AGAINST reports that the Osun state government’s fiscal responsibility is threatened, the state’s Commissioner for Finance, Wale Bolorunduro, has denied such reports saying that the state government is yet to take any multilateral loan (external debt) since it came to power.
According to Bolorunduro, there was a misinterpretation of a report on state’s borrowing, as published by the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC).
He noted that against insinuations raised in a newspaper report, (not The Guardian), the state had published its financial statement for the year 2012 to prevent presumptions on the state’s financial status.
He said: “It is true Osun raised N30 billion and N11.4 billion from the capital market through issuance of bond and sukuk in 2012 and 2013 respectively. These are deliberate transparent approaches to raise funds from capital market. It is however scandalous to read that the state took N17.8billion from Infrastructure Bank.
“In the same vein, it is important to stress that the external debt being mentioned is part of the liabilities the current government inherited from the PDP administration. For avoidance of doubts, the current administration has not taken any multilateral loan (external debt) since it came to power.
He added: “Reference can be made to the full report of the Debt Management Office (DMO), which was recently circularised to all the states in the country. The report indicates states’ average solvency (a ratio of total debt to total revenue) to be 42.34 per cent, while Osun’s figure is 14.68 per cent.”
“In the same vein, state’s average liquidity ratio (ratio of debt service to FAAC allocation) according to the report is 12.3 per cent, while Osun’s ratio is 1.45 per cent. This is against a threshold of 40 per cent. Thus indicating Osun to be very solvent and liquid, a further indication of the state’s debt sustainability.”
THE GUARDIAN

