The free feeding and health programmes introduced by the Osun State government to encourage school enrolment, attendance and rate as well as enhance pupils’ health has not only become a model for the federal and state governments, but also a platform for agricultural development  and food production. SINA FADARE reports.
 

 
 
At the onset, the primary objectives of the free school feeding programme introduced by the Osun State government was aimed at increasing school enrolment, encourage attendance as well as enhance pupils’ health in all public primary schools.
Farmers appear to be the major beneficiaries of the programme as they embarked on massive food production as well as having ready market for their produce.
The programme has also enhanced the income of local farmers; thus reducing poverty level as all goods are sourced locally.
On weekly basis, no fewer than 40 herds of cattle; 10,000 crates of eggs; 20,000 chickens, over 400 metric tons of fish are needed to feed the pupils.

About 500 unemployed youths were trained and empowered for mass fish production under Osun Fisheries Out-Growers Production Scheme (OFOPS).
The scheme supplies well over 400 metric tons of fish regularly for the school feeding while cultivation of cocoyam through a cocoyam rebirth programme was also encouraged.
Over 1,000 cocoyam farmers (selected across the nine federal constituencies) were trained and assisted to mass cultivate pink cocoyam for inclusion in the school feeding menu.
Today, the number has risen to over 15,000, as more women and young adults have taken to farming; cultivating cocoyam, vegetables, tomatoes and melon.The programme, which began in 2006, has become a success story and indeed a reference model for many states and countries as pupils from kindergarten to primary four in public primary schools are fed daily with balanced foods such as fish, meat, vegetables and fruits that are rich in protein.
The pupils are de-wormed twice a year. A comprehensive menu which, among other things, would help to develop the brain capacities of the growing children in their formative years was drawn up by stakeholders in the education sector.
The team argued that a well-fed pupil is likely to be healthy and more attentive in class than those on empty stomach.
Addressing delegates from all the states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on the school feeding programme, Osun State Deputy Governor, who doubles as the Commissioner for Education under whose supervision the school feeding is carried out, Mrs. Grace Titilayo Laoye-Tomori noted that the programme began in 2006 as one of the 13 pilot states (Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, inclusive).
She explained that the Aregbesola-led administration extended the beneficiaries of the school feeding programme in 2012 to primary four pupils and rechristened it Osun School Feeding and Health Programme (O-Meals).
Mrs. Laoye-Tomori maintained that the free meals in public schools has led to sharp increase in enrolment from 155,318 to 194,253 after four weeks of its implementation, saying that currently over 252,000 pupils are being fed while they remain in school until closing time.
She said: “According to the Federal Bureau of Statistics Report of 2013, Osun State has the highest primary school enrolment rate in the country and the lowest number of children of school age being out of school.”
Mrs. Laoye-Tomori said that through the programme, the state was able to capture the actual figures of school pupils being fed under the programme which costs the government the sum of N18 million a week.She said a total of 3,007 food vendors were engaged, trained, kitted with uniforms and made to undergo medical screening.
The vendors, according to her, were given loans to procure cooking utensils and organised into 124 functional co-operative investment and credit societies for effective administrative purposes.
Mrs. Laoye-Tomori noted that the success of the programme has attracted compliments and accolades from both local and international forums.
In 2014, the British Parliament invited the Governor Rauf Aregbesola to talk on the implementation of the school feeding programme for which the Parliament praised him.
She explained that commendation also turned in from government of South Africa which sponsored her visit to the country.
While praising the delegates for the visit to have a requisite insight into the dynamics of the school feeding programme, Mrs. Laoye-Tomori advised them to sit back and fashion out what will work for their respective states and people.

Osun State All Progressives Congress has urged the people to reflect deeply about the state created about 25 years ago.
 

 
In a statement by its spokesperson, Kunle Oyatomi, in Osogbo, the state capital, the party called on indigenes to prepare for the 25th anniversary of its creation, which comes up on Saturday.
According to the party: “The mood of the moment calls for every individual’s deep reflection rather than festivities to identify and assess the progress made so far, economically,  educationally, agriculturally and infrastructurally to correctly determine how these have impacted the present and would potentially influence the future.
“Of the 25 years that Osun has been created, the last six years have been the most dramatic and monumental, even if partially controversial. It is a period that future generations will recall with nostalgia as when Osun was jolted from its slumber as a so-called ‘civil service state’ to a potential commercial hub of the Southwest.
“The socio-economic, educational and infrastructural development recorded by the state between November 2010 and now, which continues as you read this, is unprecedented in the history of the state. However, the gross indiscipline and economic mismanagement that characterised Nigeria’s Federal Government between 2013 and 2015, compounded by the collapse of crude oil prices at the international market over that same period,  hugely impacted Osun negatively.

“This calamity notwithstanding, the people of Osun can look back with some pride at what has happened in the last six years of ACN/APC government-led by Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola. The progress this state has made in the last six years is more than double that recorded in the last 19 years before Rauf Aregbesola came to power in 2010.”

