Pictures of the Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the National President, Nigerian Statistical Association (NSA), Dr. Muhammed Tumala, and others during a dinner party, organized by the State Government, at Government House, Osogbo, at the weekend

Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (middle) discussing
with the Consultant to Nigerian Statistical Association, Prof. Peter
Osanaye (right), with them is; National President, Nigerian
Statistical Association (NSA), Dr. Muhammed Tumala, during a dinner
party, organized by the State Government, at Government House, Osogbo,
at the weekend

Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (middle); National
President, Nigerian Statistical Association (NSA), Dr. Muhammed Tumala
(2nd left), Consultant to Nigerian Statistical Association, Prof.
Peter Osanaye (2nd right), Fellow of NSA, Dr. Sere Ejembi (left) and
former Senator, Ekiti Central, Babafemi Ojudu, during a dinner party,
organized by the State Government, at Government House, Osogbo, at the
weekend.

Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (right) presenting the
State Anthem to National President, Nigerian Statistical Association
(NSA), Dr. Muhammed Tumala, during a dinner party, organized by the
State Government, at Government House, Osogbo, at the weekend

Ayo Olopon is one of the oldest local games among the Yorubas and has been in existence since time immemorial. It is usually played by old people in the past, which only two persons sitting face to face could play at a time with the game at the center.

Old people usually prevented younger ones from participating in the game because different types of jokes usually arise during the game, most of which may lead to fight.

But for the wisdom and perseverance of elders, fighting would be prevented by them with a common saying that “Ere lanfomo ayo se” (the game is meant just for entertainment)

 However, with the advent of technologies in modern days, Ayo Olopon has been designed to suit the purpose of entertainment for both the young and the old.

The old game has also been modernized that it can apparently be played at any time by even one person.

One of the sponsors of this year’s Osun Osogbo Festival, the Grand Oak Limited, however, unveiled the introduction of Ayo Olopon on mobile phone. Prizes worth million of naira were also doled out in the Ayo Olopon competition, organised by Grand Oak.

Mr. Olayinka Amuwo, who represented Seaman’s Schnapps at the palace of Ataoja of Osogbo, chided the neglect of culture by Nigerian youths, urging parents to value culture and encourage their children to promote culture.

He disclosed that his company has perfected plan on a package where youths would be able to download Ayo Olopon on their mobile phone and enjoy it at any time of the day.

Speaking on behalf of the company, the Senior Brand Manager, Grand Oak Limited and Regal Dry Gin, Mr. Olufemi Afolabi Falomo, said there is the need to fuse culture and tradition with the introduction of modern technology.

He noted that Seaman’s has been supporting culture while Regal is about enjoyment and satisfaction, adding that “Ayo Olopon has been a game that we have been sponsoring over some years now. We realized that we are entering a digital age and we noticed that Ayo Olopon is no more applicable to the youths. That’s why we came up with what seems to be an appeal to attract the youths, we created an online game in which a person can download the application and learn how to play the game on mobile phones. By that, we hope that Ayo Olopon will not be boring to the youths.

“Especially, it affords the opportunity to play it at any time of the day contrary to the earlier belief that it is a game that belongs only to the elders,” he said.

The representative of Goldberg, Mr. Tayo Adelaja, noted that the company has been progressing since 23 years ago that it has been participating in Osun festival, noting that the festival reflects the true culture of Yoruba land.

Adelaja said Goldberg would continue to promote culture.

Responding to the gesture, the winner of this year Ayo Olopon Competition, Adebayo Ademola, lauded the programme organised by Seaman’s, urging the company not to relent in its effort at uplifting the culture of the Yoruba race.

Also, Mrs. Olajide Omolade, who won the female set of the game, described her emergence as accidental and unexpected, praying that God would continue to bless the organisers of the competition.

“I have never participated in the competition and I don’t think I can win any price, let alone the first price. May God continue to bless Seaman’s company,” she prayed.