An empowerment programme for 500 unemployed youths was recently unveiled by Hon. Adeyinka Ajayi of Ifelodun/Boripe/Odo-Otin Federal Constituency, in conjunction with Ojenco Training Institute, to provide over 3,000 jobs for youths in the state through the garment industry. 
The Federal legislator, representing Ifelodun, Boripe, and Odo-otin Federal Constituency Hon, Adeyinka Ajayi, recently started a training programme within the nine centres across the constituency. There are two centres in Boripe LGA (Iree and Ada), three centres in Ifelodun LGA (Ikirun, Eko’nde and Iba), and four centres in Odo-Otin LGA (Okuku, Inisha, Oyan and Eekosin). However, the youths are being trained in eight different courses: fashion designing, hairdressing, shoe making, barbing, event decorating, soap making, small chops catering, and tie & dye. The aim of the programme is to support and complement the effort of Governor Rauf Aregbesola to eradicate poverty in the state of Osun, particularly in the Ifelodun/ Boripe/ Odo-Otin Federal Constituency.
Worthy Venture
Ajayi is of the opinion that if youths are properly trained and empowered, they would not only be useful to themselves but also contribute meaningfully to the development of the community, State of Osun, and Nigeria in general.
Speaking at the event, which cut across the nine centres, the Senior Special Adviser to Hon. Ajayi, Mr. Gold Adedayo, said the participants across the three LGAs would benefit in no small measure to assist in their day-to-day activities and to enhance their self-reliance in all the trades involved.
According to him, all the 500 youths are to be given adequate support after the training programmes, as equipment worth over N100 million had been set aside for distribution across the three local council areas.
Adedayo also noted that the main agenda of Ajayi is to increase the economic activities in the area and to make people become employers of labour so as to assist other less-privileged ones in the training programme.
The Special Adviser however commended the youths involved in the training for their commitment and urged them to focus more on the training in order to benefit maximally during and after the programme.
State Intervention
Meanwhile, the Osun state government has also disclosed that it is willing to provide an enabling environment in infrastructure and security needed for thriving economic activities in the state.
The Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, stated this at a formal unveiling of the Omoluabi Garment Factory at the state capital, Osogbo. Aregbesola also noted that the establishment of the factory became necessary as part of the overall effort to transform the state.
He said the garment factory was one testimony of his administration’s investment drive and commitment to attracting investors to Osun, adding that the state has the market and the human and material resources.
According to him, the decision to give the student a common uniform was made with the aim of giving them a common identity and purpose, as well as a sense of unity and pride, which had been lost in the decay that set in public schools in Osun before his administration.
“Through this alone, we have provided job opportunities for our market women who supplied the materials for the uniform and about 3,000 tailors, who sewed them. This Omoluabi Garment Factory that we are launching today is a product of the policy to reap the economic benefits of the production of the school uniform.
“This factory will henceforth produce the school uniform here; it will employ our people here; it will buy its inputs from here, and the batik it will produce will be sewn by our tailors here. All of these, among other gains, will have numerous spin-offs that will rebound to the advantage of the people of the State of Osun. The uniform material will be sold and sewn at control prices so as to make it affordable for our people. You are not only assured of quality, you will get it at good prices,” Aregbesola said.
The governor further revealed that Omoluabi Garment is one of the factories that have been brought into existence through revitalisation of the education project. He said soon, another factory would begin the production of the e-learning tablet, Opon-Imo, and other electronic gadgets in Ilesha.
He admonished the managers of the factory to be innovative and uncompromisingly committed to quality, saying “This might appear to be a small beginning, but what I am seeing is the onset of a giant clothing industry that will take the nation and West Africa by storm in the foreseeable future.” He added that his government remains resolutely focused on the implementation of its policies, assuring listeners that the people of the state would be the better for it.
Cash Boost
In a goodwill message, the General Manager, Operations, Bank of Industry, Mr. Joseph Babatunde, commended the governor for his visionary leadership. He said his bank provides financial supports for capacity building and the training of fashion designers whose products would not only be consumed locally but also exported abroad.
He noted that the support BoI renders was in tandem with what the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) preaches. He appealed for an expansion of the counterpart funds between government and the bank so as to be able to accommodate more trainees and reduce the population of youths roaming the streets.
Factory Impact
Earlier in her remark, the Managing Director of Omoluabi Garment Factory, Mrs. Folake Oyemade, said with the garment factory in place there has been a drastic reduction in unemployment rate in the state. Oyemade, who is also the Managing Director of Sam and Sara, said by the end of the year, the factory would have trained over 3,000 tailors.
“Today’s ceremony is a demonstration of one of your campaign promises. You promised to make the State of Osun an industrial haven in which youths as leaders of tomorrow would be catered for in the area of skill acquisition, job creation, poverty alleviation and wealth creation. This is just the beginning of better things to come. Your second term is a foregone conclusion,” Oyemade said.
Osun state is striving to empower unemployed and restive youths and the factory and training are vital to the process. The state is thus taking giant strides to resolve one of the main problems besetting Nigeria’s development process, which is youth unemployment; a worthwhile process.
THISDAY NEWSPAPER

The Governor of the state of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has warned that his administration would not tolerate any act of lawlessness from any group or individual, irrespective of strata. Aregbesola made the declaration during the recent graduation of 410 Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES) cadets trained at the Osun-Odua Farmer’s Academy at Ede.
The governor, who described the attack on the Principal of Ejigbo School of Science as unacceptable, noted that no individual or group is allowed by the constitution to take laws into their hands.
He stressed that henceforth the state government would not treat such case with kid gloves, saying that anyone caught with such uncivilised act would be made to face the law.
Speaking to the graduates, Aregbesola said his administration’s involvement of youths in agricultural enterprises is another way through which his administration is tackling the menace of youth unemployment.
He explained that the programme was borne out of the present administration’s commitment to equip the youth and enhance their capacity to earn decent and virtuous living.
According to him, “what we are witnessing today is the culmination of our administration’s resolve to equip our youths with requisite skills that will enable them to contribute adequately to agricultural productions, even as they legitimately earn a decent living.”
The graduation ceremony, he noted, was an opportunity to “hoist aloft for all to see the fruits of responsive and responsible governance that only the healthy tree of focused and visionary leadership can yield.”
He told the graduating youths to realize that their training had provided them with necessary skills and empowerment “to earn a decent living, create wealth, and contribute to the cause of banishing hunger through agriculture”.
While challenging them to make the best use of their training, Aregbesola said, “With your training, you have been snatched off the perilous jaws of joblessness limiting the advancement of many youth.”
The Governor sounded a note of warning before the gathering which included top public servants, community leaders and captains of industries that idleness of youth and lack of productive engagements would not bode well for the socio-economic development of any society.
Aregbesola also stressed the need to tap the invaluable asset of youth and channel their energy towards the development of self and society that his administration initiated youth-focused programmes.
The governor pointed out that through the OYES and the O’REAP Youth Academy, the state is providing decent jobs for a vast majority of its youths.
According to him, “The specialised skills and techniques that the youths acquire at the month-long agricultural training programme empower them to effectively participate in the agricultural sector as significant stakeholders.”
Furthermore, the governor stated that the practical training in modern farming techniques broadens the horizons of the participants while adding depth to their managerial abilities as well as strengthening to creatively address societal challenges through agricultural endeavours.
He assured the graduating youths that “the experience they garner from the trips they made to different successful farm establishments will later aid them when they start to manage their own agro-allied enterprises.”
Nigeria, Aregbesola reasoned, is a country that has no excuse for importing food that her citizens could produce in large quantity.
Earlier in his address, Osun Commissioner for Agriculture and Food security, Mr. Richard Adedoyin, noted that the state, upon realising that agriculture is a rewarding business, has invested and encouraging youths to become active participants in the sector.
THISDAY

