This is one of the saddest moments in the political history of Nigeria. A new social malaise, terrorism, has thrust itself into Nigerians consciousness. As a father and a responsible citizen, I am saddened by the recent events in our country, and I would like to first address the barrage of western media coverage of the unconscionable act of the abduction of over 200 school girls in Chibok, Borno State few weeks back.

Let us take a step back into the not too distant history. Did 9/11 not happen in the United States of America with over 4,000 lives lost on a single day and in a single location? Did the terrorist bombing on the London Underground not happen in July 2005 in the United Kingdom with several lives lost? Did the governments and people of these countries become pariahs on the world stage?

All nations and people worldwide rallied round these victim western countries during these difficult times in their history. The people and leaders of most importantly the UK and USA learnt from these incidents, particularly with regard to developing appropriate preventive measures to avoid a repeat of the horrendous incidents.

Nigerians need to be united at this difficult time to ensure these monsters never raise their ugly heads again. With assistance from the UK, USA, France and China etc, hopes are rising about the possibility of finding these innocent girls. But again, there are issues that needed to be addressed.

The Chibok incident is obviously a failure of leadership. You may ask whose leadership? That of you and I, and not just that of President Goodluck Jonathan or the state governors alone. As a people, we have buried our heads in sands individually like ostriches, with no concern for our fellow Nigerians.

And while this may have been more rampant among members of the political class, we have all stood by over the last few years of our democracy watching as the divide between the rich and poor widens. “I am not a politician! As long as I can feed my immediate family, nothing else matters”, has become our familiar mantra.

Yet, we have the power through the ballot box to cause a change, put true servantleaders in leadership positions with the right policies and programmes to deal with germane issues of infrastructure provisioning, development, improvement of the economic lot of Nigerians and safeguarding that of future generations. We all failed in this regard! We allow few miscreants without vision and mission to either get voted or rigged themselves into office.

Respectfully, I put it to you that Chibok happened because of lack of youth engagement; it happened because of glaring inequality and flagrant display of ill gotten wealth by the rich in Nigeria. Our politicians used and dumped our youths after arming them. They are helping themselves now through violence and criminalities.

We have to reverse the trend. The approach of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, governor of State of Osun, recommends itself. Ogbeni has successfully addressed the issues of youth engagement, personal self worth, building bridges and security through various programmess. I will only focus on one, the OYES programme.

Between 2011 and 2013, 40,000 unemployed youths were engaged by his government. With this singular development, the crime rate in the State of Osun went down. Waking up in the morning and having a sense of purpose, dignity in contributing to their community and environment, and most importantly being taught skills capable of launching them to financial independence, changed their psyche. It is no surprise the first female ambulance driver in Nigeria is a graduate of this scheme. While the scheme cannot be described as a permanent solution to the problem of unemployment, it does offer the beneficiaries a means of livelihood.

The World Bank has recognized this initiative as a solution that addresses youth engagement in developing countries, but unfortunately we in Nigeria cannot see the benefits ad leverage on them! Let us forget whose innovation it is, let us forget their political party, and let us as a people begin to adopt a template that has worked or is working for the development of our nation.

When will you and I start holding our leaders accountable for not implementing policies that may not be popular but could positively impact on and benefit our people? In Tanzania, Julius Nyerere changed the national language from English to Swahili to bring about unity of purpose amongst the several ethnic groups in his country; today Tanzania is stronger as a nation. Kwame Nkrumah made the ‘Kenteh’ the national uniform of Ghana, you can then imagine the number of jobs that the policy created and maintained in their textile industry.

In Nigeria, Rauf Aregbeshola has introduced a single free uniform in Osun primary and secondary schools to spur bountiful multiplier effects of youth employment and engagement. It is one reason the state has the distinction of being one with the least unemployment rate in Nigeria!

Let me join the rest of the world in demanding the release of the abducted girls. #Bring Back Our Girls; and #Give us good leadership.

Babayemi wrote from Gbongan, Osun State.

