The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Osogbo and members of his team paid a courtesy visit to the Governor at his office in Osogbo recently ….

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (4th right); Speaker Osun State House of Assembly, Honourable Najeem Salaam (right); Most Rev. Gabriel Abegunrin, Bishop Catholic Diocese of Osogbo (3rd right) and members of Catholic Diocese members, during a courtesy visit to the
Governor in his office in Osogbo, State of Osun

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (4th right); Speaker Osun State House of Assembly, Honourable Najeem Salaam (right); Osun State Commissioner for Home Affairs, Culture and Tourism, Mr Sikiru Ayedun (2nd left); Deputy Chief of Staff to Osun State Governor, Mr Gbenga Adebusuyi
(3rd right); Osun State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Barrister Kolapo Alimi (2nd right) Most Rev. Gabriel Abegunrin, Bishop Catholic Diocese of Osogbo (6th right); Vica General, Reverend Father Michael Okodua (7th left) and others, during a courtesy visit by Catholic Diocese of Osogbo to the Governor 

State House of Assembly of Osun has taken those who are blackmailing the government on debt profile of the state to task on the report of Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) released on Thursday, noting that the report was detailed enough on indebted states excluding Osun.
Speaker Najeem Salaam in a statement issued by his media office in Osogbo commended Governor Rauf Aregbesola for driving his six point integral action plan with financial surgery which gives the state clean bill of health, saying that the new fact has divorced wishful thinking of the opposition from reality check.
“We, the lawmakers at the state House of Assembly, have always been saying that Osun is not heavily indebted as being painted by some cynics, and none of the Federal agencies has mentioned Osun on debt issue, but the opposition that has phobia for research insisted that Osun is in huge debt. I hope that the new report of Fiscal Responsibility Commission will put the cynicism to rest.”
Besides, Speaker Salaam has drawn attention of the people of the state to the new status of Osun among the other component units of the federation, asserting that it was a good news that the state under the watch of Aregbesola has become a reference point at just concluded National Economic Summit in the areas of good governance, lowest unemployment rate, and infrastructural development index.
Speaker Salaam then urged the people to continue to support an administration that is bringing glad tiding to the people and the state, saying that Osun is experiencing resultant effects of new order brought about by Aregbesola’s administration.
Signed:
Goke Butika
Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker
State House of Assembly of Osun

Osun State is planning to attract public servants to work in rural areas by introducing 25 per cent of monthly salary bonus as special incentive to the workers.

Governor Rauf Aregbesola, who disclosed this in Ila Orangun during a town hall meeting, said the special package to public servants in rural areas is to encourage them to help in the development of the grassroots.

He noted that one of the ways of ensuring that public officers serve in rural communities is to give them incentives hence 25 per cent of the salaries of workers posted to rural communities would be paid as bonus.

The special package to workers posted to rural communities by the government is an attempt to discourage worker-mobility from the rural to urban communities.