Ademola and Omolade were given mini refrigerator each, while the second winners, Adesoji Adedire and Adeniyi Aisat, were given portable gasoline generators, while the thirds were given rechargeable fan.

The company also distributed iron, umbrella, T-Shirt, pen, and different sizes of Seaman’s drink to the people, with a view to add fun to the fanfare.

In his remarks, Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji Olanipekun, Larooye 11, prayed for Seaman’s company, assuring that their company would continue to grow whenever they are supporting Osun festival.

Also, as part of efforts to promote culture, the Grand Oak Limited, producers of the old dry gin, Seaman’s, had staged a canopy on the road to the grove of Osun, with musicians providing fun for visitors.

They were seen at the right hand side of the road, distributing sachets of Regal to the passersby with dancing competition.

Also, visitors from various states were not absent despite the cash crunch that is bedeviling the nation.

The governor of Osun State, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, yesterday said that the suspected killers of the former attorney general and minister for justice, Chief Bola Ige, are the same set of people who have tried fruitlessly to destabilise the state.
The governor, who made the allegation while opening the Bola Ige Mechatronic Institute, at the Osun State College of Technology, Esa-Oke, noted that the Bola Ige Mechatronic Institute is a dream come true with the equipment alone costing N875million.
Aregbesola said the institute is a befitting legacy in honour of the slain Chief James Ajibola Bola Ige who he described as a leader, national icon and a citizen of the world.
He regretted that though Ige was brutally murdered by those who thought they could silence him, his spirit has been restless and has been tormenting his killers who have been sinking deeper in what he called “the quagmire of infamy.”
The governor emphasised that the institute is the first of its kind in Africa, adding that the   state’s vision for the institute began with the need to empower youths and equip artisans with the requisite skills to be relevant in an increasingly digital world.
He said, “The spirit of Chief Bola Ige will not sleep until the killers are brought to book. These are the same individuals that have fruitlessly attempted to plunge the state into chaos and bring about a change of government through conspiracy and subterfuge in the recent past.
“While the killers drink from the cup of shame, we shall continue to honour the memory of Ige as he is ensconced in the pantheons of departed Yoruba leaders.”
Aregbesola stressed that the newly commissioned institute will be training on-the-street mechanics from garages and candidates from automobile companies.
He noted that the institute will also admit holders of Ordinary National Diploma and Technical College graduates for skills acquisition and Industrial Trainings.
LEADERSHIP

The organised labour and Osun State government  are presently taking different stands on the current staff audit process going on in the state.
This followed claims by workers that the state government had asked them to present their primary school leaving certificates as part of the requirements for the ongoing exercise.
The state chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Mr. Jacob Ade komi who said that the circular to that effect was issued last Tuesday, noted that although the ongoing staff audit was an agreement between the two parties, presentation of primary school leaving certificate was never part of the MOU signed.
In a swift reaction, a former Commissioner for Integration And Special Duties in the state, Mr. Bashir Ajibola explained that contrary to views that the verification exercise is to retrench workers,  its sole objective is to clean up pay roll.
Mr. Ajibola who pointed out that there are other requirements in the verification, said it was not peculiar to presentation of primary school leaving certificate alone as portrayed by the some workers.
culled from The VANGUARD

Photos of the Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola,  the Guest Speaker, and the Managing Director, Osun State Investment Company Limited,  Mr. Bola Oyebamiji.

