Photos from the Legal Year Dinner with the President, Customary Court of Appeal, Justice (Mrs) Glorial Adegoke; Chief Judge of the State of Osun, Justice Adebola Adepele; Governor Rauf Aregbesola and his Deputy, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori, marking the Legal Year at the Government House, Osogbo, State of Osun on Tuesday
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Governor Rauf Aregbesola has given reason for the merging of schools in the state, saying the policy of reclassification of schools introduced by his administration was not aimed at inflicting pains on the people of the state.
According to a statement issued by Media Aide to the Governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, in Osogbo on Monday, Aregbesola said this in Lagos while addressing members of the Ijesa Society in Lagos State. The governor spoke just as members of the traditional religions in the state berated some Christian and Muslim groups for attacking the new education policy.
The traditional believers led by Mr. Kayode Esuleke, spoke at a press conference just as Parents Association and Parent Teachers Association in the state also rose in defence of the governor. Aregbesola stated enumerated other efforts made by the administration to revamp the sector trying the free distribution of Opon Imo ( iPad like device), free uniform, free meal and others had started yielding positive results in the sector.
The governor said: “On the surface, it looks as if we are deliberately out to inflict pains with the reformation of our school system. Nothing close to that is our intention. Not at all! We saw a hopeless situation of our basic education system. Because of my experience with the comatose educational system in the state that we were about to inherit, even from the days of my campaigns days, long before we assumed office, I made it very clear that we would carry out surgical attack on it during our campaigns.
“Very clear! We mentioned our intention to the whole world that we will address the issue of poor and totally dilapidated educational infrastructure of basic education to aggressively solve the problem. But as usual, people do not give politicians because of their experience much of thoughts before the campaigns. Some of our policies are necessary but painful and may not be well accepted now.
“We are however convinced that surgery is not always pleasing and soothing to those who need it but the joy of recovery and healing afterward more than compensate for the temporary pain of going under the knife.
“Rather than look at what we are doing as the best form to revamp education and ensure that our student have the best for our limited resource and maximisation of our resources for excellence and efficiency which has a whole of our efforts, sentiment and primordial issues were brought into it.”
SPY GHANA
THE controversy embroiling education reform in the State of Osun is needless, if not contrived. It tends to reduce the significance of what Governor Rauf Aregbesola is trying to achieve in restoring the lost glory of education in the state. While it is perfectly in order for citizens or groups to show concern over the activities in the sector, bearing in mind that everyone is a stakeholder, the concern should be expressed with a view to preserving and indeed complementing government’s efforts at revamping education. In any case, the critics of government should not be perceived as throwing the baby away with the bath water. The state of education, throughout the country is pathetic; such that any serious attempt by a government to redress it deserves the support of the people.
In reclassifying the Osun schools system and merging some schools, it is conceivable that the state government may make mistakes or run foul of the preference of some groups; where any of these happens, it is the responsibility of government to listen and clarify or adjust its position. But the duty of the citizens in pointing out the possible mistakes should not be extended to undermining what is clearly a state policy aimed at the good of the majority. What is deductible from the present imbroglio is that some religious leaders in Osun suspect, rightly or wrongly, that the governor has religious motives in formulating or implementing some of his state policies. It would be worthwhile in the circumstance for the citizens to give the governor a chance, as the current bickering cannot help the generality of Osun people. In the same vein, the grouse of the people should not be dismissed by government.
As part of a reform process, the state government had reclassified the school system into Elementary, Middle and High School categories – a novel step by any education authority in the country. The elementary step comprises pupils from age six to nine, corresponding with the current school system’s Primary 1-4. The middle level takes care of primary four to junior secondary school III for ages 10-14, now classified as Grades five to nine. At the High School level will be children between 15 and 17 years, corresponding with senior secondary (SSS III) tagged Grade 10-12.
Instructively, there are no issues with the reclassifications, and the warring Christian community – particularly the Baptist denomination – made that clear in their protest. The sore point has to do with the merger of schools which became expedient in the re-classification targeted at a “speedy recovery” of the sector to “secure the future of the children”.The government is resolute on “going ahead…with developing the new man,” while the Christian community is afraid that the schools would lose their religious identity. This mill of confusion should not be prolonged further, else it will negate the essence of achieving quality.
It is no use trading arguments on whether or not government informed or carried the other party along. Those in opposition to government policy should at least appreciate that the schools in issue are already in government custody, and are no longer controlled by the missions. Luckily, the state has not discouraged the existence of private schools which can be nurtured to achieve particular culture. The protesters therefore would have no need to “compromise the legacy of forefathers and the missionaries…to affect our faith”.
However, the State of Osun which proudly claims the ‘Omoluabi essence’ should always be aware of the feelings of its people, and should strive to iron out all contentious issues with all parties. This is notwithstanding its explanation that it organised an education summit of stakeholders in February this year, which produced a communiqué endorsing the reform. The state must not slip into a battleground between brothers on faith matters. Open protestations of blocking school gates against male students being merged with all-female schools, or female students of one faith being given dress codes of another school of opposite faith may be signals of clashes in future. But this can be prevented.
