Osun State has inked a N10 billion contract for the rehabilitation and construction of 224.6-kilometre rural roads.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Rural Development and Community Affairs, Mr. Kunle Ige, revealed this to reporters in Osogbo at the weekend.
He said the project, tagged: Rural Access and Mobility Project (RAMP), is supported by the World Bank and French Development Project.
Ige added that the two foreign organisations have contributed about 75 per cent of the fund while the government paid N2.5 billion counterpart funds, representing 25 per cent.
The contract, according to him, has been awarded to Messrs Westmidland Construction Company Limited, Messrs Wetland Construction Nigeria Limited and Messrs Lee Fakino Nigeria Limited.
Ige noted that among the participating four states – Adamawa, Osun, Enugu and Niger states – in the RAMP, Osun was the first to meet up with conditions for the signing of the contract, which would enhance access and mobility in the rural areas.
The Special Adviser, who noted that the project would boost the state’s economy, said most of the roads to be constructed would lead to farm settlements.
He added that the road project would make it convenient to transport agricultural produce to the cities after the completion of the roads.
The governor’s aide said the contractors would be monitored to ensure that they carry out the project according to specifications.

The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has joined well-meaning Nigerians in commiserating with the family of the Retired General  Benjamin Adekunle, popularly known as ‘Black Scorpion’ who passed on to glory on Saturday.

The Governor, in a statement by the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, said the death of Benjamin Adekunle has closed a long chapter in the history of the nation as it relates to the Nigerian Civil war.

Aregbesola said Adekunle played a crucial role in the civil war that almost liquidated the Nigerian nationhood.

The governor noted that irrespective of what some people might believe or not believe about the deceased, Adekunle played a vital role in making sure Nigeria remained a united country.

“We receive with heavy heart the death of one of Nigeria’s finest soldiers, who fought for the unity of his country.

“No doubt, he was a soldier of soldiers and commander of men. He distinguished himself in his chosen profession both at home and abroad.

“Adekunle led the Third Marine Commando Division during the Civil war with such great courage and determination.

“Up till today, his war exploit in the command of the Third Marine remains subject of discussion across Nigeria and beyond.

“The history of post-independence Nigeria and the crises that threatened the young nation’s existence will be incomplete without a chapter for this courageous soldier.

“We, Government and people of Osun, convey our heartfelt condolences to the immediate and extended families of Adekunle, and the Government and people of Oyo State.

“We pray that God repose his gentle soul in paradise,” Aregbesola said.

Osun state government yesterday inaugurated the board of directors for the State Agency for Community and Social Development Project, CSDP, headed by Alhaji Musa Abdulraman with four other members.

Inaugurating the board at the EXCO Lounge of the Governor’s office, the state governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola pointed out that the impact of the CSDP in development cannot be over emphasised as they go a long way in assisting the development of the state.

He maintained that the business of developing the society is an unending task for which everybody must participate so as to achieve accelerated development within a short period, while describing the agency as an important one because it serves an important purpose.

Ogbeni Aregbesola, who noted that the CSDP is inaugurated with a view to developing the state, stressed that nothing meaningful can be achieved if the government does not get support from the people.

Also speaking at the inauguration programme, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Water Resources, Rural and Community Development Affairs, Mr. Kunle Ige stated that the Success of the project has made the communities in the state to develop keen interest in the CSDP.

He urged the newly inaugurated board to see it as a huge task ahead and approach it with all sense of responsibility.

In his inaugural speech, the newly inaugurated Chairman of the Osun CSDP, Alhaji Musa Abdulraman expressed gratitude to the Governor for giving them the rare opportunity to serve the state, while promising that they will execute the task given to them with utmost sincerity and hard work.

The new CSDP boss, however used the medium to on behalf of other members felicitates with the governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola on his re-election saying, “It is a well deserved honour for the benefit of the people.”