Job seekers from the State of Osun will have some relief of getting their desired jobs as the Governor of the State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola during the week commissioned a multimillion naira job centre for the indigenes of the state which would serve as hub of job information to unemployed youths and employers of labour in the state.
 

 
The j commissioning of the job centre  which took place at Osogbo, is an initiative of the government of Osun State to tackle unemployment rate in the state and also to meet one of its Six-Point Integral Action Plan which is to create wealth in the state.
During the opening ceremony  the governor said  his administration is taking job creation to a greater height with the establishment of the job centre where  finding jobs will become easy for the unemployed and better jobs for the youths.

He mentioned that the centre will provide an interface between applicants and employers by maintaining a database that will be made available to employers who need to recruit, adding that it will also keep record of job vacancies which applicants can consult.
Aregbesola stressed that before the coming of his administration there was a high and frightening level of youth unemployment which brought about the O-YES that engaged 20,000 youths in public works in less than 100 days after inauguration.
According to him, “Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme, O-YES policy, brought great micro-economic impact on the state with N200 million monthly allowances given to the youth under the programme.
‘’All the programmes we have implemented and the one of today have been captured in the Green Book which we entitled: “My PACT with Osun“. Today, if you open the book, you will find all we have done and are doing. If anybody had told you that in Osogbo there would be the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, would you have believed it was possible?

The Osun Government has declared Monday Aug. 22 a public holiday to mark the annual Isese Day.
 

 
The Isese Day, or Traditional Worshipers’ Day, is the celebration of the peak of festivities among adherents of traditional religion, which is also known as, “Odun Nla’’.
A statement by Mr Semiu Okanlawon, the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Governor’s Office, Osogbo, said, “The Osun Government wishes to announce that Monday, Aug. 22 is hereby declared a public holiday.
“The holiday is in recognition of the annual Isese Day, which allows the adherents of traditional religion to come together for the annual celebration.”

The Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, has called on the Federal Government to embrace tourism in the face of dwindling revenue from oil.
 

 
Speaking at the grand finale of the grand finale of the Osun Osogbo Festival in Osogbo on Friday, the governor, who was represented by the former Commissioner for Culture, Tourism and Home Affairs in the state, Mr. Sikiru Ayedun, said government and other stakeholders should explore the opportunities embedded in the festival.
He said government should incorporate the festival in its diversification plans, noting that tourism could be used to generate more revenue for the government, especially at this period that oil, which is the mainstay of the nation’s economy, was not yielding fruits like it used to.

“We unfortunately do not celebrate our culture the way we should,” he added.
Other dignitaries at the event, including the National Coordinator of the Oodua People’s Congress, Chief Gani Adams, and the governor emeritus of the Rotary International, Dr. Mike Omotosho, also called on the government to make the festival more attractive to tourists.
Adams said government and the organisers of the festival should do more to promote it in order to attract more visitors, saying that could attract more tourists to the event and boost the economy of the state. He said many countries where tourists often visit do not have as many interesting places of interest as Nigeria but lamented the neglect of promotion of culture and tourism in the country.
He said, “The Federal Government should collaborate with the state  government and the people of Osun in creating a platform where the Osun Festival could  be showcased for the world to embrace.
“Osun is a goddess that has been strong and honourable for ages. If well organised, festivals like Osun Osogbo Festival can boost the economy of any country. The cost implication of getting to this place is N5,000 and if we multiply this by the thousands of people who attended the festival, it will be a huge amount.
“I am not happy with the way the number of participants has been decreasing. This is an indication that the organisers are not doing enough to woo tourists to the festival. Osun Festival could be promoted more in many ways.
“Nothing stops major television stations in the country from covering this event live. This will whet the appetite of those who are not there and the strategy would increase participation in subsequent ones.”
“I am not pleased in any way with the organisers of this event for their way of not arranging anything to eat. We don’t celebrate Christmas without eating anything and Ileya ( Eid el Kabir)  too. How can we call this a festival when you don’t give the people just a sachet water.
Omotosho said the groove should be developed to make it more appealing to tourists from within and from outside the country to come and visit the place.
The Director General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Mr. Yusuf Abdullah, lauded the organisers of the event for the facilities put in place to make it a hitch free event.
The festival was held with no major incident despite the rumour of the plan by some persons to kidnap the ‘Arugba Osun’ which is the cynosure of all eyes during the procession to the shrine.
        

The Governor of the state of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has approved the appointment of Prince (Alhaji) Dauda  Ajolola Akinfalabi from Lagbedu Ruling House as the new Olowu of Orile-owu, Ayedade Local Government and Prince Kazeem Adio Orioye of the Aroyehun Ruling House as the Onigege of Igege in Olaoluwa Local Government.
 

 
This was contained in the appointment letter to the monarchs which was signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy, Water Resources, Rural and Community Affairs, Mr. Muftau Oluwadare.
The Permanent Secretary explained that, the appointments are in line with Section 20, sub – section (1) of the Chief’s Law of the state of Osun 2002. While congratulating them on behalf of the government of the state, he added that arrangements are being made to publish the appointments in the Government Official Gazette.