Interestingly, the protests against merger have been spearheaded by both Christians (in Iwo and Osogbo) as well as Muslims (in Esa-Oke). To ensure that it is on course with the people, government could compare the current reaction to the one it received at the launch of its novel, globally acknowledged Opon Imo – Tablet of Knowledge – that has become a reference material for other states across the country. More importantly, both sides should exercise restraint in the interest of the students, peace and justice. All told, we are fully persuaded that the Osun State government should continue to communicate the essence of this controversial education policy to the people. Education is too important to be trifled with.
THE GUARDIAN
The Government of the State of Osun on Wednesday screened more than 500 women for breast cancer in order to detect early signs of the ailment. The screening exercise, which took place at Asubiaro State Hospital in Osogbo, attracted a huge turn-out of women across the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the exercise was jointly organised by the Ministry of Health and the management of the hospital. A participant, Mrs Adebayo Olaitan, commended the state government for its effort at ensuring that breast cancer among women was eradicated.
Olaitan said many were dying because of ignorance and urged women to see the screening exercise as an opportunity to ascertain their health status. Another participant, Mrs Adebola Adeshina, commended the Ministry of Health for the initiative and urged other women to come out for screening.
(NAN)
The Senior Special Assistant to Governor Rauf Aregbesola of the State of Osun on General Matters, Mr. Kareem Olajoku has appealed to the people of the state not to misinterpret the good intention of the government to reclassify the school system, which he emphasised was aimed at the delivery of sound and qualitative education.
Olajoku, who is in charge of the state’s calisthenics programme, said in a release that his interaction with the schools in the state since he was appointed to coordinate the programme had revealed the rot in the education system in the state; the development he linked to the long years of abandonment of the sector by successive administrations.
He added that the newly introduced education policies of Governor Aregbesola such as the provision of free meal and school uniforms; the increase in allocation to schools, reduction in tuitions in tertiary institutions, payment of fees for WAEC candidates and the distribution of the computer tablets to students are all geared towards changing the status quo ante in the sector.
He however, commended the people for raising questions where necessary, saying their actions could only strengthen the belief and commitment of the administration to carry the public along in its programmes and policies.
“We must emphasise the fact that things cannot just continue the way they used to be. Change is the most constant thing in life and until we are ready to be part of the change, the challenges facing Nigerians would not be addressed. We have run a system for years and it did not change things, rather, what we continued to witness had been mass failure, cases of dropouts, teachers’ poor performance, among others.
NATIONAL MIRROR
ADDRESS DELIVERED BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF OSUN, OGBENI RAUF AREGBESOLA, AS SPECIAL GUEST OF HONOUR, AT A RECEPTION ORGANISED BY THE IJESA SOCIETY, LAGOS, IN HONOUR OF ITS DISTINGUISHED MEMBERS, HELD AT THE METROPOLITAN CLUB, VICTORIA ISLAND, LAGOS, ON SUNDAY OCTOBER 20, 2013
Protocols,
History beckons to us
It is most pleasing for me to gather with you at this reception organised to honour those individuals who have been found worthy of deserving recognition by virtue of the positions they have attained in life. I must begin by thanking the Ijesa Society, Lagos, first, for inviting me to this event as Special Guest of Honour, and second, for coming up with this valuable and laudable idea. It is a most thoughtful and salutary thing to recognise what is good and then go further to acknowledge it through acts of overt endorsement and encouragement, such as is being done here today.
I must acknowledge that this is the second time I will be invited by this noble association of Ijesa people in Lagos since I became governor of Osun. It is indeed remarkable that Ijesa people will identify with their own who are successful but it might give the wrong impression that this association looks for successful people to associate with.
I remember that the association was unflinching in its support for me while I was contesting the governorship of the state. They also wholeheartedly gave me their support in the dark days of fighting for my mandate when they could have opportunistically aligned with the ancien regime.
But Ijesa people are honourable, God fearing, steadfast and full of integrity. They will always stand for principle, righteousness and good governance. Above all, Ijesaland is the bastion of progressive politics.
This association and its distinguished members have also stood faithfully behind me since my inauguration almost three years ago. I want you to know that we have always been conscious of the enormous responsibility of leadership and governance which requires that we put the people first and put self last in every policy that we make and everything that we do. Some of our policies are necessary but painful and may not be well accepted now. We are however convinced that surgery is not always pleasing and soothing to those who need it but the joy of recovery and healing afterward more than compensate for the temporal pain of going under the knife. Whatever we do today, we have our eyes on the verdict of history that in the next 10, 20, 50 years, the legacies we leave behind will be the true assessment of our sojourn in government.