Governor Rauf Aregbesola of the State of Osun recently clocked three years in the saddle of governance of the state. In this interview, the governor speaks on how far he has been able to fulfill the pact he made with his people. He also clarifies the issues surrounding the new education reform of his administration.
Your Excellency, three years down the line, what has been your experience so far? You will recall that the people of Osun State wanted a change before you came in as their governor. How would you describe your three years in the saddle and are there memorable events you will like to recall?
As to my own evaluation of the three years we have spent so far, it is a rollercoaster… exciting and stimulating and that is why I used the word rollercoaster. When you are on a rollercoaster, no matter how efficient you are, sometimes you feel the world is upside down, and there are moments when your faith that nothing will happen to you is the only thing that keeps you going. I remember I also used the word excitement; the excitement our presence usually generates among the people shows their hope in our ability to deliver and one could say without any iota of doubt that we have impacted on majority of the people.
We have affected in a positive way all households through our approach to governance. Our transitional approach is that human beings are taken as the central figure of all our activities. It is this approach to governance that makes it almost impossible for any Osun resident not to have benefitted directly from our administration. I want to give a quick run-down of what we are talking about in the human development programme of our administration.
There is what we call human angle or social impact in which so far, we engaged 40,000 youths in community social public works, and let me tell you that it is the first of its kind in any part of Africa, south of the Sahara. We don’t mind what some people may say about it; the truth is that our youth empowerment programme is self-encompassing.
But some people are saying that the programme is designed to assist you to realise your ambition in 2014?
I will come back to that; let’s quickly do the run-down. From there we moved to ethical revolution. We rebranded the state. It happened just three months after our inauguration. We created an image for the state, from just an ordinary state in Nigeria, a state that by name, by insignia is unique. We branded it the State of Osun, Ipinle Omoluabi, meaning ‘The State of Dignified and Upright People’. And not that alone; we created an anthem, a flag, and a crest. We gave the state a renewal that compelled attention. We did not stop there. To achieve the best for our children, we assembled eggheads to critically look at all facets of education. These erudite scholars came up with a policy that will make our state the best in basic education. It is the recommendations of the summit that are being implemented to the letter.
Part of it is free feeding in which we feed all pupils in primaries one to four, not just with any meal, but we give midday meals that include egg consumption, beef consumption, fish consumption, chicken consumption, with daily supply of the basic carbohydrate foods that the children need. Among the new education reform is the provision of free school uniforms for about 350,000 students. It is worthy of note that the school meal programme basically increased pupils’ enrollment at a very high rate. We met 180,000 pupils and they are now 350,000 and we provided all with free uniforms without discrimination; it greatly reduced absenteeism.
We are renewing our state through our urban renewal programme. We are building roads, intra-city roads and rural access roads. Our security status has changed because we introduced armoured personnel carriers. We have them in adequate number; we are still working on getting more. Our security agencies now have adequate mobility facilities. We have functional, effective and efficient ambulance services all over the state. On welfare package, we support farmers as it had never been done before. We gave them loans; we gave them improved seedlings, and other agro-chemical needs such as fertilizers were provided. We identified vulnerable elderly people and support them monthly with N10,000. These are some of what can easily be recalled, which show that we have touched the lives of the people.
Also, about healthy living, we introduced youths’ calisthenics, which teach our young ones to work in collaboration. We pay the WAEC fees of our students. These are few of the programmes that show our commitment to the lot of our people. I cannot imagine any household in Osun that can deny the impact of our administration.
Your Excellency, what has been the response to Opon Imo being an innovation that I learnt some states are interested in emulating? What is the feedback so far?
For your information, I have given most of the governors a copy of the device since not all of them attend the NGF. Of course, all the governors that come to the meetings of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum now have a copy of Opon Imo. Anyone of them that wants Opon Imo for their students may, therefore, request and they will get them. The feedback is sensational of course; everybody knows that Opon Imo is a platform for the democratisation of knowledge. It weighs 1.1kg and it contains all textbooks that you need in the school.
It has 10 years questions and answers from JAMB, NECO and WAEC, and it contains tutorials where on your own, you can assess yourself and follow up what you have been taught in school. It is an amazing tool that transforms education to a game. Because of its light weight, you can lift it to anywhere and study anywhere. It takes the classroom to the student; Opon Imo takes the classroom to the students wherever they are; that is the most attractive quality of the device. Though a teacher is still required to teach, but whatever it is, you have everything a teacher will teach and much more in your hand always. The response has been sensational.
Sir, what are the challenges in the distribution of this device to the students or have you succeeded in distributing it to all of them?
There are 150,000 students in high schools. The device is meant for high schools. We have procured as at today about 25,000, which have been distributed this year. The project office of the scheme has sent some people to China to complete the importation of another set of 30,000 that will be given to students in the SSCE classes. We have reformed our education system. We now run the American system of elementary school which is Grade 1 – 4, middle school which is Grade 5 – 9 and high school which is Grade 10 – 12. It’s just a mere change of name. We are committed to providing physical infrastructure that would enhance learning in a conducive and attractive environment on age-grade basis.
