To commemorate the Global Hand-washing Day, Unilever through its Lifebuoy soap has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Osun State Government with a view to improving hygiene among the teeming youths population in the state.
The key objective of the MOU is to share a common vision and improve the health and wellbeing of Nigerian children through implementation of integrated school health education and behavioural change activities around hygiene, oral care, nutrition and sustainable energy consumption as part of their commitment and dedication of resources into measurable results for all children.
Speaking at the Global Hand-washing Day celebration in the State of Osun, Brand Building Director, David Okeme, represented by Nutrition and Health Manager, West Africa, Unilever, Dr. Victor Ajieroh said: “Unilever is happy to be part of the 2013 celebration of the Global Hand-washing Day in collaboration with the State Government of Osun, the Partnership for Child Development and other stakeholders.”
While lauding the initiative, Governor Rauf Aregbesola, noted that the state is in collaboration with Unilever, as part of its commitment to leave no stone unturned to make it a model state for hygiene. “We use this opportunity to create awareness in the general populace to imbibe the culture of hand-washing, to sensitize policy makers, to give proper attention to schools to provide hand-washing materials,” he stressed.
THE NATION

Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and his deputy, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori  joined the Chief Judge at the Road Walk Commemorating Legal Year as part of activities, marking 2013 Legal Year, in Osogbo, State of Osun on Friday 18-10-2013

The Government of the State of Osun says it has concluded plans to turn waste to raw materials. The General Manager of the Waste Management Authority in Osun, Alhaji Ganiyu Oyeladun, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Osogbo that government was committed to transform the state. According to him, the state is presently compressing the e-waste content of the waste product for metal smelting company to use as raw materials, while plans are on the way for recycling.
“We realise the economic benefit inherent in the recycling of the waste product generated in the state to viable raw materials for industrial usage which will help the economy in no small way. Also, this policy of waste-to-wealth as new global trend will reduce the hitherto hazards which heaps of refuse in our environment is generating on daily basis. Although, we have not been able to have a recycling factory here in Osun, efforts are being made to establish one to complement the efforts of the government to diversify,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, an environment expert, Dr Adeleke Osipintan, has enjoined governments at all level to look inward and improve the economy of their domain through environmental innovation. Osipintan enumerated the dual advantages of turning what could have been a threat to the environment into an economic advantage and make the environment hazard-free. He accused third world political leaders of not being conscious of their environment until something terrible which threatens the survival of the people happen.
“Take the recent menace of flooding for instance, many of the vulnerable areas would have been salvaged and their economy improved if there had been move to clear the environment of waste. Because people could be indiscriminate in dumping of refuse, this waste always block the water channels that always resulted to flooding during downpour. Ordinarily, the waste could have been recycled to good materials for production, which could improve the economic well being of the people instead of causing havoc,’’ he said.
(NAN)

Photos showing partly the outcome of  Osun’s Urban Renewal Programme. The Governor of the State of Osun’s Urban Renewal Project has definitely given Osogbo a renewed look.The pictures below are of Alekuwodo road in Osogbo, the State Capital of Osun as it shines and stands out at night.

 
The recent reclassification of the educational system by the Rauf Aregbesola administration is generating a lot of heat between the Christian community and the government. Our correspondent spoke with leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and PDP on the issue. It is simply explosive.
Barrister Kunle Oyatomi is the Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Osun State. A seasoned journalist and administrator, he  spoke on the position of his party on the issue.
 