Today’s gathering is significant. Even though in principle, we are all endowed with talents by our creator, but in cultivating and deploying our God-given talents, we make significantly varying degrees of effort. This is the indubitable reality of the human world. However, it is an inescapable fact that effort makes all the difference in whatever we do in life as human beings. Different levels of effort produce different results. It should not come as a surprise therefore that the most successful people are also those who make the most effort in what they do. In effect, effort is of the essence in life! Success in life is the reward of those who imbibe Samuel Beckett’s advice to, ‘Try again. Fail again. [And] Fail better.’
But making extra effort is not as easy as it sounds. Indeed, the average human person is often content with the most minimal effort; while virtually all humans would desire maximum results. It is also true that most human beings recognise the efficacy of effort in producing positive outcomes, and hence treat it as a virtue. Indeed, the recognition of effort as an invaluable virtue is the essence of honouring those that have attained great heights in society by a dint of hard work.
Therefore, hard work, dedication, commitment and serious-minded focus are virtues that are widely known to be beneficial to both individuals and society. Thus, human societies have instituted awards and honour as a mechanism for promoting these highly desirable virtues. So, the Ijesa Society in Lagos is doing its good bit as a socially responsible group to confer recognition and awards on its members who have been appointed to distinguished positions and offices in the society.
I have no doubt in my mind that those who have been selected for recognition today have been able to come this far in life by their single-minded devotion in their different areas of endeavour. Some of these awardees are people that are well known to me and are, indeed, serving in various capacities under the State Government of Osun. They are men and women who have distinguished themselves in their chosen carriers, and for this, their services have continued to be in high demand in society. This is the result of the virtue of effort.
I do therefore fully identify with what the Ijesa Society in Lagos is doing today as this will be of immense benefit, not only by encouraging the honourees to stay the course of hard work, but also by holding them up as role models for upcoming generations, which is something that is in dire need in our society.
As sons and daughters of the State of Osun, we are most proud to showcase them as genuine men and women of virtues. Their achievements in life are certain to add substantive value to our campaign of fostering the Omoluabi ethos. Today’s honourees are another vindication of the need for us to embrace, imbibe and apply the philosophy in whatever we do in life.
I congratulate the awardees and I once more thank the Ijesa Society, Lagos, for the invitation.
I thank you all for you attentive audience.
Obokun a gbe wa o.
In line with activities to mark this year’s World Breast Cancer Day, the Government of the State of Osun under the leadership of Governor Rauf Aregbesola, on Monday flagged-off a sensitization program, to raise the awareness of the public, on the risk of breast cancer.
The exercise sought to enlighten the people, especially women, on the need for them to always be breast cancer conscious. The event started with a sensitization rally, from the Government Annex to Freedom Park and from the Freedom Park to Olaiya Junction in Osogbo, the state capital.
Commissioner for Health, State of Osun, Dr. Mrs Temitope Ilori described the dreaded disease as a tumor , ”a mass of abnormal tissue’’ if unchecked has the ability to spread to different areas of the body.
Explaining why the state government embarked on such sensitization, the Health Commissioner said about 95 percent of women who develop breast cancer have no previous knowledge of its risk factors, and there is need to sensitize them on the danger of the disease.
According to Ilori, the symptoms of breast cancer can either be a change in shape or size of the breast, swelling of the upper arm or armpit, and discharge from the breast among others’’ she said.
The commissioner stressed the need for Self Breast Examination (SBE) among women to recognize any changes in their breast for quick medical attention.
She said, the state government of Osun in partnership with the Tumor Suppressors Maternal Organization (TSMO), have made necessary arrangements with victims of breast cancers to have access to adequate treatment.
Also, she advised breast cancer patients to visit Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital(LAUTECH), Osogbo, Our Lady of Fatima Hospital, Jaleyemi and Hamstring Specialist Hospital/ Diagnostic Centre in Osogbo, for counseling and necessary measures.
Ilori, however, charged women in Osun to always visit state government hospitals, for early discovery of cancer symptoms, as prevention is better than cure.
BIOREPORTS
The judiciary of the State of Osun yesterday marked the 2013-2014 Legal Year with a promise by the Chief Judge, Justice Oyebola Adepele Ojo, that dispensation of justice would be done with fair and objectivity.Addressing journalists shortly after inspecting the guard of honour mounted by the police within the state High Court premises in Osogbo, Justice Ojo commended members of the judiciary for their robust services to the society.
She described the duty of men of the bench and the bar as indispensable to the society and promised not to compromise the truth on the dispensation of justice.
The chief judge stressed that total commitment to dispensation of justice would be observed by the judiciary while “all members, including the bench and the bar are working in synergy and harmony to ensure quick and just dispensation of justice.”
The Bishop of the Diocese of Osun Anglican Communion, Rt. Revd. Dr. James Afolabi Popoola, who was represented by Ven. Samuel Sunday Dada, called for independence of the judiciary and full financial autonomy.
He said judiciary should not be treated as mere appendages of the executives and legislatures. Asking the judiciary to resist attempt to compromise them, the Bishop said.
NATIONAL MIRROR