How far has your government been able to handle differences in opinion on school merger and re-classification exercise? We read in the dailies about the issue of one Principal that was beaten up in Ejigbo.
The school reform has gone down well with our people and we received their cooperation, contrary to the fear being expressed as the fallout of our well-structured programme by a few locals.
How?
If you follow well the sensational report of friction, you will want to ask yourself if we have only Baptist denomination in Osun. Not even all Baptist schools were affected. In how many schools were the protests recorded? Just three Baptist Schools namely: Baptist College, Iwo, Baptist High School, Ede, and Baptist High School, Osogbo. Now let me bring you down memory lane. You know that in the Western Region, there was no town without at least five secondary schools; some had as many as 10. Since Yoruba land is highly urbanised, there was, therefore, no town in Osun with less than 20 schools with five of them being secondary schools. What that means is that we can multiply that by 20 and you have 100.
The schools are more than 100 but for the sake of clear evidence of the very limited and inconsequential protest, let us assume the figure. If anybody, therefore, says three out of 100 schools are a key issue to the act, then I wonder. There is no way you can have such programme and not have slight dislocation that would warrant some agitations. The number I used is just for the purpose of my thought. In reality, there are over 3,000 schools when you bring in elementary, middle and high schools; there cannot be less than 3,000 schools in the state. Let me say 1,000; so if there are about 1,000 schools, and there are pockets of protests in three, is it not disgusting that anybody would refer to protests in three schools as significant where 1,000 schools are involved? And that tells you the joke of the sponsored report; but we are moving on. It is worthy of note that all the schools involved are public schools.
They have been public schools since 1975; they are not just public schools now; they have been so categorised without any whimper or counter claim since 1975 when government took them all over. Where then was the force as claimed? Why the cry about Christian/Muslim school? I don’t think it is even good for us to go into that. If not for diabolical reasons, since when have Yorubas been so polarised on religious basis? We should ask ourselves this basic important question that is fundamental to our own race. Yorubas have been liberal on all issues, and most importantly on religion. There is no home in Yoruba land that does not have a fair representation of the three major religions, Christianity, Islam and traditional religion; and I challenge anybody to claim otherwise. If Yorubas have been living together like this, where then is the basis for this allegation that we mixed Christians with Muslims? Christians, Muslims, and traditional religion adherents have been permanently connected in Yoruba land; I don’t know of any other tribe, but in Yoruba land, all religions are in permanent interaction.
Where, therefore, is the logic and truth in the allegation that one group of students is being mixed with the other? It is the imagination of some people who think such lies can destabilise the state’s vision. The Yoruba, in their emotional respect for themselves, refused to change the name of the schools after the takeover of the schools until today; and that is why all the schools are still bearing their names. The idea must not be misconstrued to mean ownership. I want people to independently go and take the demography of the schools before our reform; they will be shocked by their findings.
Considering the meagre resources of the state, how do you source funds to implement your numerous projects and programmes?
You admit that we are improving infrastructure; you admit that we are transforming the state; you admit that the state is a huge construction site; your concern is the source of the funds for all of these considering the meagre allocation that we receive in the state; but there is this adage that says when the going gets tough, the tough keeps going. We didn’t come here without adequate preparation. We were surely aware of the challenges we shall face. Our trust for the state is encapsulated in a booklet entitled ‘My pact with the people of Osun’. We had a retreat that lasted for five days in 2005 where we developed that six-point integral action plan: banish poverty, banish hunger, banish unemployment, promote functional education, promote healthy living and restore communal peace.
Already, I have communal peace due to the fact that I had the best tutelage under the most resourceful finance manager in Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Hammed Tinubu. After eight years of tutelage, Asiwaju Hammed Tinubu to me is the most versatile public finance manager I know. Under him, I acquired the capacity to stretch every kobo in the public treasury to the farthest limit in public service. What you see there is prudent management of the limited resources of the state for the highest number of people in the society.
Yes, we take loans, but no bank can give you a loan if you don’t have an account with them. There is no metaphysics you can use; we can’t say because metaphysics is efficacious and think we can use it to manipulate banks to give out loans. There are already established vessels through which you can obtain loans from the banks. Either fixed or current account, you must have a cheque with which to draw your money. The transaction in the bank does not start and end with a person. I need to let you know that a financial institution is insulated from sharp or any magical manipulation; so the way of engagement there does not permit anybody to take money beyond his capacity.
So, whenever I read all those talks about us owing huge sums of money, I ask myself, ‘Is it ignorance?’ for I have the feeling that for you to say you want to be a governor, there is a minimum of financial management that you should have. It should be clear to you that no financial institution will lend you money beyond your capacity. Whenever I read them, I ask myself, ‘what bank can part with what they are claiming we owe?’ But to answer your question, I want to say emphatically that we are prudent, very innovative and committed to delivering the dividends of democracy to our people.
What are you doing about IGR?
We have improved the internally generated revenue of the state from the leftist level of N300million a month to N1.2billion per month. It is not easy; yes you are right by your statement that allocation is dwindling; yet Osun is moving. After all, just last Thursday, I announced a 100% increase in the 13th month salary we have been paying workers in our service.
LEADERSHIP NEWSPAPER

