Security agencies in Osun State held an emergency meeting Thursday to find ways of curtailing possible fallouts of an ongoing controversy over the use of hijab in public schools.
 

 
The meeting was held at the office of the state Director of Security Services, Ike Madagwana, with the state police commissioner, Femi Olanipekun, representatives of the state government, Sunday Akere and Wale Afolabi, both former commissioners, in attendance.
Also present at the meeting were representatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), representative of Baptist Church in the state, other paramilitary organizations in the state.
The state’s Christian Association of Nigeria is opposed to the use of hijab by female Muslim students in public secondary schools, especially those established by churches.
A recent court ruling authorised the uniform. In response, CAN directed Christian students to attend schools in church garments.
PREMIUM TIMES learnt that Thursday’s meeting, which lasted for several hours, generated hot exchanges between the security officials and representatives from the Baptist Church.
The arguments started when Baptist officials made it clear that it was inappropriate for the security agencies to invite them for the meeting, asserting that only CAN could summon them to such meetings to discuss the hijab issue.
Members of the Baptist team said they were not informed about such meeting, but were only invited by the Director of SSS, who had informed them that he wanted to see the church’s officials.

“We wondered how ‘We just want to see you in our office’ could now turn to be an unexpected meeting,” one of the clergymen, who would want to be named, said.
“We were even surprised that all the security outfits in the state had already gathered at the place waiting for our arrival.
“We declined to sit with them as we told them that only CAN officials could meet us. How can they say that they want to see us in their office and organize a meeting that we were not aware of with us.
“After a lot of persuasion by all security agencies that gathered there, we sat with them and when the issue of hijab was raised, we only told them that we were not for war but for peace anytime, any day, but our own right also should not be taken away from us.
“To our own knowledge, it is not a meeting but invitation to see the SSS in their office before we met all those assembled in preparation to have a meeting with us. If there will be a meeting let them communicate with CAN officials.”
After the session, state police commissioner, Mr. Olanipekun, told journalists that there was a peaceful meeting between the Christian body and the security agencies in the state to restore peace between Christians and Muslims.
He stated the Christian body was charged to live in harmony with Muslims in the state and was assured that same talks would be held with the Muslim body.
Source : Premium Times

                            …Commissions medical equipment
The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on Wednesday described the action of the striking doctors in the state as selfish and uncaring about what happens to other citizens and residents of the state in the face of the present economic hardship faced by the country.
 

 
The Governor‎ stated this while delivering an address titled “To the improved health of the People” at the commissioning of new equipment for Boripe Local Government Health Centres  at Boripe Local Government Secretariat in Iragbiji.
Aregbesola admonished the striking doctors to recognise that the state is in a very special time of serious economic challenge and be willing to sacrifice like‎ every other workers in the state who are always at their duty post.
He held that government in spite of the great financial challenges has given the welfare of the people priority attention, saying it is high time that all realised that the state is in a special period where sacrifice must be made.
Aregbesola noted that states in the past used to get money from the federal government every month to run their administration, but since July 2013, that has continued to decrease until today when most states get nothing again.
‎According to the Governor, “There are however some of our health workers at the state level who think only of themselves, who do not care a hoot whatever happens to the rest of us.
“They have refused to recognise that we are in a special time and would insist that we give to them alone all the money in the state, even while other government workers are willing to make sacrifice.
“By their own action of indefinitely abandoning their duty post, they have demonstrated that they have no place in our hospitals and the reasonable thing to do is to fill the void they created. Nature abhors vacuum”. The Governor told the gathering.
‎He pointed out that the restoration of healthy living is one of his administration’s cardinal objectives, stating that it is only healthy people that  can work and be productive to generate revenues to government through tax.
Aregbesola also added that when people are healthy and live longer, they participate in political activities which translates into more votes for politicians, and that it is in the best interest of the people themselves and government to promote good health.
He said, “As you are also aware, the state government provides good healthcare services to the people through teaching hospital, which is the highest level, general hospitals and local government health centres.
“We have also been maintaining our free healthcare policy through constant procurement to ensure availability of free drugs at our hospitals, while there are also free anti-malaria drugs for expectant mothers as part of their ante-natal treatment in government-owned hospitals.
“Furthermore, we have renovated nine state hospitals, upgraded our existing primary healthcare centres while new ones are being built. We have also provided medical equipment, furniture and electrical appliances for some of our health facilities where these are needed.
“Ambulances equipped with first aid equipment were purchased and are now in full operation under the Osun Ambulance Services, which is aimed at improving the quick-response capacity of the health system, in cases of accidents and emergencies”. Aregbesola emphasised.
Speaking earlier, the Executive Secretary, Boripe Local Government, Alhaji Kehinde Moronkeji said the equipment being commissioned were donated by the AD King Foundation of Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States.
The Council boss added that when he took over the administration of the council, the health equipment at hospitals were outdated thus necessitating for modern medical equipment for health centres in the Local Government.
He said, “As we all know that, we are operating Primary Health Centres at the Local Government level while state are operating General hospitals. There are equipment acquire here that are meant for the use of tertiary hospital which will be donated to state to serve as our contribution to the development of the state.
“I want to quickly add that our administration would continue to be committed to programmes and project that would better the lots of our people”. He stressed.
The State Chairman of Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Olajire Oyebode commended the Governor for what he has done in developing infrastructure in the state.
He noted that with all the road network in Osun that Aregbesola has constructed, there is no meaningful residents and citizens of the state that will not want to pay tax, pledging the commitment of members of his association to the payment of tax.
Oyebode said, “at this point of economic hardship, all in the state should be ready to pay their taxes, government needs money for it to continue the good work it has started, we are all living witness to how the armoured tanks provided for the police by the Governor was able to foil the robbery in Ikirun”. The Union leader stressed.

