Dr Adetunji Dare is the Chief Medical Director of Hope Medical Centre in Ila Orangun, Osun state, in this interview, gives a thumb up to the Aregbesola administration for transforming the state. Excerpts:
WHAT is your opinion on the school reclassification policy in Osun State?
I sincerely believe that the vilification of the governor as a result of his decision is unfair. When he came on board, what he met on ground was nothing to write home about- there was no sense of direction. As a matter of fact, the reclassification is to rejuvenate the education sector in the state.
We have a system that does not have a sense of direction and does not have a policy template. Now that we have seen a gover
nor that is focused, I think those criticizing him are doing that out of ignorance.
But don’t you think it is contributing to the confusion in the education sector of the state?
As a matter of fact, some of us believe that whether you are a Christian or you are a Muslim, the bottom line is, ‘are you getting the right kind of education?’ Are you being given what you should get from the government? In any case, good education does not have to be provided by any religion.
People are only crying wolf where there is none. I believe that religion should not be brought into government policies. I quite know that the state governor does not have it in mind to rubbish any religion.
Governor Aregbesola has also received hard knocks over his plans to construct an interdenominational worship centre. What is your opinion on this?
The governor told everybody when he was campaigning that he was going to run an unusual government and most of the things we are witnessing in Osun State are very unusual. They are unusual on a positive note. Most of these criticisms are based on lack of what is going on.
What the government ought to have done to minimize this vilification is to sensitize the people on the advantages that are accruable to this wonderful and commendable innovation.
One thing that we lack in the state is money, but not until the advent of this government, previous governments did not take it upon themselves to generate funds for the state. If you have that interdenominational centre, it will definitely enhance the economy of that area.
Are you saying that it is an avenue to generate funds for the state?
No, but to create employment for people.
By building an interdenominational centre?
Yes. If you go for a crusade, you will not sleep on the ground because there will be satellite villages around there. That is a way of generating employment for people.
Why should the people of Osun state vote for Aregbesola for a second term because the argument by the opposition is that he has performed below expectation?
I can say it without mincing words that since the inception of Osun State, the only regime that can be compared with this one is that of Chief Bisi Akamde in terms of provision of dividends of democracy.
He has performed above board in every facet of the state. The achievements are so overwhelming. Some of us even wonder what the opposition will use to campaign because there is no facet that has not been touched by him.
Do you see INEC conducting a free and fair election in the state?
I think INEC has no choice. Even if INEC does not want to conduct free and fair elections, we are not going to support it.
Is your party not worried over the possible use of federal might during the polls?
I doubt if there is a federal might because the umbrella is already torn. We are not afraid of any federal might because Nigerians are wiser now. I only pray that Jega will not allow  himself to be used in this visionless agenda.
In Osun State, I want to assure you that nothing will scare us. We are going to vote and wait until the votes are counted.
VANGUARD

Photos from the Peace Meeting between Muslim and Christian parents over dress code crisis  in Baptist High School, Iwo, State of Osun

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (4th right); his Deputy, Mrs
Titi Laoye-Tomori (4th left); Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Iwo Chapter, Catechist Paul Olagoke (3rd left); Chief
Imam Iwo, Shiekh Mudashir Akinlade (2nd right); Chairman, Christian
Council of Nigeria (CCN), Iwo Chapter, Reverend Bayo Ademuyiwa (2nd
left); Chairman Isokan Musulumi, Iwo, Sheikh Abdulrasheed Fasasi (3rd
right); Secretary CAN, Iwo Chapter, Evangelist Caleb Ayoola (left) and Otun Imam of Iwo, Alhaji Fatai Olododo (right), after a Peace Meeting between Muslim and
Christian parents over dress code crisis in Baptist High School, Iwo, State of Osun

From right, Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; Chairman,
Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Iwo Chapter, Catechist Paul
Olagoke; Chairman, Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN), Iwo Chapter,
Reverend Bayo Ademuyiwa; Secretary CAN, Iwo Chapter, Evangelist Caleb
Ayoola; Christian Education Minister, Osun Baptist Conference,
Reverend Bisi Oludamilare and Chairman, Christian Community, Iwo, Dr
Deji Ajani, after a Peace Meeting between Muslim and Christian parents over dress code crisis in Baptist High School, Iwo, State of Osun