Osun state government has spent over N2 billion on the expansion of waterways in different locations across the state as part of strategies to prevent flood.
The state Commissioner for Environment and Sanitation, Professor (Mrs) Olubukola Oyawoye, disclosed this while featuring on News Point, an interactive programme organized by Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
She said the effort of the state government was aimed at putting an end to flood which had ravaged the state before now.
She stated further that the proactive measure of the government at ameliorating flood has saved many lives in the state.
Professor Oyawoye said “Flooding was the order of the day when this administration came on board in 2011, but in the last three years of this government nothing of such has happened.”
She added that “the state government has been able to expand over 120 kilometers of water ways in over 100 communities in the state in the last three years.”
The commissioner also commended the virtue of the people of the state for changing for better in the area of sanitation.
DAILY TRUST

Governor, State of Osun,  Mr Rauf Aregbesola, is planning to establish a yam flour factory in Ife-Odan in Ejigbo Local Government Area of the state, to ensure that food is sufficiently available in the state at affordable prices.
The acting General-Manager, Osun State Agricultural Development Corporation (OSADEC), Mr Kayode Olanipekun stated this at a meeting with relevant stakeholders held at the conference room of the corporation.
Olanipekun disclosed that the present administration has spent a lot of money on agriculture programme in order to make life easier for farmers, adding that the government wants to put an end to farmers’ difficulties by ensuring that their labour is not in vain.
He also encouraged yam farmers, who need government’s assistance, to submit their requests at OSSADEC in order to ensure that all farms are fully mechanised for land clearing, ploughing, harrowing and ridging.
The OSSADEC boss, therefore, appealed that farmers who benefitted from the interest-free loan should pay back on time in order to appreciate government’s effort to boost agriculture.
TRIBUNE