NATIONAL MIRROR

The Governing Council, Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, has directed all staff of the institution to resume for administrative and academic activities on Monday, May 19.

This is contained in a release signed by the registrar of the institution, Busari Salawu.

According to Salawu who is also the Secretary of the Council, all members of staff of the institution were enjoined to resume to their respective duty posts on Monday.

The release also directed all students of the institution who are on mid-semester break to resume for academic activities on the afore-mentioned date.

As the August election draws near, the governor of the state of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on Thursday appealed to traditional rulers in the state to redouble their efforts at ensuring that peace prevails in the state.

This was even as traditional rulers at the end of the two-day conference were unanimous in their call for the unity of the Yoruba people as one indivisible entity.‎

The governor while delivering his address at ‎the closing ceremony of a two-day conference organised for frontline traditional rulers in the state held at the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding in Osogbo held that election periods are always a defining moment in the polity of the country.

He described the role of traditional rulers as one that is vital to the effective governance of Nigeria.‎‎ Aregbesola held that traditional rulers have equal duty in ensuring that democracy does not fail in their time.

He said, “You owe it to your people to ensure peaceful, free and fair elections in your various domains. It behoves you all to mobilise the people not to allow enemies of democracy to subvert the will of the people in the oncoming polls through rigging and violence. The good people of Osun deserve freedom; freedom from want, poverty, unemployment, poor education and collapsed infrastructure. Our people deserve to have their aspirations for development and material betterment come to realisation,” he mentioned.

‎The governor pointed out that traditional rulers are complementary in keeping peace, ensuring social order and cohesion.

He averred that traditional rulers as eminent men who occupy leadership positions in society, carry an equally heavy burden of responsibility regarding the land and the people in their domains.

‎According to the governor, ” traditional rulers  must consequently exercise no doubt as to the fact that they bear as much responsibility for the peaceful and orderly governance of the State of Osun as we do, even though we occupy a higher level of authority in the modern governance arrangement. This is why we will always accord you the deserved honour and reverence in the scheme of things in the land. As a government therefore, contrary to the impression that some have tried to give, we have always held our royal fathers in high regard, with important priority accorded to them in our policy and governance. We will continue to place you on this high pedestal because it would amount to disrespect for our people and our customs to act in any contrary manner. This conference we have organised for you is partly aimed at confirming to you the kind of honourable position in which we place you”.

‎The paramount ruler and Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade, in his remark, commended the governor for his monumental achievements in the last three and half years. The Ooni said for the Yoruba nation to move forward, Yoruba people must unite and forge a common front.

“We traditional rulers occupy a central position in our respective domains and we must make sure that we set a good example for the people to see. It is clear testimony that the present government has performed even beyond people’s expectation and I urge the people to support the government so as to be able to do more. Yoruba nation must progress: Yoruba nation must move forward and our people look up to us as their rulers to chat a way forward. And we must not fail to demonstrate our leadership role,” the Ooni said.

‎Chairman of Yoruba Council Oba’s Technical Committee, Alake of Egbaland, Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, in his speech said that the primary role of traditional rulers is the unification of Yoruba people.

The first class monarch opined that what the traditional rulers should be working assiduously towards is the good of the yoruba nation. He attributed the disaffection among obas in Yoruba land to lack of understanding of their traditional positions and hierarchy.

The monarch counselled his traditional ruler colleagues to shun partisan politics but must not fail to acknowledge any government in power, which has performed wonderfully well like Governor Aregbesola.

He said: “Unity is our strength. Traditional obas must unit for the progress of Yoruba land. Therefore, we the rulers must first unite among ourselves so that we can unit our people for the progress of Yoruba land.”