From left, Deputy Governor, State of Osun, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori;
Governor Rauf Aregbesola; Chairman Isokan Musulumi, Iwo, Sheikh
Abdulrasheed Fasasi; Chief Imam Iwo, Shiekh Mudashir Akinlade and Otun
Imam of Iwo, Alhaji Fatai Olododo, after a Peace Meeting between
Muslim and Christian parents over dress code crisis in Baptist High
School, Iwo, State of Osun

The Chairman of the Osun Schools Reclassification Committee, Dr Ayodele Owoade, has said that the reclassification and merger of schools in Osun State indeed came with challenges, but the government has dealt with them.

Citizens of the State of Osun have been urged to support the administration of Governor Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola on his reform programmes in the State.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Youth, Sports and Special Needs, Comrade Biyi Odunlade made the appeal on Friday while presenting a cheque for the annual grant to the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Special Needs, Secretariat, Abere.
According to him, Governor Aregbesola’s passion to make life meaningful to all citizens of the State informs the giving of grant to persons with disabilities and to show goverment’s concern for them. He therefore urged the citizens to pray for the Governor and support him in his endeavours to make the State an enviable one.
While speaking, the President of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, State of Osun, Mr Onitiju Kehinde thanked Governor Aregbesola on his kind gesture. He said that apart from the grant, Governor Aregbesola has also made sure that persons with disabilities are given jobs,organised vocational trainings as well as give them political appointments as ways of showing goverment’s commitment to their welfare. Mr Onitiju therefore urged all members of JONAPWD to support the goverment. He also pledged their loyalty to the adminisration of Governor Aregbesola.

“The Special Adviser to the Governor on Youth, Sports and Special Needs, Comrade Biyi Odunlade made the appeal on Friday while presenting a cheque for the annual grant to the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Special Needs, Secretariat, Abere.”

“According to him, Governor Aregbesola’s passion to make life meaningful to all citizens of the State informs the giving of grant to persons with disabilities and to show government’s concern for them. He therefore urged the citizens to pray for the Governor and support him in his endeavours to make the State an enviable one.”

While speaking, the President of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, State of Osun, Mr Onitiju Kehinde thanked Governor Aregbesola for his kind gesture. He said that apart from the grant, Governor Aregbesola has also made sure that persons with disabilities are given jobs,organised vocational trainings as well as give them political appointments as ways of showing goverment’s commitment to their welfare. Mr Onitiju therefore urged all members of JONAPWD to support the goverment. He also pledged their loyalty to the administration of Governor Aregbesola.
OSUNNEWS

The newly posted Commissioner of Police paid a visit to the Governor in his office, Abere, Osogbo, State of Osun on Tuesday 11/02/2014 and we have the photos. Find below…

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola with newly posted
Commissioner of Police to the State, Mr. Ibrahim Maishanu, during a
visit to the Governor in his office, Abere, Osogbo, State of Osun on Tuesday 11/02/2014.

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and newly posted Commissioner of Police to the State, Mr. Ibrahim Maishanu, during a
visit to the Governor in his office, Abere, Osogbo, State of Osun on Tuesday 11/02/2014..