FROM being a yearly Art show in Lagos, ‘Experience Nigeria’ has added more flavour to the just-ended Osun Osogbo Festival in Osun State.
Organised by Oladele Olaopa-led African Arts Resource Centre (AARC), the show made its outside Lagos debut at the festival, as ‘Experience Osogbo’ Art Fair.
Over 75 works from 15 artists were showed at the exhibition hall of the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding (CBCIU).
Shortly after returning from Osogbo, Olaopa, who spoke to The Guardian, said Experience Osogbo Art Fair was conceived to bring art shows back into the festival, saying it was in collaboration with Osun State Government with the hope that it would continue the arts and culture identity, which Osogbo has been known for these past decades. He recalled that Ulli Beier and Susanne Wenger’s efforts in promoting the art of the people has greatly contributed to the creative development of the country. But with Experience Osogbo Art Fair, “we are taking it up by organising a yearly show.”
Specifically, the exhibition, he stressed was designed “to promote the native artists in Osun State”. Artists whose works were shown included Sunday Osevwe, Kayode Adewumi, Lanre Ayuba, Sangorinu Adewale, Akangbe Ogun, Iyiola Kazeem, Adeyinka Fabayo, Olaitan Bolarinwa, Rotimi Togbe, Adewale Oloruntogbe, Femi Johnson, Ademola Onibonokuta.
The Experience Nigeria art competition and exhibition, which moves to Abuja in November 2013 has been supporting young artists since 1991. Though the Experience Osogbo Art Fair is not exactly in the art competition format, the event, however, produced a prize for ‘the best exhibiting artist courtesy of the State Government’. Tagged the Susanne Wenger Award for Excellence in Art, the N50, 000 prize was given to Adewale Oloruntogbe by the Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.
Impressed by what he described as the new look of the festival, Olaopa noted that there was a trade mission perspective to the event, which created opportunity for participants to meet their foreign counterparts. Meeting visitors from abroad during the event, he disclosed, has led to a proposed collaboration. “We met some visitors from the US, who have shown interest to collaborate with us for next year’s event”. The partnership, which is expected to have “10 American artists showing with Nigerians here”, Olaopa hoped, “will help build entrepreneurship into the career of the new generation of Osogbo artists”.
While recalling that the first generation of Osogbo artists who had ‘experimental art workshops’ under Beier and Wenger over 40 years ago, he said the workshop has left a legacy reverberating across the art scene at home and in the Diaspora. Rufus Ogundele, Muraina Oyelami,Yinka Adeyemi, Ademola Onibonokuta,Adebisi Fabunmi, Tijani Mayakiri and Alake Buraimoh were the first set of participants at the historic workshop with Beier and Wenger.
Perhaps what distinguished this workshop from others was the fact that the participants had freedom to express their creativity with little or no confinement in formal setting. “The workshop basically encouraged them to awaken their hidden creative instincts,” he said.
Also, artists such as Twins Seven-Seven, Taiwo Olaniyi, Muraina Oyelami, Adebisi Fabunmiand Jimoh Buraimoh joined the workshops. However, Olopa noted, “the wonderful legacy survives in the works of a new generation of Osogbo artists some of who participated in the first Experience Osogbo Arts Fair.
culled from The Guaradian

World Summit Award (WSA) Out of 461 entries nominated from 100+countries. 17 Grand Jury members converged for three days in the city of Tallinn, Republic of Estonia, Northern Europe to judge and choose winners for 2013 WSA Summit Awards.
Under the category of e-Learning and Education, OPON IMO entry from NIGERIA, State of Osun, emerged above all others to win this e-Content Creativity competition.
WSA is a global initiative within the United Nations framework which gives awards every two years to outstanding e-content.
Details shortly about the awesome benefits of this Global Award.
OSUN DEFENDER

The Republic of Ireland chapter of Oranmiyan Foundation, a socio-political group founded by Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State, has donated toilet facility to the Osun State General Hospital, Ede, Ede South Local Government Area.
The handing-over ceremony which held recently at the hospital premises was used by the donour group to commend Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s giant strides which they claim cut across all the major sectors of national economy.
The donated items included toilets for patients and hospital staff, water tank, cleaning tools, among others.
Speaking at the event, which was graced by the group’s Worldwide President, Prince Felix Awofisayo, the chairman of the chapter, Dr. Oluwole Alabi, said the decision to provide the toilet facility was an outcome of the needs assessment tour the organisation embarked upon in April when they visited the state.
He explained that the chapter was prepared to complement the governor’s commitment to eradicate poverty, banish hunger and diseases in the state by investing time, energy and other resources at their disposal to support the present administration in the state.
He also on behalf of the chapter thanked the governor for the appointment of the chapter’s Treasurer, Dr. Rafiu Isamotu, as the new Senior Special Adviser on Health.
Prince Awofisayo in his goodwill message commended the governor for his commitment to the urban renewal project and the ongoing renovation of hospitals across the state.
The Permanent Secretary for the Health Management Board, Mrs. Omolara Ajayi, who represented the Commissioner for Health, Dr. (Mrs.) Temitope Ilori, thanked the donour and sought for more “community participation and support in the ongoing transformation efforts of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.”
The hospital’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Oluwole Adejumo was appreciative of the gesture and pledged that the facility would adequately be maintained. He also conducted the guests, which included the newly appointed SSA to the governor on Health, round the hospital to assess the ongoing renovation of the facilities.
Dr. Isamotu, whose appearance at the event marked his first official visit to the hospital warned medical officers against truancy, negligence and insubordinations, saying the new leadership in the state is all out to make healthy living a habit among the people.
Representatives of other chapters of the foundation around the globe including those from the United Kingdom were on hand to applaud their colleagues.
NATIONAL MIRROR