The World Bank has again applauded the State of Osun for maintaining its leading position in the Youth Employment and Social Support Operation (YESSO)‎ among the participating states in Nigeria.
 

 
The International Financial Institution stated this through Professors Sulaiman Yusuf and Wale Oni at the third phase of the Community Based Targeting (CBT) Team Validation Exercise for Community Development Officers (CDOs) and their Assistants who will be working in the selected communities within the new set of Local Government Areas selected.
The duo maintained that, YESSO came on board to increase access of the poor to youth employment opportunities, social services and to strengthen safety net systems in participating states.
In his remarks at the event, the Coordinator, State Operation Coordinating Unit (SOCU), Osun YESSO‎, Mr. Olufemi Ifaturoti commended the World Bank team for their efforts which he said were instrumental to the coming on board of YESSO in Osun.
Mr. Ifaturoti also eulogized the Federal Operation Coordinating Unit Team (FOCU), Local Government Officials and his SOCU team for their steadfastness which has seen the support operation waxing stronger and stronger.
Also speaking at the event on behalf of the Federal Operation Coordinating Unit (FOCU), Mr. Sulaiman Haruna‎ maintained that, the World Bank/FOCU team was in Osun to ensure that the third round of the Community Based Targeting (CBT) exercise turns out very successful.
The new set of Local Government Areas selected for the third round of the Community Based Targeting(CBT) Exercise‎ are Ife East in addition with the Area Office,  Iwo, Ayedaade, Atakumosa West, Boripe and Odo-Otin.
Among those present at the event were; Alexander Ajiduku from the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office(NASSCO),‎ Abuja, Bada Oluwaseyi from FOCU, Abuja, Abdulsalam A.O also from FOCU in Abuja and  Mr. J.O Akande who is the Coordinating Director of the State Planning Commission (SPC).

The Osun State Commissioner of Police , Mr Femi Oyeleye, on Wednesday, assured that the command has beefed up security in the state ahead of the Osun Festival to prevent the alleged plan to kidnap the Votary Maid traditionally known as “the Arugba Osun”.

The CP said this at a press conference in Osogbo, the state capital ahead of the festival which will climax on Friday.
The Arugba is the key figure and the center of attraction during the annual festival as she is believed to be the representative of the Osun goddess.
The CP said the police got some intelligence report on this and the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun barely a day to the grand finale of the festival also reported the plan to kidnap the Arugba to him.
“We have received intelligence report that some people are planning to kidnap the Arugba Osun.
“The monarch of the town also said this. So we have increased surveillance around the Arugba to prevent this. We have reinforced security around the Arugba and even the ‘Igba’ so that the festival can go on without any hitch.
“We are also assuring worshippers and all visitors of adequate security. The crime rate in Osun State is one of the lowest in the country and we will do everything to sustain this.”
Oyeleye warned police officers in the state to desist from extortion and other misconducts, saying he would not allow anyone of them caught to go unpunished.
The CP stated that the he had renewed his drive towards sanitizing the command because this was in line with the directive of the new Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris.
The CP said 29 policemen were undergoing trials at the Provost Office for offences ranging from extortion to dereliction of duty among others.
He said that the report of the trial would be made public in about a month’s time when the trial would have been concluded.

The Governor of Osun state, Governor Rauf Aregbesola has called on Nigerians to be patient with President Buhari’sadministration.

He said this while receiving an award from Nigerian Association of Technologists in Engineering (NATE).

Speaking on the current situation in the country, Aregbesola said change is a gradual process.

The Governor also called on Nigerians to support the present administration as it seeks for solutions to the present economic crisis.

Adding that “Change does not come easily; change comes generally with pain and it is this pain that will turn out for good.

“There is no doubt that we are going through serious socioeconomic and political challenges and it is my fervent belief that after this period, Nigerians will experience good life, joy and happiness.

“I am of the opinion, with strong conviction that after this painful period, glorious era of joy, happiness and prosperity will come.

“I appeal to Nigerians to exercise patience with the present government, as the process of change is difficult and usually accompanied with huge pains.”

A member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Board of Trustees (BoT), Olisaemeka Akamukale, also said Nigerians are becoming impatient with the Buhari-led administration.

The Job Center has been established as a State Government funded one-stop employment support service. O-JOBS is an operational arm under the aegis of the Office of the Governor with the principal function of providing private sector companies with a bespoke online job recruiting forum to access Osun indigenes and resident

The Osun Job Center has 31 Desk Offices located at each of the 30 Local Government Secretariats and Ife North East Office to help facilitate the goal of lowering unemployment within the State.
Employability Skills training:  to enhance the employability and entrepreneurship of participants.
Career Counselling:  to help explore career opportunities to make informed employment and education choices.
Job fairs; to connect job seekers to employers.
An infrastructure for the business community to post its skill needs.
It is for the osun indigenes.
To register log on to; http://osunjobcenter.org/