The annual prestigious and age-long Osun-Osgogbo festival which started over 500 years ago has unveiled its programme and corporate sponsors for this year’s edition at Eko hotel and suites, Victoria Island, Lagos on Tuesday, 8th July, 2014.

The program-unveiling event was attended by prominent dignitaries from Osun State including The Ataoja of Osogboland, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji, Olanioekun Larooye II, the Special Adviser to the State Government on Culture and Tourism, Hon Ladi Soyode, veteran international artists, Chief Jimoh Buraimoh and Chief Nike Davies-Okundaye, Ifa Archbishop cum actor, Chief Ifayemi Elebuibon and prominent cultural festivals marketer, Mr Ayo Olumoko.

The programme unveiling marks the commencement of the pre-festival events which includes the Ataoja Youth Football Challenge, Iwopopo (Traditional Cleansing of the City), Art exhibition, Ayo Olopon contest (Native Ayo game), and Musical concert to be led by Apala maestro, Musiliu Haruna Ishola, the Lightening of the 642 years old 16 points lamp (Olojumerindinlogun), and Ataoja’s golf Competition. Other pre- festival events include Osun Marathon Walk, Osun Traditional Food Festival, and Osun Trade Fair. The pre-festival events end on Sunday, 17th August, 2014.

The festival’s grand finale kicks off on Monday, 18th August, 2014 with Iboriade (Ataoja’s Crowns Assemblage), Arugba’s berth, a tour of Susanne Wenger’s Sacred Colloquium, Osun Children cultural fiesta, HIV/AIDS Promotional Campaign, Sisi Osun Cultural Pageant and Ataoja’s Royal Invitational Reception.

Corporate sponsors of the Osun-Osgogbo festival were also unveiled. They include telecoms giant, MTN, Nigerian Breweries’ Goldberg, Seaman’s, and Kasapreko’s Alomo Bitters.

A special assistant to the State Governor, Hon Soyode speaking at the event, says the Osun Osogbo festival ‘has culminated in becoming the biggest festival in Nigeria having recorded 21,713 domestic tourists including 123 international tourists while Abuja Carnival recorded 19,015 domestic tourists with 113 international tourists in 2013’.

In Chief Jimoh Buraimoh’s remarks, he said the festival has maintained its originality, authenticity, and acceptability despite the influence of western civilization, education and religion.

“It should also be noted that the Osun Grove was enlisted as a World Heriatge Site by the United Nations International, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Durban, South Africa in July 15th, 2005. Corporate sponsorship and individual’s identification with any of the festival events will therefore be a rare opportunity to advance relations, products and services patronage with the fulfilment of discharging corporate social responsibilities and national obligations to the Osogbo community cultural fiesta, State of Osun, the Government and people of Nigeria”.

NATIONAL MIRROR

As the 2014 gubernatorial election draws nearer in the State of Osun, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Environment and Sanitation, Honourable Bola Ilori, has stated that disenfranchising of the electorate in the upcoming governorship election would be a knife to the future of democracy in the state and Nigeria at large.
Ilori made this known recently at the re-election campaign rally of Governor Rauf Aregbesola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) held at Seventh Day Adventist Church Secondary School, Ede recently. He affirmed that the warm reception accorded Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola by residents of Ede and party supporters from the other local government council areas in the federal constituencies across the state showed that the performance of the present administration was uncommon.
Ilori, while calling on the electorate not to allow some miscreants, who believed the only way to be at the helms of affair was through fraudulent means, charged them to reject the antics of the opposition to disenfranchise them by buying their voters’ cards.
The governor’s aide, who urged the people of the state to come out enmasse to exercise their civic responsibility, stressed the need for the electorate to guard their votes jealously and also ensure that their votes count after the voting exercise.
Ilori, who was excited by the large turnout of people at the event, said it was obvious that the people were there to give their undivided support for Aregbesola’s second term in office, explained that it was an indication that the people really appreciated the uncommon developments witnessed in the state courtesy of Aregbesola’s determination to make Osun a great state.
“What can we say, after seeing what he has done by diversification of the economy, we can point to all sectors, which have taken a dramatic and progressive turn.”
“People are gathering here today to appreciate the good governance and unprecedented achievements of Aregbesola and that is what we can see right now.”
“Aregbesola deserves to be re-elected because his performance cannot be over-emphasized and even a lay-man knows he will definitely do more than this when he emerges victorious on August 9th, 2014,” Ilori stressed.
OSUN DEFENDER

The four-month-old strike action embarked upon by members of the Non-Teaching Staff of Tertiary Institutions in Osun State has been suspended.

