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Category: Politics

Adeboye, Ashimolowo Visit Aregbesola

Pastor Adeboye chats with Ogbeni
Two prominent clergymen have visited Osun State Rauf Aregbesola, applauding his administration and pledging their support. One was Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), the other Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo, founder of the Kings International Christian Centre (KICC).
The governor impressed Adeboye with his amazing knowledge of the Bible when the clergyman recently paid him a visit in his office in Osogbo, the state capital. With ease uncommon among non-Christians, Aregbesola recounted many historical narratives and teachings of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Bible.
The revered man of God was in Osun State to minister to the people at the Osogbo Township Stadium at the 2011 Go-A-Fishing programme of the RCCG. But in spite of their tight schedule, Adeboye and his entourage went to see the governor. Word had reached them that Aregbesola was delivering on his mandate.
Appreciating the man of God, Governor Aregbesola likened the visit to the biblical story of Zachaeus, the tax collector, who in his desperation to see Jesus, climbed a tree only to be noticed by Jesus after which He requested him to take Him to his house. “Salvation comes to your house today!” the governor quoted Jesus telling Zachaeus.
To the governor, Adeboye’s voluntary visit to Osun State was like that of Jesus to Zachaeus.
Also, the governor recalled the story of Jesus and the disillusioned fishermen who had spent the whole day at the Sea of Galilee to catch some fishes without any luck. With Jesus’ blessings, the fishermen had more than enough catch that same day. In Aregbesola’s words: “Even though we know we have been catching fish, we know our harvest will multiply in geometric proportion. We know by the grace of this visit, whatever level of support we have will increase in a fold that the entire world will be forced to look at us as wonders.”
Still appreciating the visit and its significance, Aregbesola said: “We see this as a clear testimony of what the Almighty plans for our race; what God will do in our lives. This visit, to us, is not an ordinary one. It is a sign of the readiness of God to use us an instrument to demonstrate how to govern people for results in their lives in terms of physical prosperity; to reflect in their lives in terms of spiritual depth; to reflect in their lives, government-people relationship.”
Responding, the RCCG’s General Overseer said “nothing happens except God allows it.”
He said further: “You are not here by accident. You are here because God had decided it. I want to assure you that we are constantly praying for you. Osun state is my roots. It does not matter what a man becomes. If he forgets his source; the river that forgets its source will dry up.”
While the people of the state were just moving out of the festivities for Christmas and end of the year, another man of God opened the New Year with new hope for the people with his visit to the governor. When Adeboye came in the last week of the 2011, Founder of the Kings International Christian Centre (KICC), Pastor Mathew Ashimolowo, came in the first week of the New Year. With the profile of his church as perhaps, the biggest and most populated in the United Kingdom, Ashimolowo came with enormous goodwill and respect.
During Ashimolowo’s visit, he identified with the giant strides of the Aregbesola administration in the areas of education, the environment, urban renewal, youth employment, health care delivery, infrastructure upgrade and provisions and transportation.
“I am proud of you in engaging and giving employment to 20,000 young people,” he told the governor. “I believe that any man who is indolent cannot make a difference. We salute you for that vision of creating employment for 20,000 youths. I feel proud to tell everyone anywhere in the world that I am from Osun State. We feel that Osun State has a great future. This was what prompted me to challenge our church in London that God has placed in my heart to build an institution in Osun State.”
Recognising the two great men of God as ambassadors of the state, Governor Arergbesola would not let them to go without being decorated with the insignia of the new identity of the state and its people. He presented them with the flag, the brooches that carry the new crest, CDs with the now popular anthem of Osun. The governor said these would serve as memorabilia of their visits.
The two pastors showered the state with prayers and blessings.
THE NATION

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Osun 2014: Campaigns Begin In May


 
 
 
The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, has fixed May 11 for the commencement of campaigns for Osun State governorship election scheduled to hold on August 9.
This was contained in the time-table for polls released last week by the Secretary to the Commission, Mrs. Augusta Ogakwu.
The time-table  shows that collection of forms for the election would take place at INEC headquarters on May 19 while June 2 has been fixed for the conduct of party primaries.
VANGUARD

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Aregbesola And The Political Economy Of Religion – PUNCH

Viewpoint Tuesday, January 28, 2014I use the concept of political economy specifically with reference to Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola’s political, economic, and educational policies, their interrelations, and their influence on social institutions in the state. One such social institution, which his policies have impacted significantly, is the complex of worship centres we have come to label as religious institution.