Also in attendance and featured are children of Late Chief Bola Ige, during the official commissioning of Bola Ige Mechatronics Institute in Esa Oke on Thursday 10-09-2015

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (2nd left); Son of late Bola Ige and former Commissioner for Lands and Psychical Planning in Osun, Arch. Muyiwa Ige (middle); his sisiter, Mrs Funsho Adegbola (3rd left); Auto Metrics Instructor, Mr Olayinka oladigbo (4th right), during the official commissioning of Bola Ige Mechatronics Institute in Esa-Oke, State of Osun on Thursday 10-09-2015

From right, Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; Daughter of late Bola Ige, Mrs Funsho Adegbola; her brother, Mr Muyiwa Ige, who is also a former Commissioner for Lands and Physical Planning in Osun; an AutoMetrics instructor, Mr Olayinka Oladigbo and others, during the official commissioning of Bola Ige Mechatronics Institute in Esa-Oke, State of Osun on Thursday 10-09-2015

From right, Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; Guest Speaker, Mr. Ola Abraham; Managing Director, Osun State Investment Company Limited, Mr. Bola Oyebamiji and Late Bola Ige,s Daughter, Mrs Funsho Adegbola, during the official commissioning of Bola Ige Mechatronics Institute in Esa Oke on Thursday 10-09-2015

From right, Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, displaying a plaque presented to him by one of the Trainers in Mechatronics from Germany; Guest Speaker, Mr. Ola Abraham; Managing Director, Osun State Investment Company Limited, Mr. Bola Oyebamiji and Late Bola Ige,s Daughter, Mrs Funsho Adegbola and her brother who was the former Commissioner for Lands and Physical Planning, Mr. Muyiwa Ige, during the official commissioning of Bola Ige Mechatronics Institute in Esa Oke on Thursday 10-09-2015

The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on Thursday said that the suspected killers of the former Attorney General and Minister for justice, Chief Bola Ige  are the same set of people who have tried effortlessly to destabilise the state.

The governor made this allegation while opening the Bola Ige Mechatronic Institute, at the Osun State College of Technology, Esa-Oke.

‎He noted that the Bola Ige Mechatronic Institute  is a dream come true with the equipment alone costing N875 million and a befitting legacy in honour of the slain Chief James Ajibola Bola Ige who he described as a leader, national icon and a citizen of the world.

Aregbesola regretted that though Ige was brutally murdered by those who thought they could silence him, his spirit has been restless and has been tormenting his killers who have been sinking deeper in what he called “the quagmire of infamy.”

The governor emphasised that‎ the institute is the first of its kind in Africa, adding that the state’s‎ vision for the institute began with the need to empower youths and equip artisans with the requisite skills to be relevant in an increasingly digital world.

‎According to him, “the spirit of Chief Bola Ige will not sleep until the killers are brought to book. These are the same individuals that have fruitlessly attempted to plunge the state into chaos and bring about a change of government through conspiracy and subterfuge in the recent past.

“While the killers drink from the cup of shame, we shall continue to honour the memory of Ige as he is ensconced in the pantheons of departed Yoruba leaders.

Aregbesola stressed that the newly commissioned institute will be training on-the-street mechanics from garages and candidates from automobile companies.

He noted that the institute will also admit holders of Ordinary National Diploma and Technical College graduates for skills acquisition and Industrial Trainings.

The governor added that the institute plans to offer through National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and National Universities Commission (NUC) approval for upgrade of the polytechnic syllabus, a degree course on Auto Mechatronics, using the facilities in future.

‎Speaking earlier, Former Special Adviser to Governor Aregbesola on Federal Matters, Ms. Idiat Babalola stressed that the diagnostic centre is designed to create employment for the youths and generate revenue internally for the state.

‎Babalola stated that Osun received the biggest support on the project from the National Automotive Design and Development Council, under the auspices of the Federal Ministry of Trade and Industry which got the Bank of Industry to finance it through First Bank of Nigeria.

She said, “It is interesting to note that of all the states that competed for this project, Osun got the nod, partly due to the due diligence done on our proposal that confirmed our good credit rating,” the former Special Adviser told the gathering.

The guest lecturer, Mr. Ola Abraham in his lecture said the establishment of the centre was a re-enactment of wonders and miracles of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo era.

The Don said the mechatronic is one of its kinds on the black continent, saying it will in not too distant future become a force to be reckoned with.

