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The Attorney General of the State of Osun, Ajibola Basiru has said that law making is not a one-off process but a continuous and enduring one.
 
 
 
Speaking to Members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Lawyers in the Media (LIM) Forum in Lagos recently about the development of law and the administration of justice system in the state, the Commissioner for Justice informed them that the state had commenced work on several laws in Osun State, which according to him was last reviewed in 2002.
“Making law is an ongoing process, and the state is currently focused on developing capacity within the Judiciary for speedier dispensation of Justice, the AG said.
He hinted that the Chief Judge of the State of Osun was currently reviewing the Civil Procedure Rules, which according to him will ensure the quick dispensation of Justice is both civil and Criminal matters.
He continued, “Recently, 44 new laws have been passed while a few are still in the works. Some of those in the works include, the Administration of Criminal Justice Law,”
Speaking extensively about the administration of justice system; the efficiency of the judiciary and the quality of judgments, Basiru blamed the lack of infrastructure and financial autonomy for the decay in Nigeria’s Judiciary.
He said, “While there are serious infrastructural challenges in the Judiciary face, the lack of independence and autonomy faced by the judiciary is just as grievous. It is damaging.”
“We do have three arms of government, which are not totally independent of each other but rather exist to complement each other. How can it be right and efficient for the Executive to provide allocations for the Chief Judge to build courts, how can the same executive be checked.
“Note that, this is not to say that the Judiciary should not be well funded. On the contrary, the Judiciary should be well catered for as it will encourage more local and foreign investments and that is why we are working hard to ensure that the judiciary is restructured.
On the role of the police in the dispensation of justice, the AG said, “We must realise that the Police and the Nigerian Prison service play a vital role in this regard. Unfortunately we have no authority over these institutions. That notwithstanding, we are trying our best to work with them to ensure that we decongest our prisons and prosecute the right people.”
The State of Osun has indeed scored some victories with its dispute resolution system. The AG disclosed that only about 10% of disputes in the state is currently being resolved through litigation, while over 90% are resolved through Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms.
Speaking about the State’s achievement in the justice sector, Basiru said, that the state has successfully reduced its caseload, largely attributing this to the use of information and communication technology (ICT) to track cases and to better understand the challenges in the system.
“We discovered early in this administration that it was not all about legal training, it had to go beyond legal training to ICT and Managerial skills for efficient case management system.”
“This is why we continue to invest in manpower development and training for our people.
“Indeed, ours has been a success story so far and we believe that we will still to do greater things in advancing and administering the laws of our state.”

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Ilesa, Osun State stood still yesterday as Acting President Yemi Osinbajo led other eminent Nigerians, including governors, to the eight-day Fidau prayer of the mother of Governor Rauf Aregbesola, Alhaja Saratu Asabi. She died on August 1.
 

 
The roll call includes Governors Abiola AJimobi of Oyo; Akinwumi Ambode (Lagos); Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo); Ayodele Fayose (Ekiti); Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun); Nasri el-Rufai (Kaduna); Abdulahi Ganduje (Kano) and Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi).
Other eminent citizens present are former interim national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Adebisi Akande, Minister of Solid Minerals, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; General Alani Akinrinade (rtd); one-time governor of Ogun State, Chief Olusegun Osoba; erstwhile chief executive of Ekiti State, Chief Adeniyi Adebayo, as well as Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Lasun Yusuf and the chamber’s ex-speaker, Patricia Foluke Etteh.

The rest were Afenifere chieftain, Chief Ayo Adebanjo; the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi; Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu; Ogiyan of Ejigbo, Oba Omowonuola Oyesosin and Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdul Rasheed Akanbi.
The President General, League of Imams and Alfas in South West, Edo and Delta states, Sheik Kewulere, led scores of Islamic clerics and scholars to the event.
In his lecture, the Chief Imam of Federal Polytechnic, Ede, Taofeek Abdul Hammed, urged those in position of leadership to see their offices as a privilege to cater for the welfare of the people.
He noted that life was ephemeral, urging the people to assess their lives daily with a view to making necessary adjustments before death calls.
The lecturer, who based his message on Quran Chapter 57, compared life to a stage, saying all actors would leave one day to render account to Allah.

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Osun government has concluded plans to collaborate with the Nepal khadya Bank Limited on scientific agriculture to boost agricultural activities  in the state and also create jobs for unemployed youths through a programme tagged ‘Agropreneur’ in Nigeria.
 
