The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed that no fewer than 5.3 million youths are jobless, while 1.8 million graduates enter the labour market every year. This figure could be a conservative estimate of the actual number of unemployed youths in the country, going by previous statistics released by NBS, which put the number of jobless Nigerians at 20.3 million.

 
The above is a reflection of previous governments’ inability to design policies that will create more jobs, or provide enabling environment that could encourage both individuals and the private sector to expand employment opportunities without let or hindrance.
It is in line with the above that the Osun State Government established an office known asOsun Job Centre. This is in pursuance of a key component of Governor Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola-led administration’s Six Point Integral Action Plan which is banishment of unemployment from the state. The Job Centre is established as a State Government-funded one-stop employment agency with desk offices located at each of the 30 local government areas.
The Centre will act as a facilitator between job seekers and employers by providing employment information and services to a wide range of people, from the unemployed looking for employment, the underemployed looking for better jobs, to employers advertising job openings. It is aimed at eradicating barriers to employment by promoting education, training and business enterprise. It will contribute to the personal development of the labour force through the creation of opportunities for their productive engagement and utilisation.
The centre provides employment service tools such as an infrastructure for the business community to post its skills needs as well as in-house computers with free access to the internet.

However, the private sector also has a role to play in creating employment, as experience has shown that government alone cannot provide all the needed jobs.  Unemployed persons will also have to start working towards self-employment, through which they may even provide jobs for others.
Unemployment and poverty have become serious problems that all levels of government must tackle with sincerity of purpose to keep the nation’s youths productively engaged and out of avoidable trouble.
These efforts by Osun government are worthy of emulation by other states of the federation. Governor Aregbesola once declared that Osun, out of the 36 states, has the lowest rate of unemployed people, particularly among her teeming youths, due to the determination of his administration to banish poverty and unemployment among its people.
This new move at establishing a job centre is just one of them. These efforts were recently corroborated by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, when he declared that Osun is one of the states with lowest in poverty.
“The indication (in Osun) is that because there is a lot of investment on the people, poverty has been reduced and that is what we (the Federal Government) are trying to achieve in Nigeria,” Osinbajo said.
Aregbesola was quoted as saying: “The development of micro and small businesses forms a core component of our poverty alleviation and economic empowerment strategy.
“This is part of our six-point integral action plan that, among others, seeks to banish poverty, unemployment and hunger.
“We have designed programmes aimed at unlocking our people’s creativity and genuinely set them on the path of self-employment and self-reliance.
“I am certain that our people are hard-working and would at all time take pride in working to earn a decent living.
“With the numerous programmes we are implementing, we are on the road to change the fortune of our state and lives of our people for better.
“Many of these programmes such as OYES, O’REAP, O’YESTECH, O’MEALs, O’Schools, O’Beef and O’BOPS, among others, have offered many of our youths self-reliant job opportunities.”

• Ayo Akinola, is a publisher and media consultant based in Lagos and Bola Akande is a former commissioner for Human Resources and Capacity Building, Osun State

The Osun State Police Command has arrested four suspected armed robbers who invaded three commercial banks in Ikirun town in the state.
Items recovered from the suspects include over seven million Naira cash, three AK 47 rifles, 124 ammunition, one assault rifle with 12 rounds of live ammunition and a vehicle.