Photos from the Inauguration of the Commission Of Inquiry On Disturbance Of Public Peace In Osun, at Government House, Osogbo, State of Osun on Thursday 15-05-2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (2nd right); his
Deputy, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori (2nd left); Representative, State of
Osun Chief Judge, Honourable Justice Adebisi Ogunlade (left); Newly
Sworn-in Chairman, Commission of Inquiry on Disturbance of Public
Peace, Justice Adekunle Adeigbe (right) and others, during the
Inauguration of the Commission, at Government House, Osogbo, State of
Osun on Thursday 15-05-2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (3rd right); his
Deputy, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori (3rd left); Newly Sworn-in Chairman,
Commission of Inquiry on Disturbance of Public Peace, Justice Adekunle
Adeigbe (2nd right); Secretary of the Commission, Mr Bisi Babalola
(right); Members of the Commission, Retired Deputy Commissioner of
Police, Bose Dawodu (2nd right) and Barrister Ismail Ajibade (left),
during the Inauguration of the Commission at, Government House,
Osogbo, State of Osun on Thursday 15-05-2014

From left, Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; Attorney
General and Commissioner for Justice, Adewale Afolabi and Newly
Sworn-in Chairman, Commission of Inquiry on Disturbance of Public
Peace, Honourable Justice Adekunle Adeigbe, during the Inauguration of
the Commission, at Government House, Osogbo, State of Osun on Thursday 15-05-2014

The President of Yoruba Foundation and former Nigerian ambassador to Ghana and Zimbabwe, Ambassador Olu Otunla, has commended the total transformation of the State of Osun by Governor Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola.
Ambassador Otunla, the Chairman at the maiden State of Osun Schools Literary and Debate grand finale, made this disclosure on Tuesday at the Centre for Black, Culture and International Understanding, Abere, Osogbo,
The former envoy said before Aregbesola’s coming to power, the state neither enjoyed peace, progress nor prosperity.
He noted that the developmental stride of Aregbesola in just a single term is worthy of commendation.
Otunla pointed out that the zeal with which he commence the development left no one in doubt that Osun is being piloted into an enviable height among comity of state’s in Nigeria.
According to the former Ghanian  envoy “Before Aregbesola came to power the state did not know peace, progress or prosperity.
“When he became governor, the doors totally opened for all these virtues.
“Now, we are seeing and a witness to numerous signs of prosperity. And I make bold to say that in just a single term of four years in office, the state has been totally transformed.”
Otunla lamented that African continent has remained behind as countries across the world jostle to beat themselves in developing their nations.
He therefore, charged the school children to work assiduously to become the nation’s generation of problem solvers so as to move the country forward.
In his response, Governor Aregbesola he embarked on the education polices so as to make tomorrow of the children better than today.
He averred that all a leader needs to do is to bring a positive change to his domain where he is a leader.
He added that any government that fails to secure the tomorrow of his younger ones is destined fail.
He said: “our interest in the students is not for them alone but also for ourselves.
“What you see today in us as leaders is the effort made by some people long time ago.
“So, if we fail to provide a platform for our youth today, we are doomed.”
Earlier in his welcome address, the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiyi, who was represented by Hon. Ipoola Omisore, said that one of the many responsibilities of any government is discovering early childhood talents and the mentoring of such talents appropriately.
He stressed that the debate will not only educate the public on the governor’s monumental philosophy on education but will also enlighten the students and other stakeholders on the various political religious intrigues being introduced by mischief makers to tarnish the education policy of Aregbesola’s administration.
In his words: “This debate being organised by the Omlouabi Support Group/Oranmiyan Worldwide in conjunction the the state’s Ministry of Education, will show the quality of the policy being introduced into education by the present government.
“It will also educate stakeholders on the result of the reclassification exercise given the state’s huge investment on education.
“We must congratulate Aregbesola on the numerous achievements of his government this far.”
In her own remark, the Deputy Governor, who also doubles as the Commissioner for Education, Otunba Titi Laoye-Tomori, the turnaround being witnessed today is as a result of government’s successive revolution in the education sector.
The Deputy Governor said the inter-school debate is one of the efforts at developing the school children in the state.
“What we are witnessing today is the result of the revolution, planted and nurtured in the state’s education sector.'” she said.
A student of Osogbo High School, Ayodele Habeeb, scored 222 points beating five other contestants to became the overall winner and state champion of the maiden edition of the debate.