 

 
The Chairman and Managing Director of the Nepal khadya Bank Limited, Mr Ram Raja Shrestha  stated this during a programme organised by a non-governmental organisation, World Institute for Peace (WIP), in collaboration Osun State government.
The NGO attracted the Nepal bank to Osun as part of efforts to assist the government in facilitating investments that can improve the economy of the state and benefit the youths.
A serving member of parliament in Ghana, Dr. Rashid Pelpuo while speaking on the occasion, lauded the organiser of the programme, Mr Lamina Kamiludeen for using the NGO to assist the state and the youths.
Shrestha said the state government has agreed to provide 1,000 hectares of land for the bank for the purpose of commercial farming and that the land would be used to plant cassava and maize.
He said over 100 youths in the state would be empowered economically through the farm.
“There is about 1,000 hectares of land that the state government wants to give us. From there, we want to launch contract farming, we want to make commercial farmers, and we want to launch Agropreneur in Nigeria,” he said.

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Dr. Ajibola Basiru is Osun State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice. In this interview, he discusses the strides taken by the Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola-led administration in judicial reforms, law and economic development. Legal Editor John Austin Unachukwu met him.
A reformed, modernised legal and judicial sector is a sine qua non to socio-economic and democratic growth. What is the position in Osun State?
 

 
 
Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola during his electioneering campaign published the ‘Green Book’ titled: ‘My pact with the people of Osun State.’ The Green Book is the manifesto of the Aregbesola administration and in it he made a documented promise that his government will ensure speedy access to justice for all individuals in Osun State by reforming the courts system and procedural rules, introducing alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms and free legal services.
So, how has he addressed these promises?

To address these electoral promises, the Aregbesola government has made legal and judicial sector reform critical aspects of governmental intervention. This is because development ought not to be at the pleasure of a benevolent leader; it must be institutionalised and made sustainable. It is also apposite to state that in order to galvanize the needed socio economic development of the State, his administration has no choice but to embark on aggressive legal reform initiative.

Can you give us a sectoral break down of these legal reforms initiatives?
The legal reform initiatives cut across key sectors, including public finance management, revenue generation, education and human capacity development, urban renewal and environment, governance and security, judicial sector reform, health, safety, agriculture and food security and the institutionalisation of social welfare schemes.
What is the philosophy or principles behind these reforms?
The objectives of the legal reform initiatives of the Aregbesola-led administration is to modernise governance, institutionalise good governance practices, facilitate and support investment, improve security and social welfare, promote public good and realise the Six-point Integral Action Plan of the Administration.
Law is seen as a catalyst for economic development. The Nigerian legal regime seems to be different.

The problems with the Nigerian legal regime for economic development are myriad and are indicated by archaic or multiple laws and regulations, overlaps in administrative and institutional structures, absence of laws in critical areas and a general state of confusion that is a disincentive to investment by local and international investors and entrepreneurs.

