Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has urged youths to be change agents.
He spoke through the Commissioner for Regional Integration and Special Duties, Mr. Ajibola Basiru, at a workshop organised by the Omoluabi Empowerment Initiative in collaboration with the Ola Oni Centre for Social Research in Osogbo, the state capital.
Urging youths to take their destiny in their hands, Aregbesola said all eyes are on the younger generation to correct many of the ills of the past years.
He warned youths against allowing themselves to be used as tools of destruction, adding that his administration is determined to educate and empower them.
A senior lecturer in the Political Science Department of the Lagos State University (LASU), Dr. Akhaine Odion Slyvester, urged youths to shun acts that can tarnish the country’s image.
THE NATION

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola delivering his address
at the commissioning of Omoluabi Garment Factory-Sam and Sara, at
Abere, Osogbo, State of Osun on Monday 26-08-2013
The efforts of Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s administration to attract investors to the state have begun to yield results as a garment factory, Omoluabi Garment Factory, has sprung up in the state.
Commissioning the factory located at Abere on Monday, the governor said the industry was a product of his administration’s policy to reap the economic benefits of the production of the school uniform, provided for school children in the state.
The governor added that the factory is just one of the factories that have been brought into existence through the administration’s education revitalisation project, as another factory will, in a short time, begin the production of the e-learning tablet, Opon-Imo, and other electronic gadgets in Ilesa.
He said: “We have since supplied 750,000 uniforms to all our public school pupils free-of-charge. Through this alone, we have provided job opportunities for our market women, who supplied the materials for the uniforms and about 3,000 tailors, who sewed them.
“But this Omoluabi Garment Factory that we are commissioning today is a product of the policy to reap the economic benefits of the production of the school uniforms. This factory will henceforth produce the school uniforms 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.
“This garment factory is one testimony of our investment drive and our commitment to attracting investors to our state. We have the market and the human and material resources. As a government, we are most willing to provide the enabling environment in infrastructure and security needed for thriving economic activities.”
He also charged the managers of the factory to be innovative and be uncompromisingly committed to quality, as he expressed the commitment of his administration to focus on the implementation of its policies, with the assurance that the people will be better for it.
Speaking, the Managing Director of Sam and Sarah Garment Factory, Mrs Folake Oyemade, said that with the advent of the factory, the state, in partnership with the company, has been able to reduce the unemployment rate and impprove the economic power of the people.
She said that in the quest for job creation, the company has partnered with the state government and trained 500 tailors, while another 500 youths and individuals, who have flair for garment making are presently being trained.
By the end of the year, she assured that 3,000 individuals would have been trained, promising to employ as many as are willing to work with the company.
In his address, the State Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives and Empowerment, Mr Ismaila Alagbada, revealed that several local, foreign and private investors have continued to submit proposals to partner with the state government in the execution of diverse projects that will add value to the state economy.
This, according to him, is an indication of the high confidence reposed in the administration by the investors, saying that very soon, Osun will become a reference point as the state with the fastest growing economy in Nigeria.
He further noted that the commissioning of the factory was a signal that the much-desired industrial revolution is around the corner.
In their goodwil messages, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, represented by the Chairman, House Committee on Commerce, Cooperatives and Empowerment, Honourable Debo Akanbi and the Timi of Edeland, Oba Adesola Lawal, commended the governor for the facilitation of the factory.
The duo said that Aregbesola’s approach to governance would continue to be a reference point, as the approach has been having positive impact on the lives of the people.
OSUN DEFENDER

A Music Video by Nigerian Artist B’SALA for GOVERNOR RAUF AREGBESOLA (STATE OF OSUN). Listen and Enjoy it.

A dance drama staged in Osogbo as part of the 2013 Osun Osogbo Festival, reinforces the need for greater national unity, CHUX OHAI writes
As the activities to mark the Osun Osogbo Festival reached a climax on Thursday, August 22, 2013, the Hornbill House of the Arts was putting final touches on its preparation for the production of Odia Ofeimun’s epic dance drama, titled ‘Nigeria the Beautiful.’
For a reason best known to Ofeimun, who is the executive producer, the dance drama was scheduled for the Government House in Osogbo. As early as 8pm, the guests, including some members of the international community out to witness yet another edition of the festival, had begun to arrive at the venue.
The stage, a fine specimen of contemporary theatre by the look of it, had caught the attention of the guests as they sat down to a preceding dinner, served while cultural performers, including the group known as Adunni and Nefertiti, took turns to entertain the gathering.
Although drama productions are not rare in Osogbo, a piece like Nigeria the Beautiful is certainly not common. While they awaited the arrival of Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State and the kick-off of the dance drama, the more reflective among the guests must have silently wondered about the relationship between Osun Osogbo Festival and the dance drama.
They did not have to wait for long to find out the answer.
For almost two hours, the guests were treated to a rare narrative of the history of Nigeria’s journey from colonial rule, through a tumultuous post-independent era characterised by a destructive civil war and misrule by the military, to the present day.
Seasoned director, Felix Okolo’s gift of the spectacular was obvious in his effective deployment of the rich tapestry of Nigerian dances and music to capture the different phases of the country’s social and political history, beginning from her hurried independence and the circumstances that led to the collapse of the First Republic to the present crisis-ridden democracy.
While the production highlighted the various attempts by the people at kicking against the ineptitude of the country’s rulers, its emphasis on the deeply blemished role played by the corrupt and avaricious leadership was not lost on the audience.
Many of the guests had stayed glued to their seats till the wee hours of the next day, perhaps held spell-bound by the dazzling performance of the dancers or the sheer force of the narrative.
With the production, Ofeimun appears to be passing a simple message to the entire nation: that Nigeria’s beauty actually lies in its cultural diversity and the country can still be salvaged if the leaders decide to tap from its collective history.
Like the Osun Osogbo Festival, which serves as a meeting point for various people sharing a common cultural identity and religion, irrespective of their positions and individual aspirations, Nigeria the Beautiful canvasses a shared sense of community among Nigerians across the various ethnic groups and social strata.
As the centenary of the amalgamation of Northern and Southern protectorates draws closer, the dance drama echoes a general call for actions that are capable of promoting greater unity among Nigerians.
But the production was not without its flaws. It was almost ruined by poor acoustics and inability of some of the narrators to recall their lines. Throughout the duration of the dance drama, some of them unnecessarily laboured to be heard by the audience, though they were already equipped with cordless microphones.
PUNCH