Osun State happens to have an interesting religious identity. Much more than many other states in the federation, it provides an interesting confluence of Muslim, Christian, and Traditional religion, each with a deep history and core followers. Just as there are age-old mosques and churches in the state, so are there traditional religious centres, especially at Ile-Ife and Osogbo.
The Osun Sacred Grove in Osogbo is a site of traditional worship, hosting up to 40 shrines. The site is now a vestige of the traditional sacred groves which once dotted Yoruba forests around settlement centres. Today, the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove has become a major tourist centre, attracting tourists from all over the world. What is more, it has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in recognition of the significance of its cultural content. A former Governor of Osun State, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, himself a Yoruba Prince, capitalised on the cultural contribution of Osun State to the Yoruba nation by hosting annual Yoruba conferences. Aregbesola even went further last year by hosting a global pan-Yoruba conference aimed at forging Yoruba integration across the globe.
But, perhaps the most unique modern religious feature of Osun State today is the impressive list of leading evangelists of the Christian faith, who hail or hailed from the state. They include Pastor Enoch Adeboye (the Redeemed Christian Church of God); Pastor William Kumuyi (Deeper Life); Pastor D.K. Olukoya (Mountain of Fire and Miracles); Prophet Ayo Babalola (Founder, Christ Apostolic Church; Prophet Kayode Abiara (CAC); Prophet Timothy Obadare (CAC); Prophet Gabriel Fakeye, Cherubim and Seraphim Church Movement; Prophet Abiodun Bada (Celestial Church of Christ); and Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo (Kingsway Bible Church). What is remarkable about these church leaders is that most of them were born or raised within 50 kilometres of Ilesa in Osun State.
Fully aware of this fact, Aregbesola began to approach these church leaders to bring their evangelism back home. For example, in December 2010, at the launching of a N50m endowment fund for Ilesha Grammar School, my alma mater, Aregbesola openly appealed for Adeboye’s patronage of a 200,000 worshipers’ Christian Convention Centre to be built in Osun State.The bottom line here is that the gestation period of the project predates recent religious controversies in the state.
For nearly three years, Aregbesola has also been looking for appropriate land space large enough to house such a centre. He eventually found a large expanse of land in Odo Iju and Ibodi in the Atakumosa West Local Government Area of the state, willingly donated by the community leaders in honour of the church leaders who hailed from the environs of the land and in anticipation of the project’s economic benefits. Aregbesola, however, still went ahead to compensate the land owners to avert future ownership claims.
It is quite clear that Aregbesola was driven largely by the economic advantage of bringing thousands of worshippers to his state for mass Christian worship as happens in Ogun State every week. There’s no denying the fact that religion in Nigeria is also an economic activity. This is particularly true of evangelical churches, whose activities contribute significantly to the economic development of adjoining communities, even as their pastors live large.
Similarly, the intersection between politics and religion cannot be overlooked in this country. Religion is one of the key identities used in selecting candidates for office, especially at the Federal level. Besides, the Federal Government has built churches and mosques, and, like state governments, it continues to fund pilgrimages to Mecca and Jerusalem. The separation of state and religion may be the law of the land but it has never been so in practice.
These developments notwithstanding, Aregbesola should have avoided yet another controversy by going about the church project differently. Having provided an enabling environment for the project, namely, an appropriate land space and the cooperation of leading church leaders, he should have sought interested developers or private partners for the project, in order to minimise the capital outlay from state coffers.
The problem with Aregbesola, though, is that he does not do things in half measures. As a result, he sometimes allows his ideas to run ahead of himself. Or, how does one explain his involvement in yet another perceived controversial venture six months or so to an election? The paradox of such an involvement, though, is that it may well be an indication of genuineness of purpose: It is a good economic venture; let me pursue it, no matter whose ox is gored.
There are two serious problems with such a position. First, it accentuates the readiness with which critics read religion into otherwise well-intentioned political, economic, and educational policies. Second, it is not always politically expedient to be involved in controversial ventures, even if they are ultimately for the public good. Politics is not only about doing the right thing. It is also about doing what is perceived to be right.
These observations are further complicated by Aregbesola’s Muslim identity, which has often been read into his policies, including school reclassification and mergers. So much mileage was covered on the school merger controversy that the intended advantages of the new educational policy were submerged. This puts a major burden on reporters to always look beyond the controversies surrounding well-intended projects and not allow their reports to merge with those of the opposition.
PUNCH