The suspension was announced by the chairman of the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) of the union, Comrade Olusoji Fasipe, shortly after signing the agreement papers with which the state government met their demands at the Exco Chambers of the Governor’s Office.

While expressing optimism that the state government will fulfill its promise to the union without further delay, Comrade Fasipe directed all members of the union to resume at their respective duty posts today, 14th July, 2014.

Speaking on behalf of the state government while signing the agreement, the head of service, Mr Olayinka Owoeye, expressed appreciation to the union leaders for their understanding and patriotism in resolving the industrial action amicably, assuring them of government’s sincerity in the signing of the agreement.

He urged the JNC of the Non-Teaching Staff Union leaders to appeal to their members to put their grievances behind them and contribute to the meaningful development of the state, adding that the government of Mr Rauf Aregbesola would continue to improve the welfare of its workforce.

Mr Owoeye also appreciated members of the state House of Assembly for the speedy passage of the elongation of retirement year of the striking academic workers of Osun tertiary institutions.

LEADERSHIP

“If anything, his efforts deserve to be applauded, and if Nigeria must develop quickly, men of ability and substance must never shy away from throwing their hats into the political ring just like what Ogbeni Aregbesola has done” – Quoted in Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (In the footsteps of Chief Obafemi Awolowo) Page. 105.

It has been said in several quarters that Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola is the greatest positive thing that has happened to the people of Osun State, since he was sworn in as the Executive Governor on November 27th, 2010.

This fact above manifested clearly again when I visited the State recently. It has been said correctly too that, no one leader or sitting Governor of the State of Osun has won the hearts of the masses overwhelmingly like Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, since Osun State was created out of Oyo State on August 27th, 1991.

Fact is sacred! When Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola invited me to join his campaign team to Ede, perhaps for me to see things for myself, I was excited to make the trip with him. What I saw as we made our way to Ede and when we got to Ede proper exceedingly warmed my hearts. It warmed my hearts because my more than two years research into the activities of Ogbeni Aregbesola which has manifested into a recent book on him, has turned out to be a worthy and well deserved venture.

What I saw in Ede has equally complimented the fact that Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s idealism and fiery temperament has given hope to many who has hastily flocked to his train of political redemption. This man is absolutely sincere with power and what he has done and what he still hopes to do is visible for any one that visits Osun State to X-ray.

Indeed, what I saw on our way to Ede clearly displayed that Ogbeni Aregbesola has attracted the attention of the lowly, the humble and the multitudes that have seen hope in his political proclamations. As we made our way to Ede, school children of all grades ran out of their school compound to shout and cheer Ogbeni; on their faces one could see exceeding joy and satisfaction.

After all, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is feeding them with hygienic food and clothing them as they go to school every day, using his popular programme of O’MEAL (reserved for pupil of between primary one-four). Women and men of all shades and the elderly people trooped out to dance and sing the praise of Mr. Governor of Osun State and waved the flags and broom of the All Progressive Congress (APC), as the Governor’s convoy drove slowly towards Ede.

As we moved closer to Ede, the entire town suddenly rose up to welcome Ogbeni Aregbesola’s campaign train. I will never forget the experience. People were recklessly cheering, dancing and singing on the streets. What awaited us at the palace of Timi of Ede, Oba Munirudeen Lawal was quite unique. The mood at the palace was indeed emotionally irresistible as the orgy of celebration was total. The crowd that had gathered within the palace listened attentively and enthusiastically as Ogbeni Aregbesola addressed them on why they should return him to power on August 9th 2014.

The mood at the Seventh Day Adventist High School, Ede, venue of the Ogbeni Aregbesola’s re-election campaign rally was ecstatic, as people of all colours, the aged and the young, poor and the rich danced uncontrollably as Governor Aregbesola rode in .The spontaneous emotional outburst that gripped the venue of the campaign rally reached crescendo as Ogbeni Aregbesola made his way to the podium.

When Governor Rauf Aregbesola said “Our administration has treated the various political districts equally without sentiment…What we have done in less than 40 months, surpassed what they did in seven years both in quantity and quality”, he was saying nothing but the truth.

