Esa-Oke, Osun State College of Education, Ila-Orangun and Osun State College of Education, Ilesa.
Omisore said that the state government and the unions had agreed on some of the demands of the union and we believe that we have to move on.
He noted that the state government had signed into law the elongation of their retirement age from 60 to 65 years as it obtained in the university system, adding that on the issue of contributory pension scheme, the state government had set up a ministerial committee to look at the problems associated with it implementation and members of the unions are part of the committee.
On the issue of recruitment of more staff, Omisore noted that the government had agreed to make it priority issue and promise that within the shortest possible time, the government will make new recruitment to beef up academic and non academic staff of the affected institutions.
On the Hazard and medical allowance, Omisore said that it was agreed that the issue should be negotiated with the each of the governing council and management of the institutions.
He stressed that it was based on the above agreement that the unions decided to suspend the strike action and return to duty posts.
THISDAY

The Governor of Osun Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on Thursday described as mere wishful thinking the remark by Vice President Namadi Sambo that his party the Peoples Democratic Party will take over Osun.

This was just as the Governor said Sambo had impugned on the integrity of the Judiciary by referring to the judgment of the Election Petition Appeal Tribunal that restored the mandate of Aregbesola after the 2007 governorship poll as verdict through “the back door.”

Aregbesola in a response through his Director Bureau of Communication and Strategy Semiu Okanlawon said Sambo could not have been referring to the Osun where the people have demonstrated their total rejection of anything that has any traits of PDP.

Sambo’s statement Okanlawon said, aptly captures the depth of self – delusion and deciet to which PDP leadership indulges in, a development he blames for the total failure of the PDP led Federal Government in all facets of the Nigerian life.

“Sambo’s statement did not come to us as a surprise. It is the character of the PDP and its leadership to live in a different world far away from the stark realities that daily confront our people.

For the umpteenth time, we wish to remind Sambo and the entire PDP structure and it’s candidate for the Osun August 9 poll that Osun has remained different for so many reasons and this is why the macabre dance PDP and its agents of electoral fraud organised in Ekiti cannot be replayed here in Osun.

“Has Sambo forgotten so soon that while PDP reaped from its electoral fraud in all parts of Nigeria in the 2011 election, it was only in Osun that PDP recorded it’s most humiliating defeat.

“In case Sambo has not thought about it, that was less than six months of the Aregbesola administration when not much had been put on ground in form of sterling performance and massive transformation of Osun .

More than three years down the line, Osun people have witnessed unprecedented development in various ways. Peace has returned. Wealth has been created. Lives have been saved and improved. Aregbesola has touched lives in the education,  food production, youth employment, and other sectors.  This state has been rescued from the morass it was plunged in almost 8 years of the PDP rule. What then does Sambo expect his party to woo the people of Osun with in an election that is less than one month?” He added.

Responding to Sambo’s derogatory comment on the judiciary,  the statement said the verdict of the Tribunal confirmed PDP robbery of the 2007 poll.

“In some saner climes, PDP and it’s leaders ought to apologise to the entire country and the people of Osun in particular for the trauma they were subjected due to the robbery of the Are gbesolas mandate. But the culture of impunity which PDP promotes won’t give room for such decency. It must however be noted that never will our people embrace the rule of terror and cluelessness which PDP represents.” The statement concluded.

It added that the entire Nigeria and the international community have been monitoring the shenanigans in the build up to the election saying the PDP candidate has lost the contest before the August 9 date.

“The whole world is nauseated by the amount of naked misuse of federal might in all parts of Nigeria. By now, Sambo and the Federal Government should be worried by the laughing stock to which they have turned Nigeria in the estimation of the right thinking people of the world.

“A government that has failed to successfully mobilise its security agencies  to rescue over 200 school girls in more than 90 days must know it has failed in its primary responsibility to the Nigerian people.

“This is why the people of Osun have resolved to vote for continuity in the Aregbesola revolutionary touch,” the statement concluded.