Protocols,
Building knowledge-based society
It gives me great pleasure to be in your midst this morning. I am happy and overwhelmed by the outpouring of emotions and the tumultuous reception I received from the pupils, teachers andentire Iwo community since I stepped into this town. Our elders have a saying that people are the real dress that we wear andfor this, I will cherish forever the honour you have done to me today.
I have decided to visit you today after I heard about a little misunderstanding and consequent bad behaviour by a very tiny number among you, which does not by any stretch of the imagination approximate the spirit of amity and scholarship in this school and even the community. The united manner inwhich you have all received me has put a lie to the antics of mischief makers who made futile bid to impress upon the whole world that this school and indeed Iwo town are on the verge of civil war.
On the contrary, what I have seen are happy students in gay mood willing to project the Omoluabi ethos and looking to the future with great hope.
This indeed is our desire for you. Our philosophy of education is the creation of the total man, a man physically, intellectually, morally and spiritually equipped to contribute to societal development. This is a man who views his acquisition and life attainment as instruments in the service of society and improvement of fellow citizens. This new person stands confident and radiates love to fellow human beings and is never threatened by other people who are different from him or her in some respects.
Education is the means by which this new man is produced. Our interest in education even goes further. The world is now a rapidly changing place. Knowledge has become the basis of power and no longer the old notions of large territory, large army, large human population and large deposits of material resources.
The most powerful nations are those that know how to use resources and trade in knowledge. Our world is now controlled by those who know technology, and not those who have it. It means in essence that a nation that knows how to manufacture cars, tractors and nuclear weapons is superior to those who merely have the money to buy them. The former is the master while the later is a mere servant.
As we are, we are already marginalised in that world and our pie will further shrink in the future if we do not prepare our youth to compete favourably in that imminent future. We are therefore preparing those who will be political leaders, scientists, clergies, diplomats, inventors, captains of industries and leaders in all respects in the next 20 years, at least. Inorder to underscore how rapidly our world has changed, there was no GSM in Nigeria 20 years ago, but now there are 117 million active mobile phones in the country. What preparation was made 20 years ago for this change? Our level ofpreparation (or rather unpreparedness) is reflected in the importation of at least 200 million mobile phones from Europe and Asia until we opened, last month, a phone manufacturing plant in Ilesa.
We are therefore interested in developing robustly the next generation that will take over from us and we are giving it everything that it will take to develop our successors in the brave new world of the future.
At the moral level, we are developing the youth as an Omoluabi, that quintessential Yoruba man that is the epitome ofknowledge, wisdom, honour, integrity, discipline and chivalry. Aperson who believes in success through hard work; who conceives of societal problem and sees himself or herself as part of the solution and is working to the bone to provide solutions to every problem in his immediate environment; aman without prejudice who realised that God created us equal but differently in many respects and therefore have deep respect to others and their differences.
Let me briefly intimate you with our commitment to education since our inauguration three years ago. The first thing we did was to convoke an education summit which was attended by eminent stakeholders in education, including Prof Wole Soyinka. The reforms we have carried out emanate from the summit. We realised that there was shortage of teachers and as of now, we have employed 10,407 teachers in all categories of schools. We now have a total number of 12,715 teachers in primary schools and 7,848 teachers in secondary schools. This is 54.8 per cent more than we inherited. We have also employed 564 non-teaching staff in schools.
The salaries and pensions we consequently pay every year is N16.8 billion for primary school teachers while N10.3 billion is expended on same in secondary schools. So, on salary alone, we are spending a total of N27.1 billion. For the free school uniforms we gave to pupils, we have spent N900 million. Forthe free school feeding programme, we commit N3.6 billion every year. For the furniture supplied to the schools, we have committed N2.5 billion. Before we came, no school had instructional materials and again, on this, we have spent N503 million. The total grants to schools stand at N856 million against N122 million recorded for previous administration. We have also paid N400 million for WAEC fees against N38 million paid by previous administration.
We have spent so far N1.2 billion on Opon Imo, and this includes the delivery of 50,000 units of the tablets, some of which will be distributed in this school today. We have spent N14.4 billion on capital projects so far for the construction of brand new 13 elementary schools, 14 middle schools and 12 high schools. Work is ongoing. We have also spent N1.6 billion on school renovations and will continue until all our schools are all centres of excellence.
The total recurrent annual expenditure on elementary schools is N21 billion, amounting to N84,000 per capita spending on each pupil while for secondary schools, it is N13.43 billion andper capita of N30,000 on each pupil. Our capital expenditure on all schools stands at N31.31 billion.
We are not just bandying figures. These are good money spent and reflected on increased school enrolment and healthy and well-fed school children; in the cutting edge instrument of Opon Imo; in conducive environment for learning; and in drastically improved performance in internal and national examinations. They are reflected in brand new uniforms; in fulfilled teacherswho now have instructional aid for the first time; in promptly paid salaries; and ultimately in self assured youths bracing up with confidence to the future.
Beyond our financial commitment, we have invested hope in you; the hope that you will realise your greatest potentials and be a winner in your life endeavour; the hope that you willredeem our future that looked bleak hitherto. You cannot let us down. It is our hope that Nobel Laureates; renowned clergies like Pastors Adeboye and Kumuyi; Imams like Sheik Adelabu; army generals like Petinrin; great entertainers like Moses Adejumo (Baba Sala), Kareem Adepoju (Baba Wande) andKing Sunny Ade; inventors like Prof Makanjuola; eminent jurists like Kayode Esho and Emmanuel Ayoola; astute diplomats like Hastrup and Fafowora; and great politicians like Bola Ige.
I want you to know that our concern for you is getting the best education available. You should therefore avoid distractions and indiscipline. We view you all as created equal by God andare therefore our shining stars. We cannot place any group above other.
We are a product of the rule of law and this has guided all our actions. As we have said in the past, we have not approved or dis-approve the use of hijab in any school. Let me repeat this again for the hearing of mischief-makers who have been working tirelessly to bring religious war to our state; those prompting chaos and conflagration in our state; those who have well established antecedent of violent behaviour; those sowing the seed of discord in our schools and community and inciting one religion against another (and they will all fail miserably by the grace of the Almighty), that the government did not at any time approve or dis-approve the use of hijab in any school, before the matter went to court. It is the court’s position that the status quo ante be maintained until the case is determined. This means that where it is in use, it will be maintained and it should not be extended to where it is not. This is the beauty of democracy, where there is respect for the rule of law.
We have set up a committee on in-discipline in public school and when we receive their report, a summit on discipline will be convened and the resolution therefrom will be the charter on discipline in Osun, which shall be enforced in all schools. The future we are preparing you for has no place for unruly behavior and undisciplined persons. Order, they say, is the first law in Heaven.
Yoruba people have a tradition of accommodation and inclusion; that is why our families are interwoven around all religions. Some people, goaded from hell, however, are working to break our bond of unity by beating the drum of religious war. They will fail and only they and their families will dance to that evil beat.
As I return to my base, I commit you to the Almighty, to keep, guide and protect. May you become great, reputable,accomplished, dominate and fill your world. May our investment and your parents’ expectation over you bring forth fruits, in hundreds and thousands and may you become the best that God Almighty wants you to become.
Let me once again thank the pupils, teachers, parents and the good people of Iwo for their love, accommodation and warm welcome for me.
I thank you for your kind attention.
Osun a dara!