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altOSUN State governor Rauf Aregbesola has revealed that his state has only managed to survive by delaying the appointment of commissioners in a bid to conserve scarce cash in the face of dwindling Federal assistance.
Speaking over the weekend in southeast London at a function of the non-governmental organisation De Raufs, the volunteer group which promotes the governor’s pet projects, Governor Aregbesola said Osun is one of those states struggling to make ends meet. In a presentation titled Voluntary Organisation and User-led Participation, Governor Aregbesola described Osun State as indigent with resources that are grossly inadequate to provide amenities and services to the people.
According to the governor, Osun State’s monthly revenue from the federation account dwindled from N4.6bn (£17.2m) in 2010 to a little over N3bn (£11.2m) last year. He added that during this period, salaries and pensions bill grew to N3.6bn (£13.44m) from N2.6bn (£9.7m), putting a severe strain on public finances.
Governor Aregbesola, who said the state was surviving in spite of the acute shortage of resources, stated that he had to delay the appointment of commissioners for 10 months in order to save money to plug the shortfall. He explained that the savings made from the delay had become crucial in keeping the state government going.
In his speech, among other things, the governor emphasised the importance of providing employment to the youth to make them functional members of the society. He attributed the Boko Haram menace and the insurgency in the Niger Delta, as well as the spate of kidnappings across the country to youth unemployment.
Enumerating the various youth training and empowerment programmes introduced by his administration, Governor Aregbesola said his government has rehabilitated hospitals and provided medication among other things. His government has also introduced an ambitious Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme (O’Meals) scheme, for which the governor received praise in the British House of Commons last week.
NIGERIANWATCH

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Osun Speaker Tasks Youths On Entrepreneurial Skills

The Speaker, Osun State House of Assembly, Mr Najeem Salaam, advised youths not to wait for scarce white collar jobs but to embrace entrepreneurial skills.
Salaam gave the advice while distributing welfare packages to Batch “A” National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members in Ejigbo Local Government Area of Osun.
The speaker said the youths should look inward to discover what they could do to empower themselves rather than wait for scarce white collar jobs.
Salaam urged the corps members to start engaging themselves with vocational skills. The speaker, who noted that the aim of establishing NYSC was to promote unity in the country, urged the corps members to learn and embrace the culture of their host communities.
Earlier, Mrs Mojisola Eboagwu, the State Coordinator, NYSC, commended the speaker for donating welfare packages to the corps members. Eboagwu said the gesture had shown that the corps members were welcome in the state. She called on other members of the assembly to emulate the speaker’s gesture.
Prof. Oyesoji Aremu, a lecturer at the University of Ibadan, who delivered a paper titled “The Youth and the Challenge of 21st Century,” urged the corps members to embrace the value of self sacrifice.
Aremu also advised the corps members against being influenced by the “quick money” syndrome.
Reports say that mattresses, buckets and other welfare packages were distributed to the corps members at the occasion.
NIGERIAN OBSERVER