WITH the swing of the pendulum, albeit by judicial decision, from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the Action Congress (now, the All Progressives Congress), on November 26, 2010, there was a blast of fresh air in the administration of Osun State. Ever since, the engineer-turned politician has been playing pivotal roles to leave his footprints in the sands of history. By what is a political party’s flag bearer assessed?
In addition to Rauf Aregbesola’s intimidating credential, this Ilesha-born APC candidate’s background political experiences stand him in good stead in the services of Osun State. He was a political activist who managed the beginnings of the infrastructural transformation of Lagos State. Religion is a sine qua non in this nation’s continued existence. Therefore, in terms of religious faiths, Rauf Aregbesola remains an unshakeable pillar, a hyphen that joins and a buckle that fastens together all the different faiths – Christians, Muslims and Traditionalists in Osun State.
Having served for almost a decade as a Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure in Lagos State, he offered himself as the Governor of Osun State. Three-and-a-half years into a four-year-term, he had a royal battle in the flawed 2007 elections, a struggle which moved to the judiciary, hallmarking his belief in democracy and the rule of law. Why is Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola demanding for a re-election? The late British Prime Minister, Baroness Margaret Thatcher had a saying: “We are not in politics to ignore people’s worries. We are in politics to deal with them”. Along with this line of reasoning, in reality, Osun State is enmeshed in multifarious worries that could not be fully solved at one fell swoop, there is need for the incumbent Governor Aregbesola to complete the unaccomplished assignments. To deny him of a re-election is to deny him of the opportunity to deal with the people’s worries. But to grant him a re-election is to afford him the chance of dealing with and solving the people’s other worries.
The APC of which he is standing for a re-election is, without doubt, an off-shoot of our enviable Action Group of old. By any standard, the two political parties are almost of identical template, in terms of service deliveries. Aregbesola has focused on strengthening Osun State in the areas of agriculture, economic development, youth employment, education and security. His bold vision for the state is encapsulated in his Six Point Integral Action Plan – to banish poverty, hunger, unemployment, restore healthy living, promote functional education, enhance communal peace and progress. Within his first tenure, these seek to ensure that the fruits of economic development impact on the people. In 100 days, he created 20,000 people-friendly programmes, a la the Action Group and the Unity Party of Nigeria of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo. For these reasons, Aregbesola requires a re-election to consolidate.
In its previous administration of seven and a half years, what the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) could not achieve, Aregbesola’s APC attained them in record time. The PDP did not execute any meaningful project while in control of Osun State’s resources. In Yoruba folklore, there is a saying: “Ere ti aja fi ogun odun sa, faaji ni fun eshin”, meaning that what the PDP could not attain in nearly eight years, Aregbesola’s APC easily made them in short tenure. What he is saying is that, like the Roman of old, the Osun State people must “Give me a place to stand to move the state to greater heights – “Da mihi locum standi”. In unflinching confidence, he demanded: “Let us, including the Labour Party, Social Democratic Party and the PDP governorship candidates, meet at an open debate and they’ll be disgraced out. Give us just one hour and see who among us will have the day”.
Why he should be re-elected? He introduced free feeding of primary school pupils, irrespective of their religious faiths or political affiliations. For security, the incumbent governor constructs an Emergency Security Centre where calls can be directed for assistance and rescue operations in case of any emergency. At the time of writing this piece, what remained for its functioning was a short security code approval from the PDP’s Federal Government. With the code, a helicopter could touch down anywhere in Osun State within 15 minutes to identify crisis spots and mobilise security personnel to the spot. It must be realised that security threat does not discriminate. If the Security Centre is functional, that young journalist who died along Ife Road could have survived the accident, if help reached him on time. If the PDP truly believes in the “welfare of the people as the supreme law”, and is people-oriented, security issue, like security code, must not be politicised. As the Father of the Nation, President Goodluck Jonathan, must be magnanimous by releasing the Security Code.
Moral blackmail is a weapon of destruction. Contrary to persistent claims by the PDP, alleging that Osun’s government under Governor Rauf Aregbesola is indebted to the tune of over N350 billion, the Debt Management Office (DMO), in Abuja, has refuted this. Dr. Abraham Nwankwo, the Director of the DMO in the Presidency disclosed that Osun is one of the best states with public debt management, describing the claims to heavy debt burden in Osun as propaganda and hoax. The DMO Director declared that Osun State status is very sustainable as it does not borrow beyond its capacity. It is also the first state to take Sukuk.
If Aregbesola is re-elected to accomplish other missions, so much the better for the electorate. The Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (O-YES) is introduced and empowers 20,000 volunteers across the state’s Local Government Areas, including Ife-East Area Office, aiming at empowering 80,000 or more volunteers in eight years. By the O-YES scheme, each volunteer receives a stipend of N10,000 monthly and provides Community Services in return. With this, about N200 million monthly is injected into the grassroots economy for over two years now.
The scheme has skills development component to arm the volunteers with functional skills and prosecute productive life. As if these are not enough, the Osun Rural Enterprise and Agricultural Programme (OREAP) is another scheme to achieve agricultural development objectives of reformation and economic growth, as the food basket of the South-West and serves 10 per cent of the Lagos food market. By these, restiveness and idleness are tackled among the youths during Rauf Aregbesola’s administration. Therefore, what is expected from Osun State electorate is to return Rauf Aregbesola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the Governor on August 9, 2014 elections.
However, this writer can identify a lacuna in Aregbesola administration. His achievements, commendable as they are, do not focus on culture enhancement. His predecessor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, focused on Yoruba cultural heritage with religious and patriotic fervour. This might arise from his Royal status as a prince. Be that as it may, because all his records of achievements are consistently and directly people-oriented, Aregbesola did not give priority to culture enhancement. This single minus is pardonable
In a style reminiscent of Daily Service (later, Daily Express) on election days in the late 1950s and early ’60s,a the front-page screaming headlines would read: “it is up to you” to make the right choice. In similar vein, this piece is concluded with the advice, it is up to you, Osun State electorate, to re-elect Rauf Aregbesola as the Governor on August 9, 2014 to consolidate his achievements.
• Oshisada, a veteran journalist, lives at Ikorodu, Lagos State.
GUARDIAN

Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, has emphasised the need for the governments at all levels to develop the rural areas rather than full developmental projects in the urban areas.
The governor, who has been described as grassroots-friendly, contended that the rural areas in the country need more developments.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of a recent three-day workshop in Osogbo on Rural Access and Mobility Project (RAMP), Aregbesola argued that the rural areas in the country lack development, hence the need for the governments at all levels to concentrate developmental projects in the areas.
The governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, also urged the Federal Government to improve on the allocation accrued to the states to aid development at the grassroots.
According to him “the state governments are closer to their people than the federal government and are logistically better positioned to reach and provide for the development needs of the people within their boundaries.”
He remarked “It is crucial for the states to get the necessary supports in their drive to facilitate the realisation of the country’s development needs. Against this background, the RAMP project is a positive contribution towards helping state governments in the country to accelerate the pace of economic growth and development.”
Governor Aregbesola also opined that “in a developing economy like ours, vast numbers of our population yet reside in rural areas. Even, a greater number of people in the cities still have one leg in their rural communities and most would wish to retire to their villages if only the basic amenities to support them are in place.”
However, the governor expressed regret that the rural areas in the country are relatively more backward than their urban counterparts, and called for quick improvement on the trend.
He stressed that the only way to develop the rural areas in the country was to increase access of the people of such areas to social and physical infrastructures.
THIS DAY

Photos from the Senate Committee On Privatisation ‘s courtesy call on the Governor at Government House, Osogbo, State of Osun

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (2nd right); his
Deputy, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori (2nd left); Chairman, Senate Committee
on Privatisation, Senator Gbenga Obadara (left) and Senator Barnabas
Gemade, during the Committee’s courtesy call on the Governor at
Government House, Osogbo, State of Osun

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (right); Member, Senate
Committee on Privatisation, Senator Barnabas Gemade (left); Senator
Ibrahim Gobir (2nd left) and Secretary to the Committee, Senator
Abubakar Tutare (2nd right), during the Committee’s courtesy call on
the Governor at Government House, Osogbo, State of Osun

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (2nd right); his
Deputy, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori (3rd right); Chairman, Senate Committee
on Privatisation, Senator Gbenga Obadara (3rd left); Senator Barnabas
Gemade (right); Secretary to the Committee, Senator Abubakar Tutare
(2nd left) and Member National Assembly representing Osun Central
Senatorial District, Senator Sola Adeyeye (left), during the
Committee’s courtesy call on the Governor at Government House, Osogbo, State of Osun

‎The governor of the state of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on Thursday scored another first as he commissioned 100 units of Handheld Ultrasound Scanners and 3D Colour Doppler Scan machines.

The governor at the launch of Millennium Development Goals Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) and commissioning of handheld ultrasound scanners at the Nelson Mandela freedom park in Osogbo noted his administration is committed to the welfare of its people hence the provision of the equipment.

‎Aregbesola held that his administration’s seriousness about executing his outlined development policies is always aimed at bettering the lots of the people.

He said, “we are today commissioning 100 units of Handheld Ultrasound Scanners and four units of 3D Colour Doppler Scan machines that have just been purchased for use in our health facilities, the first of such to be done by any government in the country.

“These are high technology medical equipment that will significantly boost the quality of healthcare provision at our public hospitals, especially in the management of ante-natal patients.

“This will equally go a long way in the achievement of the MDG goal of reducing and eliminating maternal and infant mortality in Osun.

“Prior to now, access to ultrasound scan services are limited in most of our health care centres, particularly in the rural areas. But with these handheld machines, and their portability, rural patients’ access to ultrasound scan services will be substantially widened”. The governor told the audience at the commissioning.