I indeed saw completed township roads in Ede and the inhabitants were happy with Ogbeni. It is clear without any shadow of doubt that Ogbeni Aregbesola came and prepared to lead the people of Osun to the glorious next level. 10 kilometer of roads are being constructed in every Local Government Areas of the State of Osun. The crowds in Ede were simply very large. The man is popular!

On Monday July 7th, 2014, a day before the mega rally at Ede, Ogbeni Aregbesola commissioned the Ayegbaju Modern International Market in Oshogbo. I have reliably gathered that a replica of this gigantic market will soon appear in all the senatorial districts of the State. There is something about the Ayegbaju Modern International Market, that I have not seen anywhere in this country before.

The Ayegbaju market, apart from the massive size of land it occupies in Station road Oshogbo, has facilities like Hotels, Medical Centre, Banks, a Mosque, Church, Filling Station, Police Station, and Car Park etc. It will be a miracle of the century if Senator Iyiola Omisore, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Osun 2014 Governorship election wins the race on August 9th 2014? The phase two of the market is presently being constructed.

With what I witnessed on Tuesday July 7th, 2014, in Ede, and what I have seen on the ground in terms of honest pragmatic implementation of formulated policies like OPON IMO (Tablet of knowledge) O’MEAL, O’Schools, O’TOURS, O’AMBULANCE, re-classification of schools, Agba Osun (scheme for the elderly), O’YES (Youth Employment Scheme), O’REAP etc, Ogbeni Aregbesola will clinch the baton of re-election onAugust 9th, 2014, in the State of Osun.

Apart from Ede, the tumultuous crowds that normally trooped out to welcome Ogbeni wherever he goes on a campaign tour, is an indication that the man is the tribune of the silent majority in the state of Osun.

Nowinta, Wrote OGBENI RAUF AREGBESOLA
(In The Footsteps Of Obafemi Awolowo)

SAVIDNEWS

Showcasing various projects in Ilesha by the Government of the State of Osun

Holy Trinity Elementary sch, Muroko Ilesa
L.A Elementary School, Imo, Ilesa

St Peter Elementary School,Isona, Ilesa
Methodist Elementary School, Oke Omi, OsuAtakunmosa West

Ilesa Township Roads Rehabilitation

Ilesa Township Roads Rehabilitation

Ilesa Township Roads Rehabilitation

Ilesa Township Roads Rehabilitation

Ilesa Township Roads Rehabilitation

The United State Consul General to Nigeria, Jeffrey Hawkins, on Monday disclosed that he would lead a team of about 30 American observers to Osun State for the August 9 governorship election in the state.
Hawkins spoke at the opening ceremony of a four-day workshop organised by the US Mission in Nigeria for press and public affairs officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), drawn across the country.
He said the U.S will closely monitor the election because it was key to cementing Nigeria’s democracy.
“I will be in Osun on the election day. We will be deploying about 30 observers in similar magnitude with that of Ekiti.

“We have a wide programme working with the INEC through the United States Agency for International Development and through various training sessions to support the work of INEC and we have a close collaboration with the commission’s chairman, Attahiru Jega and others.
“So there is a strong commitment from the U.S to democracy in Nigeria whether it is on a localised level or at the national level,” said Hawkins.
While expressing the U.S satisfaction with the Ekiti governorship poll, Hawkins urged the INEC press and public affairs officers to be open and transparent while they go about their duties during elections.
He said: “Be honest with your immediate colleagues, journalists and the Nigerian public and demonstrate to the Nigerian people that the country is on the right track; that the democracy is moving forward.
“Let the people know that they have an electoral commission that cares about honest results in the elections. It is a big challenge but if you can achieve that you would have done a good thing for the country and you would be great patriots for Nigeria.”
DAILY NEWS AND ANALYTICS

The governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has said that the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Iyiola Omisore’s litany of lies would not be enough to earn him victory in the August 9 governorship poll.

Aregbesola, through a statement by the Director, Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Semiu Okanlawon, said as the state inches towards the August 9 date, Omisore rather than explain to the people of Osun and other stakeholders what he intends to do differently, has dissipated energy trying in vein to discredit the various landmark projects of the Aregbesola administration.

“We acknowledge his capacity for lies, fraudulent claims, innuendoes and fallacies. We however note that these are only the last resort for a candidate who knows the degree of the rejection he has suffered from the good people of Osun.