 
WHAT really is the problem between the Osun Christian Association of Nigeria and the state government over the merger of schools in the state and the reclassification of the educational system?
As far as we are concerned, there is no problem. It is the Baptist Christians that have  problem with the innovation going on and it is all about their selfish interest and not the State of Osun. The BaptistChurch was around when the entire educational system in Osun collapsed and they did nothing. Now that they have somebody who is comprehensively overhauling the system, they are crying wolf where none exists.
What is in this policy?
The policy wants to desegregate schools run by government and it also wants to make sure that Osun students will not break their education from Primary to Secondary school and thirdly, the new system is designed to align with international best practices in teaching and learning that was absent in the old system.
Fourthly, the new system intends to ensure that our children are healthy at school and the government is providing for the most vulnerable children from Primary 1 to 4. Overall the policy is to develop a total man in our children. That’s  what the policy intends to achieve. The policy does not intend to promote any religion whatsoever. So if the BaptistChurch is now fretting over its phantom Islamization that is its  creation and it has nothing to do with the government of Osun.
Why did Opon Imo contain Ifa?
It is for the same reason that it contains the Quran and the Bible. But these are subjects in WAEC syllabus. That WAEC does not contain Ifa does not make Ifa irrelevant. Ifa is the traditional religion of the Yoruba nation. It has nothing to do with Babalawo. So if Christians are paranoid about Babalawo (fetish priests) it is unfortunate. Ifa is a divination of the religion of the worshippers of Olodumare and Olodumare is the supreme deity whom the Christians call God and the Moslems call Allah.
As far as we know, the BaptistChurch does not own any school in the State of Osun. They could be Baptist in name due to their former ownership but they are essentially run by government. If Government had no such interest in the school, Baptist would not have been part of the merger. There is no privately owned, managed and funded school that is affected by this reclassification policy.
Why this classification when the nation runs 6-3-3-4 school system?
That system remains in place and the government in Osun has done nothing to alter it. What has been done is to align it with global best practices to ensure that no student breaks his education at primary level. For instance, the syllabus is unchanged and all students are, in the final analysis, expected to write WAEC NECO and JAMB examinations. So there is no basis whatsoever for hues and cries on this issue.
With the criticism that greeted the new policy on education by the state government in some quarters, is the government willing to go back on the policy?
This government will not go back on the policy that is well intended to nurture and programme our children to a better future, to actually improve on their standard, which was so low and appalling before this government came in. The government sat down and did education summit, which  was headed by Professor Wole Soyinka and the outcome of this summit is what we are implementing now: from the structure of the school to the content  and appearance of our children. This is the entire thing not just looking at the uniform, to differentiate OsunState students;  students in the state from other students, or from privately owned schools and  government schools. The uniform will also differ from elementary to middle school and high schools, and to further get this thing done without tasking parents, there is a garment factory that has been established where you can go to and replace the uniform of your ward.
Government means well and is investing very heavily in education because that is the only thing we owe our children. If Awolowo didn’t do free education there wouldn’t be professors, doctors, etc, today.
The Christian Association of Nigeria in the state has just given the government a  seven- day ultimatumto  reverse the policy. What is the position of your party on the ultimatum?
I think they still have time to rethink their ultimatum because it would produce nothing. This government is not a government that would be given ultimatum, they will still go back to re-appraise their stand on this matter. We are appealing to them to do so.
Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is not fusing. The idea, plan and target is to make the students in Osun a target of world pride. It is not a question of  Muslim or Christian. It is a wrong motion to think like that.
In our education system,  he wants to make sure that we have the three religions that are peculiar to Osun. If they are not doing it in Ogun or Oyo states it does not mean  that it is wrong,that is what federalism is all about.
We can’t ignore traditionalists because  this is the religion that has been in existence even before the two religions, Christianity and Islam came, that is the truth.
The position of opposition parties and those opposed to the policy  is that this policy will wipe out the issuance of school leaving certificates, what is your take on this?
They are warped in their thinking. Let me tell you, this policy like you must have heard and listened to, has three categories.
Primary certificate
Elementary school 1-4  wil have pupils of age range 5-9 years, middle school grade 5-9 pupils of range 10-14 years and high school grade 10-12 with students of ages 15-17.
What are we talking about primary school? In your first question I think I told you that we want to to make sure that no student drops out of school at primary level; so what he is doing with the primary school certificate for God sake? In this clime and age that we are we are talking about primary certificate?
There is elementary, middle and high school, the ultimate   is WASCE and nobody is saying that our students will not write WASCE, JAMB or NECO. So don’t let us put nothing on something.
What Osun government has done in the past has attracted the interest of Federal Government. An example is OYES, which reduced unemployment in our society. What we are saying is if something is not working for you why should we switch to it? People should embrace positive change.
VANGUARD

Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has disclosed that agriculture is an important component in the blueprint of his administration.
Aregbesola revealed this recently in Kigali, Rwanda in an interactive session with AgroNigeria after his keynote address at the EMRC 2013 Agribusiness forum.
He stated that there is no way economic development can take place if agriculture is not embraced.
According to him “you cannot talk about economic development in the rare sense without agriculture. We realized that most of the scourge plaguing our people is food and agriculture related; that is why we made it a major component of our administration”.
Speaking further, Aregbesola said there is no way poverty can be banished on a large scale outside agriculture, adding that besides the support agriculture gives to guaranteeing food security, it is the only occupation that can engage a large number of people.
While speaking on the importance of agriculture to his administration, the governor noted that three out of the six integral action plan of his administration are agriculture related.
In his word, I must let you know that the three core components of our six integral action plan are banishment of poverty, banishment of hunger and banishment of unemployment. All these are related to agriculture”.
“We have resolved to use Osun as a model through which agriculture can be used to bring about economic growth and sustainable development that would be solidly grounded in food security” He explained.
Aregbesola who bagged an award from EMRC at the Agribusiness Forum also hinted that he is out to make agriculture the platform for transforming the socio-economic growth and development of the society.
AgroNigeria

 
THE publisher of defunct Third Eye newspaper, Chief Akanni Aluko, has commended the urban and infrastructural renewal programme of the Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. The elder statesman gave the commendation yesterday while receiving an award by the International School, University of Ibadan (ISI) for his contributions to the development of education.
Chief Aluko, who urged the governor not to relent or be distracted in his effort to transform the state, however, advised the governor to desist from borrowing money to fund social projects in the state. Chief Aluko, while reflecting on the achievements of Governor Aregbesola ,said the state has witnessed tremendous growth in infrastructural development and urban renewal, a feat, he noted was very rare in recent years for any governor to achieve.He said: “My reason for speaking out is because of what Governor Aregbesola has done within a short time in office.
THE NATION

A former consultant to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, Dr. Amiel Fagbulu, has described the new education policy introduced by Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State as a good step in the right direction.
Fagbulu, in an interview with journalists in Ilesa, urged the governor to forge ahead with the policy of school reclassification, saying it was in the interest of the people of the state.
The ex-inspector of education in the defunct Western Region explained that the policy would enable government to expend its limited resources on fewer schools, which would bring about optimal results in the state’s education system.
He said, “The school reclassification is very good. It did not start today, it started in 1961 when few number of students were attending schools scattered all over.
“It is not right for the Christian Association of Nigeria to prevent boys or girls from being merged in any public school. The schools no longer belong to them since they have been taken over by the government. They cannot claim ownership of those schools any longer.
“The schools were taken over because their managements refused to pay teachers and teachers’ promotion was not based on merit, despite the fact that government was giving them grants to run those schools. They were compensated when government took over the schools.
“On the argument of single sex schools, it is even better for boys and girls to learn together because it promotes healthy rivalry among both sexes.
“Again, the pupils do not live in a single sex community, do they? So, what are we talking about?”
Fagbulu, who served as an adviser to the Asabia Commission, which recommended the schools’ takeover in 1975, advised Christians who were preventing hijab-wearing pupils from being merged with Christian missionary schools to have a rethink, adding that the development could precipitate crisis.
Also, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, has reportedly urged Aregbesola to continue with the implementation of his administration’s policy of reclassification of schools.
According to a statement by the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy Osun State, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, Ooni at, a public assessment forum held in Ile Ife, commended Aregbesola’s commitment to development and asked him to continue with the new education policy.
The Ooni, who was represented by the Obalufe of Iremoland, Chief Folorunsho Omishakin, was quoted in the statement as saying, “Your programme, too, will succeed like that of Obafemi Awolowo. When Awolowo started the reform, people antagonised him. They said the programme would not succeed.”
PUNCH