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SPEEDBOAT

SPEEDBOATThe Osun Government has purchased a new speed boat for the people of Ilie, a riverside community in the state.
The Executive Secretary, Transportation Office, Mr Oluwagbemiga Anifowose, disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen on Monday in Osogbo.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Ilie is a community in Olorunda Local Government Area of the state.
NAN also reports that the 14-seater speed boat was procured to ease the transportation challenges facing the community.
According to Anifowose, the governor approved the purchase of the boat for public transportation pending the construction of a bridge to link Ilie with other communities.
He said that it was necessary to consider the development of maritime transport alongside air, road and rail transportation.
Anifowose further said that maritime transportation would enhance economic development, reduce unemployment and alleviate poverty in the country.
PUNCH

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Nigeria: My Unusual Government, My Critics And My Judgment Day, By Aregbesola


Osun State Governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola agrees with his critics that he is running an unusual government. In name, structure and philosophy, Osun State is unusual, drawing flaks and favour from foes and friends respectively. In this interview, Aregbesola responds to some of the issues that have trailed his three year administration of Osun State. Excerpts:
How have you been faring with the challenges of governance in the last three years?
We are being driven by the passion to turn around the economy of Osun State. We believe strongly in the divine intervention for guidance and success. This foundation made it possible for us to be guided in the appointment of the right people in the right places.
We cannot ascribe the success to ourselves but to the Almighty who will continue to support and make it possible for us to achieve our plans to execute mega projects that will attract investments to the state. And that passion definitely inspired more than ordinary effort to get our resources to drive our vision. However, God has established His laws; it is left to human beings to take maximum advantage of the laws of God for their benefits.
So, with the abundance of God’s provisions, human beings only need to put their minds in what they want and help from sources that are never envisaged will just come.
Management of resources
Yes, what we are doing in all spheres of life are definitely beyond the capacity of a state. So, effective, efficient and prudent management of our resources have helped to push the frontier of development. Our success in that regard is beyond the capacity to prudently, effectively and efficiently manage the economy.
That is where the divine angle comes in. You just realize that even with the best management skill, which we have on ground is just beyond the human comprehension. It is the gargantuan scope of our development strides that has inebriated the opposition to the point of hallucination. Now, they don’t even know what to say or what to do, others promote lies about debt burden.
They cannot talk about lack of performance because that is beyond them to do, even with their somewhat skilled sense of evaluation to whittle down our achievements and appreciation by the people. They still go about this totally uncoordinated hype on phantom debt burden which is unsustainable if you are going to be honest with it.
So, I used to tell people, in addition to what I just told you that I served under one of the best public finance experts in the person of the former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The tutelage paid off so handsomely and the result is what you are witnessing in Osun today.
You are one of the most criticized Governors in the country, what are you doing to limit the criticisms against your government?
When a man is criticized the way we are criticized, it is due to success. Success brings criticism definitely. In fact, what I will say is that success largely brings controversy. Probably that is what is making people to criticize our government. Success brings controversy, success brings hostility and success brings envy.
We are indeed successful in our programmes and projects. You see, we were not unconscious of the reactions some of our programmes, projects and activities would attract.
Don’t forget, we heartily called our administration even during the campaigns ‘an unusual government’. We branded our government ‘an unusual government’ even during the campaigns. So, it would be difficult to be abnormal not to have the spate of antagonism that we have experienced over this period of time. It would be totally abnormal not to have such reactions.
Election for your second term in office is just few months away, how prepared are you for the election?
We have been working from the very first day with the firm belief that there will be a day of reckoning which elections usually mean to politicians. Elections are the days of reckoning.They are the judgment days for politicians. So, from the day we were sworn-in until now, we have been working assiduously for that auspicious day that our electorates will have the opportunity to renew our mandate for another period of time. For a thing that we have been working at for the past 37 months, I will want to say we are doing well at it.
The PDP has been engulfed in leadership crisis for some time now, what are the effects of the PDP crisis on the APC?
There was no crisis in PDP when we assumed office. To us, whether the party is one, fragmented or weakened by internal crisis, it is their own headache. We are engaged by the people and that is important to us.
Our engagement with the people has been so firm, so serious, so symbiotic and so wholesome. Whatever is the situation of PDP in Osun, it is of no importance to us. If they are together, they do not matter because the people are the sovereign. The people are the sole decider of victory or defeat in an election. Parties will only mobilize support from the people.
Parties cannot force the people. Parties can stimulate the interest of the people in their activities. Parties cannot compel the people to adopt or accept their programmes.
So, since we realized this from the very beginning, our works, our programmes, our activities are directed at meeting the needs of the people, satisfying the people, mobilizing the people to accept our programmes and policies, believe in us as their friends and people who are committed to their progress, welfare, peace and prosperity.
Our people-oriented programmes are also designed to adopt us as their own representatives. So once those critical or those fundamentals of engagement with the people are met, the rest is little.
With what we have done with the people, with the response we have from the people, it does not matter the crisis or no crisis in PDP. The crisis in PDP doesn’t matter anymore. Whether they are together or divided, weakened or strong, as long as we are one with the people and represent the aspirations of the people to give our people the hope of realizing their desires and wants, let other parties do whatever they wish to do. God be with us, success is our own.
How will you rate the economy in Osun State today?
For a state within such bad-managed nation to seek to isolate a constituent of such a nation, in economic analysis will be very difficult.
This is particularly a hard task when you bear in mind that this is a state that has been administered along the line of the Laize Faire economic management for over 19 years before our advent. Indeed, this will be very tough and I want you to see it from that angle.
Attracting investments
Bearing that in mind, we are turning the economy of Osun around. Even with the obvious challenge we have as a nation, we have grown the income of the state. For instance, Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state has jumped from N300 million to over N1.6 billion per month. We are attracting investments to specific sectors of the state and hope to achieve over N3 billion IGR.
We are supporting farmers at all levels, from peasant to new generation farmers and high commercial farmers. We are empowering our people to produce food and help them with the market for their products. We are supporting market men and women in their businesses. Part of the industrial development that took place since we assumed office is the Omoluabi Garment Factory where uniforms are being made for our students on a commercial and large scale basis.
This was initiated not only to reduce the cost but increase the quality of wears. Today, the factory is not only producing uniforms but it is producing other garments and uniforms for school children nationwide. It is producing other garments from other wears to T-shirts and sports wears.