He noted that a graduate of the institute will be equivalent to graduates of eight different discipline because Mechatronic is multi-disciplinary study.

“The establishment of this diagnostic institute indeed is a re-enactment of the old days of wonders and miracles that marked the regime of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo administration of one of the best in Nigeria.

“This centre, by the time it starts running the programmes will be a force to be reckoned with in the world,” Abraham said.

In his testimonial speech, on behalf of the 31 beneficiaries who who were trained in Germany for the purpose of the institute,Yinka Oladipo, described the institute as a ‘Mega Hope.

He said that just as the government of Aregbesola gave hope to youths through OYES scheme and aged through Agba Osun Scheme, the mechatronic programme also gave hope to the youth in the area of modern technological acquisition as well as employment.

“The diagnostic institute equipped us to be professionals after the acquisition of necessary skills so as for us to be able to function efficiently in our chosen fields.

“Through this, you gave us hope by giving us employment; you have kept our hopes alive,” Oladipo said.

Director General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council, Engineer Aminu Jallaal while speaking said the establishment of the institute is a testimony to the development initiative of Governor Aregbesola.

Describing the institute as landmark one, Engineer Jallal said the Bola Ige Mechatronic Institute will be a reference centre for other institutions across Africa.

He said the institute has put Osun at a vantage position to lead in the mechatronic activities henceforth.

The Bank of Industry whose Managing Director Mr. Rasheed Olaoluwa was represented at the event commended Aregbesola for the prompt response of his government over programmes that are capable of providing jobs in the state.

He said while the Bank of Industry has to plead with many states over some of the schemes that are capable of changing the lives of the ordinary people, Governor Aregbesola was prompt and swift in taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the BOI.

Following a recent call by the National Association of Nigerian Colleges of Education Students (NANCES), for the computerisation of learning processes in all colleges of education, as well as ensuring that each student has access to electronic learning (e-learning) device, experts have challenged the government to establish e-learning centres at the affected colleges.
Creating e-learning centres at the colleges, they however, contended was a pragmatic and feasible option compared to availing each student a laptop or tablet, taking into cognizance, the students’ population and the financial implication of doing that.
In making the appeal, the NANCES leadership further urged the Federal Government to specifically create a policy that would mandate each of its members to own a customised laptop or tablet specially designed for teacher education.
Citing the Opon Imo initiative in Osun State as an example, they requested that learning in teachers training institutes across the country should be woven around Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as the world goes digital.
In their considered opinion, if the country desires growth in the sector, computerisation of education must start with teachers who are being trained at the colleges of education.
Commenting on the issue in an interview with The Guardian, former chief lecturer at the Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) and Chief Executive Officer, ICON Training and Consultancy, Dr. Patricia Akumabor, described the student’s demand as logical, since they must be well equipped in order to take care of Nigerian students. He regretted that paucity of may cause their dreams to never come to fruition.
Akumabor maintained that developed countries were still benefitting from numerous advantages inherent in ICT, so Nigeria should not be left behind, noting that if the country desires to get it right in the sector, teachers should be equipped with the right tools to operate effectively.
GUARDIAN