Here is Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s official campaign song for 2014 elections in Osun state, South-west, Nigeria by the award winning Top Naija Music Awards afro-pop artiste of the year ‘Hollaboi’, the song is about the good tenure of Governor Rauf Aregbesola and all the good things he has done in the state,how he has transformed osun state within 3 years in office and what he’s going to do if voted for a second term as they say A good term deserves another, so kindly vote the Governor of the masses,the peoples Governor for a second term.
People of Osun State feel free to start downloading and spread the word!
kindly follow hollaboi on twitter @iamhollaboi and like its fanpage ‘hollaboi’ on facebook.
DOWNLOAD Aregbeshola jingle By Hollaboi
OSUN DEFENDER

Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State Elder Adelowo Adebiyi has said residents should be grateful to God as they celebrate the state’s 22nd anniversary. Osun was created in 1991.
In a statement signed by APC Publicity Director Kunle Oyatomi yesterday, Elder Adelowo said: “Osun has witnessed unprecedented reformation and socio-economic re-engineering in the last 33 months, thanks to the execution of the APC’s Six-Point Integrated Plan by Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
“There is hardly any family in Osun that has not been directly affected by the administration’s projects, such as O’YES, O’REAP, O’CLEAN, O’SCHOOL and attempts to turn the state into the economic hub of the Southwest.
“The achievements of the administration are unprecedented. At no time in the days of the locust, between 2003 and 2010, did we enjoy the peace we have today. In those days, the people lived in constant fear for their lives, due to the activities of the criminals and political thugs in power.”
The APC chairman urged the people to pray for those in government and the party that made the current development possible, saying: “It is the least they can do in appreciation of God’s gift to them in the person of Aregbesola.”
He urged the people to continue to support the government to achieve greater successes.
THE NATION

•3000 jobs in Osun
Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has said his administration will continue to provide infrastructure and security for businesses to thrive.
Aregbesola spoke on Monday in Osogbo, the state capital, while inaugurating the Omoluabi Garment Factory.
He said the factory is a testimony of his administration’s investment drive, adding that the state has the required market as well as the human and material resources.
Aregbesola said Osun pupils were given uniforms to give them a common identity and purpose, as well as a sense of unity and pride, which “had been lost to the decay in public schools” before the inception of his administration.
He said: “Through this alone, we provided job opportunities for our market women, who supplied the materials for the uniforms, and about 3,000 tailors.
“This factory will, henceforth, produce the school uniforms. It will employ our people, buy its input here and the batik it will produce will be sewn by our tailors.
“All of these, among other gains, will have numerous spin offs that will rebound to the advantage of the people. The uniform material will be sold and sewn at controlled prices to make it affordable for our people. You are not only assured of quality; you will get it at good prices.”
The governor said the factory is one of those established through the revitalisation of the education sector.
He said another factory will soon begin the production of the e-learning tablet, Opon-Imo, and other electronic gadgets in Ilesha.
Aregbesola urged 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 future.”
He said his administration was focused on the implementation of policies that “would improve the lives of the people”.
The General Manager, Operations, Bank of Industry (BoI), Mr. Joseph Babatunde, hailed Aregbesola’s “visionary leadership”.
He said his bank provides financial support for the training of fashion designers, whose products would be consumed locally and abroad.
Babatunde called for a review of the agreement between the government and the bank to accommodate more trainees.
The factory’s Managing Director, Mrs. Folake Oyemade, said by the end of the year, over 3,000 tailors would have been trained.
She said: “Today’s ceremony is a demonstration of one of the governor’s campaign promises. He promised to make Osun an industrial haven, where youths, as leaders of tomorrow, would be catered for through skill acquisition, job creation, poverty alleviation and wealth creation. This is just the beginning of better things to come.”
THE NATION

 
The Osun Government has released N245 million for the payment of the July salary of staff of the Ladoke Akintola Teaching Hospital (LAUTECH) in Osogbo.
Prof. Femi Fadiora, the Chief Medical Director of LAUTECH , said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Osogbo.
Fadiora said that the July salary was to be paid by the Oyo Government, adding that the delay prompted the Osun Government to intervene.
He said the hospital jointly owned by the two states share the responsibility of salary payment, with Osun paying for between January and June while Oyo pays the balance.
Gov. Rauf Aregbesola should be commended for his intervention.
The governor appreciated what we are doing at LAUTECH Teaching Hospital and he has once again demonstrated his commitment to the health sector,’’ he said.
Fadiora, however, expressed optimism that ”the delay in the payment of July salary will not repeat itself in respect of August salary.’’
Oyo State is also responsible and I am confident that by the end of August, all will be well,’’ Fadiora added. (NAN)
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