The leadership of Methodist Church Nigeria has openly declared it readiness to support government at all levels in Nigeria especially the State Government of Osun on massive agricultural production in order to salvage the current economic crisis.
The declaration was made by the Prelate, Methodist Church Nigeria, Dr. Samuel Emeka Uche, while paying a visit to Governor Aregbesola in his office, at Government Secretariat, Abere, Osogbo.
 

 
The cleric who lamented over the current economic situation in the country said the nation has driven to a stage where government at all levels must tighten their belts in strengthen the economy of the country for the general well being of her citizenry.
The religious leader who attributed the   dwindling revenues to the coffers of the federal, state and local governments, to what he described as negligence of agriculture by the successive government in the country, stressing that if the nation has diligently and prudently explored her potentials in agriculture, the country would have grown beyond her current stage.
Dr. Uche explained further that, the only sustainable alternative to the current economic challenges was for the government and people of Nigeria to develop the required passions at resuscitating and revamping the lost glory of agriculture, which according to him has been ignorantly neglected by the past administrations in the country.
The Methodist Prelate who commended Governor Aregbesola for building an unsurpassable future for the state on all sectors of the economy especially agriculture, saying Governor Aregbesola has successfully proven his weights as a responsive and responsible Governor whose passion for development can never be measured or estimated.
Dr. Uche who described the allocation of Osun as the least among its peers, commended Governor Aregbesola for aggressively promoting the state within the template of meagre resources.
According to him, Osun has been prudently managing the affairs of the state despite the fact that the state by all standards receives the least allocation from the Federation Accounts.
He stated further that the giant strides of the current administration at building a self-sufficient and economic-independent state had been a driven force for economic realities being pursued by the current government.
Dr. Uche who assured total obedience and compliance towards the civic responsibilities of the citizenry in the country said, the time has come for all Nigerians to demonstrate high sense of commitment and seriousness towards taxation.
The spiritual father who described Nigeria as the only country where citizens display sense of adamancy towards taxation, saying if Nigeria must truly develop, her citizens must support the government with prompt tax payment.
“The purpose of our visit is to establish our staunch support and collaboration for Nigerian government in a bid to strengthen the nation’s economy and serve as helping hands in repositioning the country for all round development.
“We have identified agriculture as the only sustainable means of continuous existence of Nigeria. Our focus is to partner with government at all levels in the area of agriculture to enhance its production capacity and boost the revenues accruable to Nigeria and states of the federation.
“Methodist Church of Nigeria is not only committed to spiritual work but to be part of the process that will strengthen the economy of Nigeria and increase its revenue basis.
“In view of this, we have resolved as a religious institution to engage our members especially the youths on farming as we strongly believe that with the support of government, we shall succeed.
“We are appealing to your excellency to give us the needed supports most importantly enough lands for cultivation and plantation.
“The only way to rescue the country out of the present economic situation is to show our support and collaborate with government on agriculture”, Dr. Uche stated.
In his remarks, Governor Rauf Aregbesola who expressed delight over the economic foresight of the leadership of Methodist Church said their resolution to support the government efforts on agriculture and taxation was a testimony to present economic reality.
Governor Aregbesola also commended the leadership of the Methodist church for identifying with the state on its present economic challenges, promising to render whatever support requires to aid members of the church actualizing its dreams.
The Governor who lamented over the continuous reduction in the global prices of crude oil said, his government would not be distracted in its efforts to uplift the state.
He said, “The declaration of the leadership of methodist church Nigeria to support us in agriculture and taxation is an indication to the fact that everyone in the state should engage in agriculture not only for consumption but for commercialization.
“Massive agricultural production remains the most sustainable alternative to success and progress in any country of the world especially Nigeria that is blessed with fertile soil.
“The wayout to our economic crisis is agriculture. Humanity has never found alternative to consumption of food as a means of survival.
“Science and technology has never found a replacement for food as a means of survival and it is quite idiotic for any nation or society to depend on others for the basic means of existence.
“It is also abnormal for any nation, country, society or community to depend externally on other for food production.
“The starting point of our economic recovery is the capacity to feed ourselves.
“For this reason, on hands must be deck to resuscitate the potentials in agriculture and explore its value for the betterment of all.
Governor Aregbesola further assured the leadership of the church of his administration’s collaborative gestures to ensure that all agricultural ventures in the state collaborate most effectively with the church to actualize its dreams as the state was ready to give it whatever size of land required to ensure that the church dreams come to past.
“This is important because the era of crude oil to me has gone. Any nation that based their wealth on digging the earth have ended up in penury.
“The only successful nations are those that simply believe in teeming the soil for the purpose of planting, cultivating and living on the produce of the land, none of such nations who had adopted farming had ever recorded penury.
“For your church to have openly declared your partnership with government in massive agricultural production apart from evangelism, is a testimony to the progressive nature of Methodist church in the world.
“This declaration by the Methodist church of Nigeria is a reflective signal to bring back our senses fully autonomous- independent nation because wealth is simply the capacity to feed oneself, individuals, community, state and nation as well as saving surplus for the future and for exportation.
“I commend you for your foresight, for your cleared objectives and unflinching support to aid our efforts on economic recovery.
“We will support you with extension services not only on land but in all ramifications to actualize your dreams.