How has Osun used laws to improve its peoples’ welfare?
We have done this through a number of bills which we have passed into laws in the state. For instance, the State of Osun Bonds, Notes and other Security Insurance Law which came into force on   June 12, 2012, is intended to enable the state issue debt instruments, such as bonds, notes, and other securities and to establish the Consolidated Debt Service Account (CDSA) and Sinking Fund for the management of the debt. By section 1(1) of the Law, the CDSA shall be a Savings account to be fully funded from the 20 per cent appropriated in accordance with section 1 (2) of the Law, this provision authorizes the state to appropriate 20 per cent of the monthly Internally Generally Revenue (IGR) to the servicing of the state’s debt obligations arising pursuant to the Law. The CDSA shall be fully funded in cash equal to the maximum yearly debt service on the tranches series or issue of the debt instruments issued from time to time by the state.
Other laws passed by the state include State of Osun (Omoluabi) Conservation Fund Law 2012,  State of Osun Debt Management Office Law 2012, the State of Osun  Fiscal Responsibility Law 2012, the State of Osun Revenue Administration Law 2012, Land use Charge Bill 2013, the State of Osun  Signage Hoarding and Advertisement Law 2012 and State of Osun Public Private Partnership Bill 2012.  All these laws were made to improve the quality of governance and the welfare of the people in the state.
Security of life and property remains one of the country’s challenges. What is the situation in Osun?
Osun is safe for all Nigerians. There is no place for cults and cultism. We have state of the art security surveillance both air and land so there is no place they can hide. We have also deployed enormous resources in ensuring that the police are well equipped and encouraged. On our part, our expert team of lawyers in the ministry of justice conduct their case in a timely and effective fashion to ensure that criminals are brought to book
Many states have adopted the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) as their laws to combat crimes in the states. What is the position in Osun?
We have already begun work on the laws of Osun, which was last reviewed in 2002. We have commissioned consultants and recently 44 new laws have been passed while about 20 are pending. Part of the pending laws is the Administration of Criminal Justice Law. Making law is always an ongoing process, what we are currently focusing on is developing capacity within the Judiciary for the speedier dispensation of Justice. We have to realise that the Police and the Nigerian Prison Service play a vital role in this regard and unfortunately we have no real say or authority over those institutions but we are trying our best to work with them to ensure that we decongest our prisons and prosecute the right people. The Chief Judge of Osun State is reviewing the Civil Procedure Rules which will further ensure that there is quick dispensation of Justice is both civil and criminal matters.
Alternative Disputes Resolution (ADR) mechanisms seem to be gaining popularity, especially in commercial transactions. What is your view on this?
Osun State has a mediation centre as well as an office of the public defender. The Mediation Centre has helped in reducing the amount of cases pending before the regular courts. This is a service that the government has provided at no cost to its people. Since 2012, over 250 cases have been resolved while another 120 are still ongoing.
There have been calls for judicial autonomy. What is the position in Osun?
There are serious infrastructural challenges that the Judiciary faces but we must look at it from the point of view that even though we have three arms of government, they are not totally independent of each other and they are there to complement each other. The Executive cannot give the Chief Judge allocation to build courts, it is the job of the executive to execute projects. So to give the Judiciary all it needs to build its infrastructures etc. is not the way it works. This is not to say that the Judiciary should not be well funded, on the contrary, the Judiciary should be well catered for as it will encourage more local and foreign investments and that is why we are working hard to ensure that the judiciary is restructured
Many states have passed anti-open grazing laws to checkmate conflicts between cow breeders and local farmers. What is the position in  Osun?
The issue of grazing is cultural. In Osun we have invested heavily in setting up a cow-fattening facility to maximise on the production of milk and cow flesh which is the real value in the feeding of these cows in the first place. We don’t want animals running around. That is not the way to go about it. We need to resolve this issue from a socio-economic point of view but if the National Assembly continues along this path we will have to test the constitutionality of the bill at the Supreme Court if the bill passes into law.
Payment of civil servants is a major challenge for the Osun government. What is responsible for this?
It is my sincere belief that this is a fallout of the declining economy, the fall in the price of crude oil and our inability to diversify our economy. We simply have too many bureaucracies, 38 states sharing meagre national resources. We have no viable industries or production capacity. Nigeria needs to radically restructure at the regional level otherwise we will continue to regress. We understand the problem we are having in paying our civil servants and we have called all the stakeholders together in a transparent manner. Each month we show them what we receive from the Federal Government and from our IGR. Armed with this information, the leaders of the various unions have agreed on a new salary scale that is reasonable and reflects the economic situation in the country.