“Omisore must take the Osun people for being daft to believe they will embrace his lies. In recent times, he has woven a litany of lies around all the projects of the Aregbesola administration such as Opon Imo, roads contracts, school reforms, financial engineering, youths empowerment schemes, environmental development projects and others.

“But what Omisore appears to forget is the fact that the people are at the centre of these programmes and therefore they are the direct beneficiaries. Any attempt to discredit them easily fails,” the statement said.

Reminding Omisore and his listeners how his many lies have been put to shame, the statement demanded from the PDP candidate how he intends to explain his almost one year of dubious claims of heavy indebtedness after the Debt Management Office came from the Presidency and faulted his claims.

“In some other parts of the world, that revelation and confirmation are enough reasons for Omisore to back out of the contest having been found not to be credible in his several claims on the so-called Osun debt.

“But his shamelessness knows no limit. He has moved from one lie to another as if lies are all it takes to win a governorship election,” the statement added

Saying that his penchant for causing disaffection in the state is noted, the statement reminded the people that all the PDP candidate had done since he began his campaigns is to muddle up facts and figures.

“He has sought desperately to set workers against the government. The Osun workers who have witnessed the massive changes in the conditions of service since the Aregbesola administration came would even in the face of the confusion attempted by him, still take the best electoral decision of re-electing Aregbesola for a second term.

Advising him to utilize the little campaign period left to tell the people what ideas he has to improve the lots of the Osun people, the statement added that it is not enough tell lies at rallies and rely on the proposed militarization of the state to capture power.

“This arrogant reliance on the powers of the Federal Government-controlled forces to subjugate a people in order to rob them of their rights to choose their leaders and endless lies would not help Omisore. At best, they will make him enter the hall of infamy in the politics of our land,” the statement concluded

It’s not surprising that opposition political parties are using everything, including religion to blackmail Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s modest educational reform in the State of Osun, few weeks to the election. It is expected and it would have been out of the rules of contest for fellow contenders to applaud their opponents selling points.

In actual fact, the opposition parties, especially the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has not denied that educational development has taken place in Osun. They only come short of frowning militantly against the school feeding system; the reclassification of schools, provision of free school uniforms for students, Muslim students wearing Hijab as part of their uniform, which in their own opinion contradicts the nation’s educational system.

I am also sensing, possibly, that the sin of Aregbesola is that he has come with the determination, never seen in any previous government in the state, to salvage the educational system of the State. Initially, it was dismissed as a joke of the political soapbox. But when they started seeing buildings rising up with modern facilities, they became jittery of what would become of the fate of their own private schools. The governor is now seen as a man possessed with a strange spirit that has to be exorcised.

Instead of applauding the innovative way of implementing the country’s educational system of 6-3-3-4, with a sustainable concept of empowering the children beyond literacy to the level of practice in global education standard and self-empowerment, Governor Aregbesola is being vilified for his practical modern that has revamped the sector and lauded by UNESCO; the world body that sets education standards.

In a rare appraisal of the Governor’s achievement in the area of education, the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) Nigeria Representative, Ms Jean Goueh congratulated Governor Rauf Aregbesola for piloting the state towards education for all. “UNICEF singled out Osun State for recognition as a result of the state’s educational Development and other social protection policies being implemented by the governor. “Several countries of the world and parts of Nigerian states who are still battling with how to go about enrolling kids into schools should learn from the Osun State’s feeding programme that brought about monumental upsurge in the enrolment of school children.

“This idea of governance, driven by human needs should be transported to other countries of the world to make the desirable change and impact the UNICEF craves across the globe, especially now that millions of children of school age are hawking on the streets of Nigeria. “The policies of the this administration has strengthened the weak for meaningful life. “The O’YES programmes should be back and strengthened by legislators so as to integrate the policies and programmes that will outlive the tenure of the governor”, Ms Jean Guoeh said.

The school reclassification process is to automatically lead to changing of the known nomenclatures of Primary school, JSS 1-3, and SSS 1-3 to create Elementary, Middle and High schools without affecting 6-3-3-4 Nigerian educational system. The elementary school will take primary 1-4; the middle school will absorb primary 5-6 and JSS 1-3; while high school will have SSS 1-3. The elementary school absorbs the pupils in the age category of 6-10 years and they are now being fed free by the government.