‎The State Commissioner of Police, Kola Shodipo, said that the police were on the trail of other members of the syndicate at large and urged members of the public to report any suspicious movement.
Shodipo told reporters that the Armoured Personnel Carrier provided to the police by Governor Rauf Aregbesola assisted them in arresting the suspects.
While stating that the age of the suspects ranged between 21 and 26, the Commissioner of Police called for better community policing to engender unity between the police and the people to rid the society of criminals.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
“You are now old enough to fend for yourself son, I can no longer give you pocket money as I used to.” When this statement is uttered by a father to his son; while it may not make some sons flinch, it hits other sons faster and harder than Floyd Mayweather. In many cases, this is taken for granted with the underlying belief that father won’t watch them wallow in abject poverty when he can help, which is valid. It is however, a different case when father cannot help anymore, as he has been sacked or because the product he sells is now surplus in supply, and thus of little selling price, as is the case with Nigeria and her oil. In this case, while children of Nigeria (states) who had a previous means of livelihood will take it in their stride, others with little or no other source of income will be badly hit and have a mountain to climb. The State of Osun, in the south-west of Nigeria, is an apt example of the latter class of sons, and so far, it is climbing the mountain with all vigour and energy that could possibly be mustered.
That is not the summary you are likely to hear however. In a polity membered by an opposition desperately seeking to deplete the goodwill earned by the government of Ogbeni, and in effect the APC, it is not surprising that campaigns have continuously been mounted against the adverse effects without giving thought to the root causes.
The State of Osun earns the lowest from the federation account, with the monthly allocation for the state plunging into less than a hundred millions late last year, after deductions at source mostly to debt servicing. As it stands, in a state with relatively less a population, the civil service is so bloated that total revenue earnings for a month do not satisfy the recurrent spending requirements. In states generating even less internal revenue like Ekiti, the balance of trade is not as threatened because the salaries and overhead costs are less even when some of those states are more populated, which is a misnomer.
So while the state has been thrown into crisis, what is surprising is the defiance of the governor to abandon governance for crisis management. While it will have been an easy choice for politicians in his shoes, in his second term already, to simply dedicate tight resources available to payment of salaries and little or no more, as it is the only thing critics(many of whom, are not in the state) are concerned about. However, common sense is that a government house cannot be reduced to a bursar’s office, not minding how crude it sounds.
The government of Osun under Aregbesola has been one of firsts up until crisis period, with policies like feeding of school children, youth employment, and the famous Opon-Imo, being adopted and acknowledged far and wide. He achieved all these, vis-à-vis infrastructure development at all levels. Impressive, but with the fall of oil price, and the depleted “pocket money” from father, one would have expected all these to end. But No!
It has certainly been more difficult but in recent times, after managing to reach an agreement with labour on the salary structure, the state has been scoring other firsts. In exploring means of sourcing funds, the state became first to employ the Sukuk bond which was of over 11 billion, all in a bid to make sure efforts in the education sector were not stemmed. This has ensured that upgrade of schools has continued around the state with no sign of slowing down.
Asides that, the state has also declared plans to establish a Commodity Board directly under the governor, with a daring plan to produce cocoa of unprecedented quality and quantity. The governor said it will be branded Cocoa Omoluabi, and that tens of millions of cocoa trees had already been identified. The state has also now declared a partnership with The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) where it supplies an incredible expanse of land for experimental agriculture by the reputable institute. The governor in a show of determination, also said state executive council meetings will be held in high producing areas. Many of the workers in the agricultural sector are already being deployed from office to farm in what is a clear departure from the status quo. The plans have been drawn out and time-framed and while they look exciting, one hopes the results will be even more cheering. If they turn out so, the state of Osun even under financial strains will have provided yet another example for states to follow.
In many other states earning just above Osun, such level of planning has appeared elusive, with salary-paying being the focus seeing as the public has been led by many to believe governance is a factor of who pays salaries. Asides salaries, many states have governors dedicated to petty issues like eating at public restaurants. Smart citizens must begin to ask in the view of tight purses, if salary paying alone can sustain a state. The governor of Osun has been vilified in many quarters but I see a man who will rather be vilified than let his state be sacrificed.
It is encouraging however that people are so concentrated on the state of affairs in the state of Osun because this can only lead to deeper government-people engagement but what is important is that while many people keep an eye on salaries in the state, they make sure to keep the other eye on developments being pushed by the government amidst the financial crisis so that while looking to teach the government how to run the state, we do not fail to learn from a government that has continued to give us examples to learn from.
Gbolahan Yusuf
Gbolly1992@gmail.com

Governor Rauf Aregbesola, Governor, State of Osun, after the signing of the Osun Public Procurement Law in his office took time off to answer a few questions from journalists. From the MKO Abiola International Airport to what the state has done to promote agriculture, he left no one in doubt on the convictions of his administration on its development projects. Excerpts from Kunle Alabi and Kunle Owolabi:
 