Aregbesola also revealed that his government approach to the implementation of the Conditional Cash Tranfer programme is community-based, a poverty alleviation strategy which involves the provision of monthly welfare stipends of N5,000 for a 12-month training period.

He added the sum of One Hundred thousand Naira exit grant will be made available to beneficiaries after the period of training.

The governor noted that the‎ main targets of the scheme are the extremely poor and susceptible groups such as indigent women, the elderly, the disabled as well as households that are headed by non-adults or widows among others.

Aregbesola also added that the scheme is meant to ensure that children of school age attend school and pregnant women and household members attend hospitals in the event medical challenges.

According to the governor, “fortunately, the objectives on our Six-Point Integral Action Plan, very much like the MDGs, are mutually reinforcing. As a result, we have decided to place emphasis on two crucial areas of education and health in our implementation of the CCT scheme.

“We are strongly of the opinion that education and health are highly effective means of alleviating and ultimately eliminating the gruelling effects of poverty since the duo constitute the core of human development.

“Conversely, lack of education and good health make the perpetuation of poverty all too certain. ‎Keeping people healthy makes it possible for them to be well-educated, while education helps to increase health consciousness and healthy living” the governor stressed.

Earlier in his remark, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on MDGs, Hon. Abdullah Binuyo, said the Aregbesola administration is committed and will always remain committed to making life better for the people, which explains why the six-point agenda of the administration is anchored on improving the people’s welfare.

Binuyo said the pilot scheme is designed to benefit 2, 250 households in five local government areas, adding that the programme would later be extended to the entire state.

“For this particular event, we are spending a total of N375 million and 2,250 households headed by women are benefiting.

“We pay N5,000 to the benefitting household monthly till the 12th month when for the exit and 12th month, each benefitting household gets N100,000 grant to start learned trade. This efffort serves as a pilot and we are covering 25 communities in 5 Local Government Areas. This we expect to expand into a state-wide program

“This programme, conditional cash transfer (CCT) was designed to make life better for the people especially women, youths and children. It is one of the programmes put in place in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to eradicate poverty.

“In actual fact, eradication of poverty is the first goal of the MDGs. Suffice to add that eradication of poverty is also a main focus of the six-point agenda of the Aregbesola administration,” Binuyo stressed.

When the Osun State Government re-classified primary and secondary schools into elementary, middle and high schools in 2012, many pooh-poohed the policy.  But, a visit to Benin Republic has shown  that the system is not strange, after all, reports SINA FADARE
RE-CLASSIFICATION
It is a policy those in the opposition love to hate. When the Osun State Government reclassified schools in 2012, they descended on the Rauf Aregbesola administration, describing the policy as a ploy to destroy education. But, there is nothing strange about the policy which is also being implemented in Benin Republic.
In the exercise, primary schools were renamed elementary schools, and stopped at Grade 4 (Primary 4) instead of the former Primary Six. Junior Secondary Schools are now called Middle Schools and have pupils from Grades 5 to 9 (Primary 5 to Junior Secondary School 3); Senior Secondary Schools were replaced with high schools catering for SS1 to SS3 pupils.
For smooth implementation, schools were merged along the various levels.  The elementary schools accommodate 900 pupils; middle schools between 900 and 1,000; the high schools are designed to accommodate 1,000 for each of the three grades 10-12 (SS1-SS3).
The government also introduced school uniforms for the three levels.  In the public school system, only three uniforms exist, irrespective of the school’s location.
Justifying the re-classification, Governor Rauf Aregbesola said the system was introduced to reposition education, which was in a sorry state when he took over in November 2010.
His Deputy and Commissioner for Education, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori, said the system was tailored after the American education model, which advocates that children of the same age group should learn together.
Nevertheless, criticisms trailed the exercise.  Last year, there were protests in Osogbo, the state capital, and other areas over the policy. The protests had religious undertone. Christian groups were opposed to the merger of schools founded by missionaries with Muslim schools and vice-versa.  There was also disaffection over the change of single-sex to co-education schools under the policy.
In Benin, which borders Nigeria on the west, the same policy is being run. As in Osun, schools are classified as elementary, middle and high schools. All the schools also wear the same uniforms.  Benin’s was adopted as a national policy following an Educational Forum in 2007. Mrs Laoye-Tomori explained that Osun adopted the policy following recommendations of a summit held in February 2011, which sought the repositioning of the education system such that pupils would enjoy quality education, irrespective of their background.
Benin’s Minister of Education (Secondary) Fructeuex Sylvan, said the country’s policy was adopted because of the interest in creating an egalitarian society where the children of the rich would not have access to quality public education at the expense of the poor.
Like Osun, Benin also faced opposition over the policy, but of a different kind.
Fructeuex said some powerful and rich people wrote to the government to discontinue the policy.
“But the government was resolute to make a success of it by providing equal platform that reduces the gap of human capital development,” he said.
The policy, he said, would last till 2025 before it could be reviewed for continuity or change.
But, Benin did not have problems with religion like Osun.  In Benin,  Fraucteuex said, religion has no place in educational policy neither are religious scholars given any prominence.  There are Christians, Muslims, and adherents of African Traditional Religion throughout the country. Most adherents of the traditional Yoruba religious group are in the south of the country; other African Traditional Religion beliefs could be found in the north. Muslims are mostly concentrated in the north and southeast. Christians are prevalent in the south, particularly in Cotonou, the economic nerve centre of the country.  These religions do not interfere with the education.
But, there are differences in the operation of the policy. Benin’s differs from Osun’s in that at the elementary level, pupils spend six years and not four; four years middle school rather than five; four years in high school as opposed to three. In all, the pupils spend 13 years in primary and secondary schools in Benin the Osun’s 12.
Language of instruction is also different.  In Benin teaching is in local languages, spiced with little or no French as the official language. But, in Osun, like most part of Nigeria, teaching is in English right from the elementary stage.
 