The Federal Government has given the educational programme of the Osun State government a pass mark, describing it as world- class.
Speaking at the launch of the distribution of plastic desks and chairs to schools in Osun State by the Federal Government and the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), at the Local Authority Government Middle School in Ayetoro, Osogbo, the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr. Dikko Suleiman, said the educational programme could equal any facility anywhere in the world.
Suleiman, who was represented by his deputy, Dr. Yakubu Gambo, said the choice of Osun for the launch was done to reward hard work and the dedication of the Governor Rauf Aregbesola administration to the delivery of democratic dividends.
He added that the home grown school feeding programme in Osun was one programme, which had endeared the state to the Federal Government, noting that Osun was the only state feeding pupils.
The UBEC boss urged state governments and the Federal Capital Territory to access their matching grants with UBEC, which stood above N58 billion, by making available their counterpart funds to their State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs).
According to him, “the quality of the structures and infrastructure the governor has put in place in Osun can compete with any of such in developed countries. What we have in Osun can equal that of the United States.
“The home grown school feeding programme, the O-Meal, is one programme that has endeared His Excellency to us because he is the only governor doing it despite the capital intensive nature of the programme.
“We have embarked on intervention projects in Osun, some of which are the building of e-library in schools in Ilesa, Ikirun and Ipetumodu. We also built Almajiri schools in Ede, Osogbo, Ikirun and Iwo.”
Governor Aregbesola, in his address titled: ‘We are just coming out again,’ said the number of and the quality of the construction of schools in Osun could not be found in any part of the country.
The governor noted that the distribution of chairs and tables to schools was the beginning of a revolution in education, “not only in our state, but in the federation.”
He described the President Muhammadu Buhari administration as a purposeful government, which recognised education as the instrument for development and societal renewal, saying Osun was humbled and delighted to be the leading light of the revolution.
Aregbesola stressed that education was a sector his administration’s legacy would be felt, hence the substantial efforts by Osun in education.
He said: “We thank the Almighty God that despite efforts by our adversaries, who have opposed our steps and orchestrated a campaign of calumny against us and our programmes, we have been vindicated. By the grace of the Almighty, we shall continue to progress.
“We are building state-of- the-art 100 elementary schools, 50 middle schools and 20 high schools. This is a big project by any standard, which has injected life into the construction industry and has provided jobs for artisans and professionals.
“I assure you that we shall complete them before the end of our tenure.”
The Executive Chairman of SUBEB, Prince Felix Awofisayo, said the event marked a new direction and a policy thrust of the  Federal Government in repositioning the education sector through direct intervention.
He said the measure would give succour to pupils.
The SUBEB boss stressed that the distribution of chairs and tables was a good development.
Awofisayo said: “The emergence of Governor Aregbesola in 2010 marked the beginning of a positive development in all facets of life, as the administration is anchored on the implementation of a cohesive and an all-encompassing six-point integral action plan.
“Let me reiterate that the provision of functional education for the citizenry represents one of the major focal points of this integral action plan of the governor.”
The Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Comrade Amuda Abdul-Waheed, said the materials distributed would be monitored for optimum use.
He said the choice of Osun as the first state where the chairs and tables would be distributed was a pointer to the fact that Aregbesola had performed well in the education sector.
The NUT boss thanked the Federal Government and UBEC for the distribution, assuring that teachers would cooperate with the government in ensuring that the achievement in education continued.
His words: “We are promising as teachers that we will supervise the use of the materials. We thank the Federal Government and UBEC for finding Osun worthy as the launch state for the distribution.”
THE NATION