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Chinese Consortium Partners Osun Govt On Hospital Rehabilitation

A Chinese consortium is partnering with the Osun State government in its on-going rehabilitation of public hospitals involving a total of nine general hospitals across the state.
The state Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Planning, Dr. Wale Bolorunduro disclosed this to newsmen in Ibadan while featuring on the guest forum of Oyo NUJ Correspondents Chapel saying the rehabilitation work is being carried out simultaneously in all the benefitting hospitals.
Under the scheme in which the state government had already committed the sum of N1.7billion, the Chinese investors are rehabilitating and equipping the public hospitals, which were hitherto dilapidated, with all necessary facilities, Dr. Bolorunduro explained.
Speaking on the topic “Improving Public Finance for Better Governance:  The Example of   “The State of Osun”, the commissioner further disclosed that since the administration of Governor Rauf Aregbesola believed in the principle of ‘health is wealth’, it had also put in motion all necessary machinery to eradicate malaria  in the state.
To this end, he said, the governor had given the go ahead for the project of phasing out malaria in the state with a view to growing the economy in the areas of education, agriculture and so on, “while the stage is set to fumigate the entire state from the air in due course to achieve a malaria-free society”.
Dr. Bolorunduro further told newsmen that the administration of Governor Aregbesola in the State of Osun had succeeded in creating 45,000 employment through its Youth Empowerment Programme and 5,000 teachers for primary and secondary schools in the state.
DAILY TRUST