State of Osun chapter of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has dissociated itself from assertion of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) that the school reclassification in the state could trigger terrorism.
The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN)  described the assertion as mere rumours that are capable of disrupting developmental stride of the government.
The leadership of the state chapter of CAN recently had a story credited to it in a newspaper that the school reclassification policy of the government is capable of triggering terrorism in the state.
But at a meeting with the government representatives in Ibokun on Sunday, the PFN state chairman, represented by his vice in Ijesa zone, Pastor Joel Balogun said that the school reclassification is seen as part of the efforts of the government to effectively monitor the education within its limited resources.
“We see the assertion that the school reclassification can trigger terrorism as mere rumour and we in PFN can never be carried away with such rumours. We understand that the exercise is aimed at cutting cost and ensuring proper monitoring of our schools, with a view to getting the best for our children. Though, we are not politicians, we are men of God, but we have seen that this government is doing well in terms of development and we are praying for the success of the government. Instead of spreading rumours, we, as men of God owe it a duty to evangelise to people and bring them to our fold and that is what we should be doing”, he insisted.
Appealing to the government to ensure that the schools that being merged retain their names, as promised, he said that this would settle the issues generated by the reclassification exercise.
The Chairman, Obokun II chapter of the fellowship, Evangelist Remi Adediran also urged religion leaders not to mislead the people on what he described as lies and rumours.
He also said that rather than misinterpreting the government programmes and policies on education and other programmes, the government should rather be commended.
In their separate submission, the leader of the State Assembly of Osun, Timothy Owoeye; the lawmaker representing Obokun state constituency, Samson Fafiyebi; the Commissioner for Environment, Professor Bukola Oyawoye and Special Adviser on Agriculture, Festus Agunbiade said that the school reclassification is aimed at giving the best to the students.
The government officials who are all christians said that the rumour being carried about against Governor Rauf Aregbesola by CAN are baseless and capable of causing disharmony among all the religion faithfuls.
The Assistant Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Office of the Governor, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, who was the host, wondered why anybody would alleged Aregbesola of wanting to sponsor terrorism.
According to him, the interest of Aregbesola is to get the best for the state and its people, saying, “he has never interfere in my own religious as a christian, rather, I influenced him to meet my father in the Lord in person of Pastor  William Folorunso Kumuyi.
“So, it does not infringe on anybody’s religion and he is not ready to do so, because he beliefs that religion is a personal conviction.
“As a born again christian, I have been working with him for over seven years now as a close aide and if he is somebody that discriminates, I would not still be with him till now because I represent Christ in this government like others do”, Oyintiloye stressed.
WORLDSTAGE

The Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and the group-managing director of Omatek Computers, Florence Seriki, alongside other dignitaries have expressed interest to participate in the forthcoming NewsDirect Third anniversary lecture/ awards ceremony. This will enable them to receive their awards as Best Governor of the Year and Best Female Entrepreneur of the Year respectively. The event is scheduled to take place in Lagos on Dec 12, 2013 by 4pm at De Renaissance Hotel, Ikeja by 4 pm.
According to a statement confirming her participation, the Omatek GMD expressed her sincere gratitude to the organising Committee of the NewsDirect 2013 awards.
According to the statement, “We write to accept this Award, a double honour indeed; and express our profound gratitude to all members of the Organizing Committee of the 3rd Annual Nigerian NewsDirect Award, 2013.”
The statement also added that, “This award is in recognition of her outstanding achievements as a leading African entrepreneur in ICT sector; and the first African CEO to assemble computers in this part of the region.
“We, therefore, wish to express our sense of gratitude and appreciation to the entire NewsDirect award committee; and do enjoin you to proceed with your programmes and arrangement, to ensure a successful and hitch free event. Other recipients include Reginald Stanley-Best Regulator of the Year, MD Flying Doctors-Dr Ola Orekunrin-Outstanding Female CEO of the Year.
In the corporate award category, the board will honour OilServ Limited, Seplat Petroleum, Masters Energy, First Bank, Babcock University and LADOL among others.
The award/annual ceremony being put together to commemorate the third anniversary of Nigerian NewsDirect newspaper will feature the presentation of papers on “Enabling Environment, infrastructure development, funding and capacity building”.
Guest lecturers include the Group Executive Director Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mr Abiye Membere, and Osun State Commissioner for Information
BUSINESS DAY ONLINE

Photos from the All Progressive Congress National Mobilisation Committee’s Visit to Osun at Government House, Osogbo, State of Osun on Tuesday 10-12-2013

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (7th right); his Imo State Counterpart, Governor Rochas Okorocha (7th left); Deputy National Secretary All Progressive Congress, Mallam Nasir El-rufai
(6th left); APC Chieftain, Chief Audu Ogbe (8th left); Former Aviation
Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode (4th left); Ogun State All Progressive Congress (APC) Leader, Chief Olusegun Osoba (6th right); Imo State Deputy Speaker, Donatus Ozoemena (3rd left); APC National Organising
Secretary, Senator Osita Izunaso (3rd right); National Women Leader, Mrs Sharon Ikeazor (5th left); Interim Chairman Osun APC, Elder Adebiyi Adelowo (left) and others, during the All Progressive Congress
National Mobilisation Committee’s Visit to Osun at Government House,
Osogbo, State of Osun on Tuesday 10-12-2013

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (4th right); his Imo State Counterpart, Governor Rochas Okorocha (3rd left); Deputy National Secretary All Progressive Congress, Mallam Nasir El-rufai
(2nd left); National Women Leader, Mrs Sharon Ikeazor (left); Ogun
State All Progressive Congress (APC) Leader, Chief Olusegun Osoba (3rd
right); APC Chieftain, Chief Audu Ogbe (5th right) and others, during the All Progressive Congress National Mobilisation Committee’s Visit
to Osun at Government House, Osogbo, State of Osun on Tuesday
10-12-2013

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and his Imo State Counterpart, Governor Rochas Okorocha acknowledging cheers from the All Progressive Congress Supporters in the State, during the Party’s
National Mobilisation Committee’s Visit to the State at Osogbo City
Stadium, Osogbo, State of Osun on Tuesday 10-12-2013

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and his Imo State Counterpart, Governor Rochas Okorocha acknowledging cheers from the All Progressive Congress Supporters in the State, during the Party’s
National Mobilisation Committee’s Visit to the State at Osogbo City
Stadium, Osogbo, State of Osun on Tuesday 10-12-2013

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and his Imo State Counterpart, Governor Rochas Okorocha acknowledging cheers from the All Progressive Congress Supporters in the State, during the Party’s
National Mobilisation Committee’s Visit to the State at Osogbo City
Stadium, Osogbo, State of Osun on Tuesday 10-12-2013