The structures that are built for this grade are cited within the neighbourhood and they are not only provided with the state of the art facilities but have each the capacity of 900 pupils at ago. Middle school which has the capacity of 900 to 1000 will have the age range of 10-14 years and it is cited within the maximum of 2-3 kilometres radius. This also will be supplied with standard facilities, far and above those in the elementary schools. The high school, however, is for those in the age range of 15-17 years and will have capacity of 3000 because it will be a large complex containing three schools, meaning each school will have capacity for 1000.

This is another conscious way of playing politics with the education and destiny of the children in the state. For the records, there has been wearing of Hijab before, during and after Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola’s administration as the Governor of Osun. Hijab became an issue during Governor Oyinlola ‘s administration when the Christian communities resisted Muslim students wearing Hijab to Christian schools. The Muslim communities instituted court action against the government with the intention of having their kids where hijab as part of their uniform to school. Till date, the case is still at the High Court, waiting for adjudication.

Governor Aregbesola has cautioned repeatedly that religious tolerance is when a thousand flowers of religions can blossom together and this has happened in the state without any earthquake in the past. Ogbeni is of the view that the sky is wide enough for the millions of religious birds to fly together without any clash. This has accounted for the atmosphere of religious peace in the State of Osun.

In essence, there is an urgent need to appraise the past. What was the state of education as directed by the predecessor of Aregbesola? A cursory check shows that most public schools then were P.T.A-run. It was the parents’ body that employed teachers for the schools, most of whom were secondary school graduates. They were paid seven thousand naira as salaries and classically called P.T.A-teachers. Parents provided chairs and tables for their children to use at schools.

Most often, for the lack of security, the pupils carried the chairs on their heads in the morning to their respective schools and to their homes after closing hours in the afternoon. The parents also had certain amounts they contributed to the schools as development fees. The contributions of the then government were one or two blocks of buildings of low standard in each schools and the payment of salaries to a handful of regular staff. Since there was no provision for toilets or latrines, the pupils eased themselves around the school compounds. By the time the government was packing its bag and baggage in 2010, after seven and half years in the saddle, most of the buildings had become dilapidated and the school surroundings were in total shambles.

Today, the story is different. The high schools have staff quarters, school managers, boarding and modern sporting facilities etc. The pupils of this level are those being given free computer tablets known as Opon Imo. Curiously, all these schools have been provided with medical centres, standby power generating sets, instructional materials and customised exercised books.

However, the simple and major aims of the policy are to group together, in classes, the pupils of same age bracket with each class containing as fewer as possible for easy learning. The proliferation of mushroom schools are gradually becoming a thing of the past with standard and well-equipped schools for all ages. As a result, the scarce resources of the government is no longer over-stretched in an attempt at providing necessary teaching tools and aids for different categories of pupils. More importantly, the government has uplifted the standard of public schools to an elegant standard fit for learning and teaching. These and many more are what the reclassification portends for the people of Osun.

But the political hawks in the PDP and Labour Party who want the good governance of the APC supplanted for politics of retrogression and banditry governance are determined to upturn the gain of the last three and a half years of Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s administration. We only hope that the good people of Osun who are direct beneficiaries of the grand performance of Governor Aregbesola will turn down the enemies of the State at the poll, come August 9th.

Erasmus Ikhide wrote in from Lagos, Nigeria.

The statistical analyses of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the August 9, 2014 governorship election in Osun State have revealed that the state has the lowest figure of double registration in the country.

The INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Engineer Chidi Nwafor, who revealed this at a stakeholders meeting held in Osogbo, Osun State Capital, organised in collaboration with International Foundation for Electoral System (IFES) declared that 2,459 multiple registration were recorded in the state representing 2.7 per cent of all the total voters recorded in the state.

Nwafor said further that women have the highest register of vote in the state, adding that the registration of civil servants were also low.

While displaying Permanent Voters Card (PVC) of some voters and even candidates, the Nwafor assured that the August 9 governorship election in the state would be free and credible.

Also speaking, the Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC in the state, Mr. Olusegun Agbaje, promised to give all political parties level playing ground to operate.

While presenting Certified True Copy voters register to the political parties, Agbaje said the commission had resolved to distribute the remaining PVC on July 26 and 27, 2014.

He however urged politicians to shun do or die politics promising “there will not be malpractices on the part of INEC.”