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The Governor of Kaduna State,  Mallam  Nasir El-Rufai and the Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, have commiserated with the Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, over the death his mother, Alhaja Saratu Aregbesola.
Alhaja Aregbesola passed on to eternal glory last Tuesday.
El-Rufai, who was in Osun to console with the governor, commended his Osun state counterpart Ogbeni for being aggressive in bring development to Osun and her people since the inception of his administration.
Fashola, in a letter entitled Condolence dated 3rd of August and signed personally, conveyed his deepest condolence to Aregbesola of the loss of the Aregbesola matriarch.
The Minister said no pain could be more felt by the Governor than the loss of his mother, who meant everything to him since birth.
Describing the deceased as an unwavering pillar of support, Fashola said Alhaja Saratu meant the whole world to the Governor just as the Governor meant the whole world to the late mum.
Fashola appealed to the Governor to take the demise of his mum as an act of God and as a Muslim put his faith in God, who is the creator and inheritor of all that He created.
The letter read: Please permit my deepest sympathy for you and the family on the passage of your cherished mother and the renowned business woman, Alhaja Saratu Aregbesola.
“As an unwavering pillar of support from birth through your current station in life, I know your mum meant the world to you and you meant the world to her, hence no pain would probably be more far reaching than losing her at this point in time.
However, as a Muslim faithful, I implore you to be comforted by the knowledge that Almighty Allah knows the best and that Mama has gone to be with her Maker after a most worthy and virtuous earthly sojourn.
Please be certain that you are in my thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. On behalf of my wife, Dame Emmanuella, I say our heartfelt condolences once again and pray that the Almighty Allah grant Iya Olobis soul Al-Jannah Fridaus.
He said Nigeria and Nigerians are watching and are conscious of his unprecedented social interventions programmes and ground-breaking achievements in all spheres of life.
Governor El-Rufai made the remarks while paying a condolence visit to Governor Aregbesola over the ‎demise of his mother, Alhaja Saratu Aregbesola who died last week.
He lauded Aregbesola for not being deterred in his efforts to turn around the socio-economic fortunes even in the face of dire economic situation of the nation.
According to him, it is on records that the administration of Governor Aregbesola has made a huge success in all aspects of the economy most interestingly in the areas of education, health, security and empowerment programmes designed for the youth.
“We are very proud of you. You are a man of great vision. You are a governor that is so compassionate. You have rescued Osun state and its people from degrading and placed them on sand-footing as you are committed to the upliftment of lives of the ordinary people in the state.
“You have maintained your status even in the face of trials to remain what you are as a man of great vision, great passion and great commitment. We are very proud of you.‎
“You are known to be one of the few leaders who assumed power not because of the sake of it but to give and restore fate and hope to ordinary people by putting them on sand-footing.
‎”Almighty Allah will reward you bountifully because I was here some years back and I have seen some ground-breaking achievements that had emerged through your administration.
‎”The entire nation is aware of your social protection policies that brought about the engagement of 40, 000 youths in two batches. We are also aware of the Elementary School Feedings which my own state (Kaduna) has replicated as well as other states in Nigeria.
“We have also seen the grand-breaking achievements in the health sector that is why my administration deemed it fit to chose Osun as a state to be understudied in the cause of search for leading state in good governance.
“As we all know that Kaduna state government sent some officials to Osun when I was elected Governor to understudy ‎how good governance is being sustained through Aregbesola’s dynamic efforts.
“We also sent some delegation to Osun to learn when we wanted to commence our school feeding programmes‎.
“So, it isn’t a doubt that Governor Aregbesola is an example of honesty, integrity, commitment and dedication. Infact, you are epitome of good governance and what politics and All Progressives Congress, APC represents.
‎”You have used your good position to restore hopes to the people of Osun as this is manifested in the level of developments emerging across the state”, El-Rufai added.
While consoling Aregbesola over his mother’s death, Governor El-Rufai described the deceased as a woman who God has blessed with a fulfilled life as being reflected in the fruits of the womb she was blessed with which Aregbesola is one of them.
He therefore prayed God to repose the soul of late Saratu Aregbesola ‎and grant her Aljana Fridaos while seeking His face to give the bereaved the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
In his remarks, the Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola commended Governor El-Rufai for being part of the active personalities in nation building.
He therefore expressed profound gratitude to those who have sent condolences, goodwills, SMS and e-mails to share the pains with his family.

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The Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola has once again called on all monarchs and citizens of the State to show understanding and support to the present government in order to move the State forward and make it a self-sustaining one.

 
Governor Aregbesola made the appeal at the Iwo-Popo ceremony which signals the beginning of this year’s internationally acclaimed annual Osun Osogbo festival while paying homage to the Ataoja of Osogboland,
Oba Jimoh Olanipekun, Laaroye II in his palace.
The Governor who was represented at the occasion by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Culture and Tourism, Mrs Taiwo Oluga specially thanked the Ataoja and natives of Osogbo for the support they have been giving to the present administration especially in terms of peace and orderliness which has made the State a peaceful
one.
Mrs Oluga appealed to the monarch that, appeasement be made during the celebrations for God to give those attacking the government negatively an understanding mind to desist from formenting trouble in the State.
The Special Adviser who was accompanied by officials of the State Council for Arts and Culture, Office of Culture and Tourism and other agencies under her purview pledged the support of the State government for all cultural festivals in the State but called for more support to realising this pledge.
In his response, the Ataoja of Osogboland, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun, Laaroye II thanked the government for the massive infrastructural development in Osogbo in the last seven years.
The kabiesi pledged his support and that of his subjects to the present administration while assuring the government of a peaceful atmosphere in the city always.
Oba Olanipekun also used the opportunity to once again commiserate with Governor Aregbesola on the demise of his mother and prayed that Allah grant her eternal rest.
Several cultural displays by troupes of the State Council for Arts and Culture and several other cultural organisations within the State staged series of dances and other displays.

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The first batch of intending pilgrims from the State of Osun for the year 2017 Hajj exercise will depart Osogbo on Wednesday, 9th of August, while the second batch will depart on Thursday, 10th of August, 2017 for Lagos.
The Secretary, State of Osun Pilgrims’ Welfare Board, Alhaji Sikiru Adetona disclosed this at a farewell programme organized for the intending pilgrims on Saturday, 5th August, 2017 at Bola-Ige House.
He added that, the first batch from the State of Osun are expected to converge on the Board’s Office, State Secretariat Complex on Wednesday 9th August, 2017 at 7.00am with their luggage for movement to the Hajj Camp, Lagos in anticipation of their departure to Saudi Arabia.
Alhaji Adetona further stated that, adequate transport provision fortified with Police Escorts has been provided for the departure to the Hajj Camp.
He then maintained that, adequate welfare packages have been programmed for all the intending pilgrims and that, the Board remains resolute to surpass the enviable position it has continued to retain amongst other States in the annual Islamic exercise.
A total of 969 pilgrims are expected to leave for Saudi Arabia this year from the State of Osun.