Ministry of Home Affairs ,Tourism and Culture is organising a traditional food carnival where foods, snacks and drinks will be showcased
This is contained in a Press release signed by Commissioner for Home Affairs, Tourism and Culture, Alhaji Sikiru Adetona Ayedun.
The release stressed that this is part of Ogbeni Aregbesola’s administration to bring into the limelight the rich cultural food of Yorubas.
The release then calls on the general public especially food vendors in the state to be part of the programme. OSUNNEWS
 

The Osun State Government has disbursed the sum N753 million as loans for agricultural activities to farmers in the state in the last one year, an official said in Osogbo.
Mr. Ismail Alagbada, the state’s Commissioner for Commerce, Industries, Co-operatives and Empowerment, made the disclosure while defending his ministry’s 2014 budget.
Alagbada had appeared before the state House of Assembly’s Committee on Finance and Appropriation.
Alagbada said the Bank of Industry (BOI) was also collaborating with the state government in giving loans to the farmers. He said 77 farmers’ co-operative societies had benefited from the loans under the Quick Impact Intervention Programme of the state government.
“The loans were disbursed to farmers in the bid to boost food production in the state,’’ the commissioner said. He said also that the ministry had so far been able to recover N88 million out of the amount disbursed.
The commissioner however said the ministry was working assiduously to recover the outstanding N665 million before granting further loans to farmers from the 2014 budget.
In his remarks, Mr. Najeem Salaam, the Speaker of the assembly, urged the ministry to look inwards so as to improve its internally-generated revenue.
NIGERIANOBSERVER