UNIFORMS
there are, however, similarities in school uniform. According to Director of programmes of the National Radio/Television, Marcelle Brigitie Adelakoun Ipaur Houssou, the practice preceded the 2007 education reforms.
“All schools in Benin Republic since independence wear the same Beninoisie khaki.  While the primary school pupils wear knickers, the secondary school pupils wear trousers. All the students have the badges of their schools on their uniforms. There is no room for the use of any unconventional dress like hijab, beret, etc, in any public school in the country,” she said.
Fructueux said the policy was introduced to achieve equality in the school system.
“The schools started using the same uniforms since independence, thereby creating a level of egalitarian lives among the students. The Government of Benin Republic has made it difficult to distinguish between the child of the rich and the poor. It is this policy that made the government to declared education as free and compulsory in the country since 2007. The rich who want to send their children to private school are free to do so,” he said.
He said the country did not experience crisis as far as uniforms are concerned.  However, he said parents buy the uniforms. In Osun, the government collaborates with a private contractor to produce the uniforms.
“The uniform is bought by the parents but the model of sewing is provided by the Government through the schools as the rules must be followed,” he said.
Osun and Benin also practice free education up to high school.
 
School feeding
Osun has a robust feeding programme for all its elementary schools which costs N3.6 billion yearly. Mrs Laoye-Tomori said the project started with the feeding of 155,318 Grades 1 to 3 pupils in April, adding that it was expanded to include Grade Four pupils.  By December 2013, she said enrolment had increased by 25 per cent.
“The data presented by the National Bureau of Statistics, by December 2013 shows that the State of Osun has the highest enrolment figure of public primary school pupils in the country,” she said.
In Benin, school feeding is only done in the rural areas to encourage poor parents to send their children to school. This, according to the Minister, led to an upsurge in enrolment of pupils in public schools by 100 per cent.
 
Reforms: to be or not to be
Given the challenges the education reforms in Osun have faced, the question is whether they should be continued or scrapped.  Educationists who spoke with The Nation favoured the new policy but called for proper implementation.
For Mrs. Foluke Akintunde, a teacher in the state, the reforms are welcome because they have improved school infrastructure.
“As an insider who has put in about 22 years of teaching in various schools across the state, l can authoritatively say that some of the schools were not equipped. If the on-going policy will give a face lift to the poor infrastructural amenities in most of the schools, it is a welcome idea,” she said.
An executive of the All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) in the state, Mr. Olu Adepegba, says implementation is key.
“The initial inconveniences notwithstanding, if you are expecting better equipped schools, we should support the government so that all what it has on the drawing board would be achieved in not too long a distance. I am sure the policy will open a new window of opportunity for the children of the state who will be educationally equipped to challenge their counterparts anywhere in the world,” he said.
A former Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile- Ife, Prof. Olasupo Ladipo, who hailed the policy said it would enable the government to equip the schools better.
His words “There are too many schools which are not well -equipped. Education is expensive and schools should be well-equipped to enable students have access to quality education.
“There are too many schools which are not well -equipped. Education is expensive and schools should be well-equipped to enable students have access to quality education.”
THE NATION