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Sukuk bond – 3

Sukuk bond - 3For its successful pioneering role, international recognition has come the way of the highly successful Osun Sukuk as the globally recognised Islamic Finance News (IFN) nominated Lotus Capital, the lead arranger of the bond for the Africa Deal of the Year Award.
In furtherance of this nomination, Lotus Capital, a Nigerian pioneer finance organisation with a specialization in handling equitable interest-free financial services known as “Islamic Finance” has been invited by the authorities of Islamic Financial News (IFN) to receive the IFN Awards, 2013 at the Ritz Carlton (DFIC), Dubai, United Arab Emirates on February 24, 2014.
Founded in June, 2004 and registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as Fund Managers, Corporate Investment Advisers and Issuing House, Lotus Capital is headed by the former Managing Director of Guarantee Trust Bank (GTB), Mr. Fola Adeola.
The company which successfully midwifed the Osun Sukuk Bond, is also one of the world’s fastest growing financial concerns with over US$200 billion in assets worldwide and is reputed to be growing an annual rate of 20 per cent.
The authorities of Lotus Capital including Mrs. Lateefat Okunnu, Mr. Muhammad Nuruddeen Lemu and Mrs. Amina Oyagbola are expected to lead the team to receive the Africa Deal of the Year Award at the IFN Awards, 2013 in Dubai.
 

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Sixty-Five Mentally Challenged Persons So Far Rehabilitated, Empowered By Osun Government -Bureau

The Bureau of Communications and Strategy in the Office of the Governor in Osun on Sunday disclosed that a total of sixty-five mentally challenged people have been rehabilitated and empowered under the state’s human rehabilitation programme, called O-REHAB.
The Bureau explained that those rehabilitated and financially empowered have been re- integrated in to the society their families and are already contributing their quota to the growth of the state.
The Bureau of Communications and Strategy, through a statement signed by its Director, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon pointed out that the feedback from patients after their recovery and return to their families have been encouraging and pleasant.
“It should be noted that one of the major concerns of the present administration in human capacity development. It looks intangible because we are in an environment where what constitutes developments in the estimation of many is the gigantic physical structures. But a responsible government cannot afford to see its citizens becoming destitute mostly out of lack of care.
“Out of each of the mentally challenged people on the streets are potential contributors to the growth of an economy. It takes only a responsive and responsible government to recognize that fact. That is why the present administration is pushing forward to ensure that are streets are rid of destitute,” the Bureau stated.
The Bureau also added that key of all the needs of the patients is medication which government believed without which the whole exercise will be a waste.
According to him, “the Osun rehabilitation Centre (O Rehab) kicked off in the month of August, 2012 under the supervision of the Department of Special Needs, sequel to the establishment of Ministry of Youths, Sports and Special Needs by the administration of Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola in 2011.
“The Department of Special Needs was saddled with the responsibility of providing adequate treatment and rehabilitation for the mentally –challenged persons/destitute in the street of Osun.
“The present administration provided accommodations for the rehabilitation of the mentally challenged persons and for training and development after medical and psychiatric treatment from the designated psychiatric hospitals have certified them fit to live normal lives.”
Okanlawon averred that repatriation of patients from neighbouring states is an acceptable practice with mutual understanding among states like Lagos, Ondo, Oyo, and Kwara.
Calling on the society to support the scheme through the right attitude, the Bureau said one of the challenges remains the usual stigmatisation by the public once a person suffers from mental-illness.
“We must ensure that our people drop such belief that mental illness is incurable and passing of derogatory remarks on the person of the patients. When there are re-occurrences or occasional attacks due, they could be due to pressure or economic difficulties being faced by those affected.
The statement noted that there are many others who are undergoing different stages of rehabilitation and are to be reintegrated into the society once their rehabilitation programme is completed.

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