 
You are talking about diversification from oil to agriculture, what are the specific programmes you have for those who want to engage in agriculture?
It is not only true that we supported farmers in this state with close to N2bn commercial agricultural loan, 13, 000 micro businesses were also supported with close N2bn through our micro credit agency. Over 13, 000 people have benefitted from the scheme?
We are willing and ready to support as many people as possible, who wants to go into agriculture or any profitable venture. We have several agencies that do this. There is an agency that we establish that is called QUIP (Quick Intervention Programme), which gives money and support to whoever is interested in agriculture.
There is OSADEP which gives loan; the Ministry of Agriculture does that too. We have many programmes and activities to support farmers. What I say is this: we do not have the capacity to guarantee price but we believe that with the school feeding programme, there is enough incentive in that for whoever wants to make success in agriculture; to go into agriculture and sell for our vendors and those who procure food commodities for that already existing programmes.
250, 000 pupils are being fed every school day and the aggregation of that monetarily is N3.6bn per annum. As hard as it is with us today, that programme is unaffected. People speculated that it would be cancelled. Till this morning and by the grace of God and for as long as I am the governor, that programme will continue.
You have enough for your off-take for your agricultural intervention in that. If you tailor your intervention to supply of the food vendors of O’MEAL programme. For your information let me repeat again; O’MEAL programme consumes every week 250, 000 eggs, 15, 000 chickens goes into it on a weekly basis; 15 heads of cattle on a weekly basis. This is about the protein contents. I am not talking about the cabonhydrate content.
That one can reel out 250, 000 loaves of bread. N30 each goes into that every week. When you summarise these, you would know that it is a major input into the local economy, which I believe those who are genuine and sincere can plug into and make a living out of it. So, when you now add these all up, I want to believe as government that we are not doing badly.
I want to find out this law that has just been signed, how will it affect the ordinary people especially those who have no businesses that can help government in procurement. And secondly, what is the situation about the striking doctors?
I have not gotten any report from the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health and Hospital Management Board. Go to her, she will give you comprehensive report to your question. I don’t know anything; they have not reported back to me. That is that about that.
Your question on how does the law affect the ordinary people: when you asked it, in my mind, I chuckled that probably they must include Economics into Mass Communications because it does not appear as if there is appropriate appreciation of how life is interconnected.
Now, the woman selling bread by the construction site of Ratcon benefits  from procurement of that contract by government from Ratcon and it’s not that woman alone. And those who have one thing or the other to do with the process. The workers there would stay somewhere.
They might not be normal residents of Osogbo. Even when they are not from here, the fact that they are working here will make them stay somewhere. It could be hotel. For the period they so do, it is not going to be free of charge.
That in itself is an activity that will impact on the economy.The link is limitless. Just use the two examples that I gave to extrapolate on how the economy is affected or impacted by any procurement process. You can only imagine it is numerous. Some are wholesome to say while some you can’t say. Everything is connected.
Does the state really need an airport?
Life is about creativity. If you go to the Bible or the Qura’n there was nothing here before. It was void. God, out of His own creative mind decreed that there must be light. And immediately, everything changed from light to land – I may not be right in my sequence – land to various creations and today, we are here; various creations, if that is strange to you, you may be an atheist, not believing in the holy books.
Let us go historical: some characters from nowhere just discovered after Columbus that a land exists called America. They went there and met fairly uncivilised indigenes by their own description. They began by brutal extermination of those people less than 300 years ago and today a local government has airport in America, which rose from jungles, where no civilised life ever existed. If you are not creative to know, it is painful that we underestimate ourselves. We put ourselves down, yet we want to escape poverty.
Whoever cannot dream or aspire can never escape poverty. Now, what is it we have done? Even saying it, people refuse to listen. Nigeria has the largest number of privately owned aircraft in Africa and yet there is no single place where aircraft is maintained, which we cannot do without.
For instance Check A, B, C, D are mandatory for any aircraft that has flown certain number of hours. There is no facility for aircraft maintenance anywhere in Nigeria. There are only three places in Africa where aircraft can be maintain. And we have various categories of aircraft such as fixed wings aircraft which is the popular Boeing and rotary wings, which is the helicopter.  Now, before we even began, why did we chose the company that is building the airport, AETLS, a company owned absolutely by the Nigerian Air Force.
We chose it because from the onset, it agreed that its rotary wing aircraft will be maintained there. That is, a rotary wing hangar will be established there. So, the agreement between us and the Air Force is that once this airport is completed, this is where they will relocate their helicopter maintenance service.
What that means is that whoever has helicopter in Nigeria does not need to take it outside. They must bring it to Osun. That is a source of income. When you bring your helicopter, they can’t finish it in a day. You will stay in hotel; you will eat, move around at night and in the process you will drop some money.
Before we began the process, we got an American company to have another hangar for fixed wing, that is all aircraft of any size. That is why we negotiated for the longest runway so that no aircraft would be spared landing for repair.
From the onset, whether there is passenger traffic or not, our airport is already covered. We also met a Chinese concern that is also interested in agriculture. So, if we are going to invest in agriculture, there must be an agricultural commodity processing park where you will be processing produce from the farm for huge cargo movement to other lands. We equally have an agreement from the Chinese farm to use the airport for cargo services.
With these three, how do you see the project that we have there? Unless a calamity occurs the airport is already destined to succeed. Now, add to it our first dream when we got here: we said we want to turn Osogbo to what it was before it even became a capital. Osogbo was the hub of commerce in the mid-region of Nigeria.
We said we will develop a mid-region market in Osogbo, that is why we moved it from where it was to Dagbolu and we have made progress there. The delay is the capital and we are in serious negotiation with investors to join us in developing a huge commercial hub in Dagbolu where manufactured goods would come from Lagos to be sold at Lagos price and agricultural produce from here and other parts of Nigeria will be gathered and taken to Lagos free of charge to be sold in Lagos at farm gate price.
When you combine all of these, we realised that what motivated the people that turned desert to Dubai is behind our own idea. It may be slow but we are so committed to it. It may take time but we will get there. Dubai was a desert; it had no attraction at all . Some people felt they could turn it to what it is today. Shiek Makhtum felt it could turn it to what it is today. What motivated the people who turned Dubai to what it is today is what motivated us to do what we are doing today. And we shall succeed by the grace of God. It may be slow but we are so much committed to it. It may take time, we will get there.
When are we expecting a new cabinet?
I am seriously working on it; without sleep, I am working on it.