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The Osun State  Ministry of Home Affairs, has recorded an over-subscription of the slots allocated to it by the National Commission on Hajj for the 2017 pilgrimage.
While the state was initially awarded 917 slots for pilgrims, the state demanded for an extra 48 slots which were also filled up by intending pilgrims from the state.
This was disclosed yesterday by the Commissioner for Home Affairs, Dr. Obawale Adebisi, while speaking at a program where Governor Rauf Aregbesola bid farewell to the pilgrims performing this year’s hajj.
The Governor said the development is a sign that the economy of Osun is not as precarious as being made to look to outsiders.

A statement from the Office of the Special Adviser, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, quoted the Commissioner for Home Affairs, as disclosing before the Governor that while all the 917 slots originally allocated to Osun was fully booked by pilgrims to Mecca, an additional request for 48 slots from the National Commission on Hajj was also fully subscribed.

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The Osun  government has approved a construction of a multi- million naira golden gate in Iwo.The Chairman of Osun State Tourism Board, Engr. Abimbola Daniyan, made the disclosure to the Oluwo of Iwoland, Oba Abdul-Rasheed Adewale Akanbi, in Iwo.
 
 
 
Oba Akanbi, who was full of appreciation to the Rauf Aregbesola administration, later led Danyan and his team to the outskirts of Iwo towards Papa, a boundary community between Osun and Oyo States, where the proposed golden gate would be erected.
Speaking at the site, Oba Akanbi said the golden gate after its completion would enhance the security of the state from Iwo end being entry point into Osun from Oyo State and also serve as a source of revenue for tourism.
The Oluwo said he proposed the gate to the state government mainly to ensure  the security of lives and property of his subjects.”The gate will be a demarcation of territory between Osun and Oyo States to prevent an encroachment. The demarcation lays credence to the identity of each community in land mass with respect to economic and social interactions. And as such, most first time visitors will be made to know they have crossed into a new domain.

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The State Government of Osun has engaged 5,000 women in the area of local soap production with a view to empowering them and indirectly connecting them to the international markets.
 
The programme conceived in partnership with an offtaker, Kasmo Industries, an indigenous soap making company in Osogbo, is supported with financial impetus from an investor organization in the state.
 
According to facilitator of the programme, Mr. Rufus Idris, the 5,000 women supply black soap which serves as raw material for the local production of over 6 million bar soap, “Dudu Kasmo”, for the first phase in the growing Kasmo Soap business.
 
He said the state Government of Osun through GEMS4, a DFID-fund programme will link expanding market for unique wholesale and retail products from Osun into larger local and international markets. One of the products selected for the programme is Dudu Kasmo.
 
It will be recalled that a memorandum of understanding was signed by Governor Rauf Aregbesola and Alhaji Kasali Owolabi, the CEO of Kasmo Industries Limited in October 2016 to create a non-governmental scheme to reduce hunger, poverty and raise the standard of living through wealth creation.
 
“The benefits attached to the production of Kasmo soap include capacity building for employed staffs, giving the product more credibility as well as improving the quality and quantity of the goods.
 
“With GEMS4 support, Kasmo Industries Limited is expected to increase its capacity for raw materials intake from rural women, increasing their production which will in turn increase their income,” Mr. Rufus noted.
 
One of the local soap makers who spoke on behalf of her colleagues, Emilia Abioye said the initiative has empowered them by giving them direct access to produce for Kasmo Company thereby improving their profit.
 
She expressed her appreciation to the state government and GEMS4 for the programme, a move Mrs Abioye confirmed could banish poverty in the land.
 
So far, about 10,059 cooperative societies have been registered under several similar schemes in the state. Through partnership with DFID and access to a N2.5bn development fund, 133 Small and Medium Scale Enterprises have been setup, with 800 cooperative societies benefitting in low interest loans which has helped them employ over 10,000 individuals across the state.
 
The money facilitated through the Central Bank of Nigeria is in collaboration with SMEDAN under the GEMS4 scheme to provide opportunities to itinerant business owners in order to boost their productivity and generate more income for them.
 
The government, however, reiterated its readiness to track the programme’s impact in the lives of itinerant women local soap makers in Osun State.

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