 
Protocols,
STATISTICS FOR NATIONAL RELEVANCE
I must thank the Governing Council and members of the Nigerian Statistical Association (NSA) for the kind invitation to the association’s 39^th annual national conference and to declare it open.
Your choice of Osun as the host of your AGM is meritorious. Irrespective of the recent orchestrated campaign of calumny against our state and administration in a section of the media, we are the choice destination for meetings, conferences, conventions and sundry events by corporate bodies, associations and organisations.
This is firstly due to the fact that Osun has a great history behind it. It is the spiritual home of all Yoruba people. Ile-Ife, the fountainhead of Yoruba people, and where the legend says creation began, is less than 50 kilometres from where we are. This will probably explain why nature has extra-blessed us with a serene ambience and breath-taking natural formations.
Oluminrin Waterfall in Erin Ijesa is captivating in its sheer grandeur and compares to any in the world. The Osun Grove, as many of you are aware, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and attracts devotees of the Osun deity and tourists from all over the world. There are more than 50 of such nature’s beauty in Osun.
Secondly, our state has one of, if not the lowest, crime rate in Nigeria. This is in addition to the geniality and hospitality of our people. I will implore you to explore the rich possibilities of God’s nature in Osun before returning to your posts after this conference.
The theme of your conference: ‘Statistics for Good Governance’ is very thoughtful. According to Davidian, M. and Louis, T. A, two leading scholars in your field, ‘Statistics is the science of learning from data, and of measuring, controlling, and communicating uncertainty; and it thereby provides the navigation essential for controlling the course of scientific and societal advances’. I earlier said your theme is thoughtful; let me add that it is also value laden. You see statistics as essential to ‘good governance’ but I will quickly say that without statistics, there can be no governance itself, good or bad. On a broader scale, statistics go beyond governance, it encompasses life itself, mostly in an informal way. Generally in life, whether we are educated or not, or read statistics or physics, we take mental notes of events and phenomena around us and observe patterns from which we form opinions which in turn inform our views and actions.
For instance, we know that drunk driving is dangerous and can lead to fatal accidents. We also know that snake bites can be fatal. These are pieces of knowledge derived from observable patterns in human experience. It is statistics at work. Also, a trader must mentally calculate how much she needs to sell each of the 50 oranges on her tray, against her cost price, to be able to break even, since she could not afford to hire an accountant or a statistician. In the course of her trade, she must determine and predict fairly well the best places and individuals with whom to ply her trade and the characteristics of individuals that are credit worthy or not.
Statistics is also without doubt the backbone of science and the scholastic enterprise. It is the backbone of any business endeavour and enterprise and society. However, for government, a systematisation and conscious application of statistical methods and principles is an imperative without which no government can function. It is therefore necessary to have a functional and effective statistics department.
As we speak, we are carrying out a verification of workers in the state to determine our true wage bill. Though this may be accompanied with some discomfort, it is much needed for effective management of scare resources.
Your association has made admirable efforts to bring statistics into the mainstream of government with varying degrees of success. You have also gone to great length to control and regulate the statistics vocation in Nigeria. I salute and give you kudos for this.
There are however socio-political challenges of relevance for your association. There are times when public and private officials bandy around false statistics in order to promote falsehood and fraudulent agenda. Your association should be able to set the records straight in such circumstances.
Sometimes in 1979, a great debate arose over the conduct of the presidential election of that year on what constitutes two thirds of the then 19 states of Nigeria. A legal gimmick was thrown in which made it twelve two thirds of 19 states. Only Prof Chike Obi, a mathematician, spoke and expressed strong objection that a state is a whole and indivisible; therefore, there could be no two third state. It would have been interesting and even illuminating for your body to volunteer an opinion as it would definitely have been the case in the advanced world.
Periodically, by executive fiat and shenanigan, opposition governors were being removed from office with ‘simple minority’ votes of legislators in their states, when the constitution prescribed at least two thirds majority. Your voice, as a professional association, would have come to the rescue and save our nation from a global embarrassment.
You will also recall that recently, the Federal Government and states lapsed into financial crisis. While the then Federal Government borrowed N470 billion from commercial banks to be able to pay most of its workers salaries in its last four months, states were in a quandary until the coming of President Muhammadu Buhari who extended a lifeline to them.
The official explanation from the Presidency was that thieves were daily stealing 400,000 barrels of crude oil. But there is an incongruity between this figure and the amount by which allocation to states dropped.
While 400,000 represents about 19 per cent of Nigeria’s daily oil production quota, monetary allocation to states dropped by more than 60 per cent and the nation began to haemorrhage financially and tottered towards asphyxiation. Of course, we now know what happened to the money. We led the campaign from here to expose this fraud but with dire consequences for us. Honestly, statisticians should have spoken up while this storm raged.
The challenge for your profession therefore is patriotic intervention in national life as it concerns your profession. You will through this promote good governance with statistics.
Let me wholeheartedly welcome you to Osun and wish you a fruitful and successful meeting as I declare this conference open.
I thank you all for your kind attention.