…harps on developmental journalism
Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, on Friday congratulated the Abiodun Olalere-led Osun State Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, on their successful election.
 
 

 
Aregbesola asked Abiodun Olalere, who returned as the Chaiman of the council, to strive to set new standards that are capable of giving journalists in the state a greater dignity in the discharge of their assignments.
In a statement congratulating Olalere by the Director of Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Office of the Governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, Aregbesola urged him to ensure the promotion of the sanctity of fairness and truth in journalism as a major agenda of his tenure.
The governor charged the newly returned NUJ chairman not to be found wanting in his responsibilities, reminding him of the sacred duties of journalism as the mirror of the society.
The Governor advised him and his executive council to ensure adequate professional conduct among journalists, saying professionalism must be the hallmark of every member as the nation enters in to the era of change.
The governor charged the NUJ boss to see to the training and re-training of journalists for them to be able to discharge their constitutional duties without fear or favour, let or hindrance.
He expressed the optimism that the EXCO should add value to the profession, urging him to ensure the promotion of developmental journalism in the country.
According to him: “the EXCO led by Olalere no doubt, has huge task before it. And this is to ensure that it struggles to ensure that journalists discharge their duties with all the fairness, truth and sense of responsibility required in a just society.
” You should not allow personal interests to affect your reportage and professional conducts. When these are achieved, Nigerian journalists would be seen as true professionals that nobody can use for selfish political agenda.
“Under the new leadership, the profession must enjoy the respect and dignity it deserves. Reports by journalists must be seen as one with depth, fair, balance, truth.”
The governor commended the NUJ for the peaceful and democratic way its new leaders have emerged, saying that all hands must be on deck at ensuring the survival of democracy in the country.

 Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has approved the redeployment of Permanent Secretaries in the State with immediate effect.
 

 
The new postings, according to a circular signed by the State Head of Service, Mr. Olayinka Owoeye, became imperative due to the re-organisation of the Civil Service from eighteen to twelve Ministries coupled with the creation of some new Departments and Agencies.
According to the posting instruction, there is need to re-invigorate the Public Service for the challenges ahead especially the effective execution of 2016 Budget.
According to the Head of Service, Mr. Kayode Adegoke will replace Mr. Christopher Fawole of the Parastatal Monitoring Office who is retiring from the service while Mr. Muftau Oluwadare will man the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy, Water Resources, Rural and Community Affairs.
Mr. Sunday Olajide has been deployed to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology to replace Mr. Lawrence Oyeniran who has retired from the Service while Mr. Ayanleye Aina is now in charge of the Office of Human Resources and Capacity Building as well as overseeing the Public Service Office.
Architect Adewale Ojo is now the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Sanitation and Physical Planning while Engineer Olusegun Aduroja moves to the Hospitals Management Board as the Permanent Secretary.
The letter of posting shows that Mrs Olajumoke Bello is now the Permanent Secretary in charge of the Ministry of Information, Home Affairs, Tourism and Culture while Pharmacist Omolara Ajayi has been moved to the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Affairs.
Dr. Adeyinka Eso is now the Permanent Secretary in charge of the State Ministry of Health while Mrs Adebimpe Ogunlumade mni, now takes charge of the Ministry of Finance.

The Osun State House of Assembly has recommended the reinstatement of 36 lecturers, who were recently sacked by the Governing Council of the College of Education, Ila Orangun, Osun State.
This was contained in a statement made in Osogbo, the state capital, on Wednesday by the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Mr. Olatubosun Oyintiloye.
 

 
Oyintiloye quoted the Speaker of the Assembly, Mr. Najeem Salaam, as saying this while receiving a Save-Our-Soul message from the leadership of the Osun State chapter of Nigeria Labour Congress and the Council of Academic Staff Unions of Osun Tertiary Institutions.
The speaker assured the lecturers that any of the sacked lecturers, who had a genuine case, would be recalled.
The statement reads, “The intervention of the House has started having positive effect, due to the call for the files alone. The number of affected lecturers in the College of Education, Ila Orangun has reduced from 72 to 36.
“We can assure you that we will look into the files of the affected staff, ensure that justice is done and make sure that nobody is unjustifiably sacked.
“What we cannot assure you is that all the affected staff would be recalled, because, we all know that we will definitely have some that have committed one offence or the other.”
He added that after the review of the cases of the affected employees, appropriate recommendation would be made to ensure justice.
Salaam told the leadership of the workers’ union that the decision to sack the lecturers was not the making of Governor Rauf Aregbesola, stressing that the governor meant well for the state.

The State Ministry of Education has directed Public and Private Schools in the State of Osun to observe  Mid-Term break tomorrow Friday (11th February, 2016) and Monday (15th February, 2016)  respectively.
 

 
According to a release signed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mr Lawrence Oyeniran, the break is in line with the approved school calendar for the 2015/2016 academic session.
The release therefore enjoined Parents and Guardians to monitor their Children and Wards for judicious use of the Two days declared as holidays.
The release added that academic activities would resume in all Public and Private Schools across the State on Tuesday, 16th February, 2016.

 
 
SPEECH BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF OSUN, OGBENI RAUF AREGBESOLA, AT THE SIGNING INTO LAW OF THE STATE OF OSUN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT LAW, 2015 AT THE EXCO LOUNGE OF THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR, ABERE, ON FEBRUARY 10, 2016
 
Protocols,
A GOOD PIECE OF LAW
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to this occasion, the signing into law of the State of Osun Public Procurement Law, 2015.
Since the modern government provides wide ranging services to the people and sustains itself, procurement has been its major feature. From the office pin to heavy machinery, government is constantly in the business of buying. At any time, government does not spend less than 30 per cent of its revenue on procurement of goods and services. This is huge, if we consider the amount involved. Procurement is also one way in which the government interfaces with the people and reinflate its domestic economy.
It is important therefore that the resources of government be managed judiciously and the procurement process also be seen to be transparent and equitable. As stewards of public funds, we must be accountable and be seen to have got the best deal for the people with public funds.
Just today, a report in one of the newspapers compared the airport we are building in Osun to similar ones built by other states and concluded that ours is the cheapest, even when we have the longest runway.
A recent similar comparison on the mega-schools we are constructing was done with that of a neighbouring state and also gave us a favourable rating, not just in cost but in quality. It is stuff like this that separates us from the rest.
It is the need to have these values codified into law and make it bounding principles of governance for whoever is in government that motivated us to make this law.
In all, the State of Osun Public Procurement Law, 2015 consists of 81 sections and I will highlight the most interesting parts.
The piece of legislation we are signing into Law today provides for public dissemination of information on government procurement. This guarantees all the citizens, particularly small and medium scale enterprises, ample opportunities to participate in the economic opportunities and benefits embedded in public procurement, among others. It will also ensure probity, accountability, transparency, value for money as well as establish fair pricing standards and benchmarks.
Section 23(1)-(27) of the Law which provides for the Governing Rules on public procurement, encapsulate core foundation of the law. This Section is the result of scientific and well-grounded research into why procurement sanctity has eluded many governments and their agencies as it is no gain saying that where there are no adequate guidelines and safeguards, no matter how well intentioned any policy of government is, it is bound to be abused by unscrupulous elements saddled with its operation. Hence, the Section is coined in line with best global practices in procurement and even modelled to suit our own peculiarities in the State of Osun so as to forestall any act of sabotage right from the outset of any procurement process.
Section 24 compliments Section 23 by providing for Warranties for all procurement contracts. This provision is designed to ensure that requisite skill in service provision is employed and also that genuine materials and other inputs are used in any given procurement.
With this new State of Osun Public Procurement Law, Section 25 makes it mandatory that all procuring entities must have a procuring Office whose functions shall, among others, be:

1. initiate the entity’s procurement process;
2. carry out appropriate market and statistical surveys and prepare analysis of cost implication of a proposed procurement;

iii.     conduct pre-qualification exercise for suppliers, contractors or consultants based on requisite expression of interest; and

1. evaluate expression of interest by suppliers, contractors or consultants and forward lists of qualified submissions to the Board.

Section 32 makes it mandatory that the procurement of works, goods and services by all procuring entities shall be conducted by Open Competitive Bidding, except where otherwise expressly provided in the Procurement Law.
Perhaps the most innovative provision in the new State of Osun Procurement Law, 2015 is the provision for E-procurement as contained in Section 61. The Section provides that the Board shall design and set up a secure electronic portal to be known as the Osun Government Electronic Procurement System, not later than 12 months from the enactment of this Law or at such time that the Governor may consider appropriate. The Portal shall be the primary source of information for all public procurement matters and opportunities within the purview of this Law and Regulations issued hereunder.
The special time that we are in demands financial engineering ingenuity.  We must not only squeeze the financial water out of stone, so to speak, we must get so much out of little. The Public Procurement Law, 2015 we are signing into law is therefore within the larger framework of public finance management policy of the government which is aimed at reducing the cost of governance, bringing transparency into the procurement process, reducing waste, and ensure value for money.
We have sent other pieces of law to the House of Assembly for consideration and passage into law. These include the Revenue Administration Law, which is meant to set up an autonomous agency for revenue collection. There is the Fiscal Responsibility Commission Law which is designed to ensure fiscal discipline and prudence by the Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government.
There is also Land Use Charge Law, which has just been passed into law by the House of Assembly, to harmonise all property tax laws, including tenement rate, for the purpose of ease of collection.
These legal instruments will assist in a great deal to turn around the financial fortunes of Osun and enable us to get the best out of our resources and our people, for the good governance of the state and the best service of our people.
I want to assure the people of the state that the challenge we face is not beyond our capability and God has given us the means to surmount them.
Let me reiterate once again the need for productivity and hard work by our people. Let all the young people find something productive to do, especially in agriculture. Let every person engaged in any endeavour, be it public or private, add value to his or her work and let us all pay our taxes as and when due.
Let me thank those who helped in the making of this law, beginning from the officials of the Ministry of Justice, the honourable members of the State of Osun House of Assembly, Honourable Bashir Ajibola and other men (and women) of goodwill.
I thank you all for your kind attention.