– See more at: http://nigerianpilot.com/aregbesola-inaugurates-osun-csdp/#sthash.tPnckZFI.dpuf

Photos from the Farewell Ceremony for 2014 Intending Pilgrims to Saudi Arabia at Governor’s Office, Osogbo, on Thursday 11-09-2014

From left, Secretary to the State Government of Osun, Alhaji Moshood
Adeoti; Governor Rauf Aregbesola; Commissioner for Home Affairs,
Culture and Tourism, Alhaji Sikiru Ayedun and Head of Service, Mr
Sunday Owoeye, during a Farewell Ceremony for 2014 Intending Pilgrims
to Saudi Arabia at Governor’s Office, Osogbo, on Thursday 11-09-2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (right) addressing the
2014 Intending Pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, during a Farewell Ceremony
for them at Governor’s Office, Osogbo, on Thursday 11-09-2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (right) acknowledging
Cheers from 2014 Intending Pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, during a Farewell
Ceremony for them at Governor’s Office, Osogbo, on Thursday 11-09-2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (right) acknowledging
Cheers from 2014 Intending Pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, during a Farewell
Ceremony for them at Governor’s Office, Osogbo, on Thursday 11-09-2014

The Governor of the state of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on Thursday highlighted not only the health but the the security challenges posed to any country by the scourge of Ebola virus.

The governor who conveyed a state security council and stakeholders meeting on the prevention of Ebola virus disease, at the Government House Banquet Hall held that any country under the threat of the epidemic risks loosing it’s sovereignty.

Aregbesola pointed out that all hands must be on deck on how to checkmate the disease ‎from entering the state, saying the state’s meagre resources should be concentrated on bringing about massive economic development.

The governor stressed that most of the countries affected are almost loosing their sovereignty because of the Ebola.

He said, “We should not see the disease as an ordinary health challenge but a situation that can be seen as a security problem for a state or a nation. That is why I have called all the security chiefs and all stakeholders to this meeting.

“I am happy that we now have a big relief in the state against the rumour of the virus in the state. God forbid it, I have been troubled ever since the news. HOw could we have coped with the little resources of the state? You should now go out to tell the world that there is no Ebola in Osun and that we will prevent it’s manifestation here at all cost.

“With all these countries around us, there are countries like Liberia, Sierra‎-Leone, Guinea and Congo that we need to support because they are too close for the comfort of our country. Our prayer is that the disease will not have place to stay in our land”. The governor prayed.

Speaking at the meeting, the Special Adviser to Governor Aregbesola on Health, Dr. Rafiu Isamotu noted that the state health ministry is prepared for the disease.

“We have set up various committee comprising 5 ministries meeting and sensitising peo‎ple on what to do and we have distributed personal protective equipment to  hospitals in the state.

“The ministry is not leaving any stone unturned on the issue of this Ebola virus. Personnel of our ministry are out to sensitize market ‎women, members of National Union of Road and Transport workers and other artisans. Jingle and enlightenment programmes are also on radio and television on how to prevent it”. Dr. Isamotu said

Also the representative of the Vice-Chancellor, Obafemi Awolowo University, Prof. Olaniyi Onayemi said the university community is happy that the governor is interested in making the state Ebola-free.

The rumour that Ebola entered Osun through the university is false, “in OAU we have set up committee‎s on campus and also had a seminar on Ebola in school. We have forms for them to fill that will give a lead to where they have been before resumption.

“It was in the process that we got a lady who came out to say that she had contact will a victim in Porthacourt , she was taken to Lagos and the first test result showed that she is Ebola Negative.

“Foreign students have been asked to stay back for the session, those around who have not gone out of the country have been screened. As of now the reported lady is Ebola free.” The OAU don told the meeting.

The Government of the State of Osun under has categorically stated that the female student of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) who was suspected to have the Ebola Virus Disease and evacuated to appropriate facility in Lagos State on, has tested negative to the virus.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr [Mrs] Temitope Ilori in a telephone interview with Bioreports on Thursday, September 11, 2014 said the student has been confirmed to be Ebola virus negative.

Ilori said there is no recorded case of Ebola in Osun, adding that, all machineries have been put in place to ensure that, the state is Ebola free.

According to the Commissioner, the OAU female student suspected to be a secondary contact of Ebola who was early Tuesday evacuated to appropriate facility in Lagos has been confirmed to be free of the virus.

She noted that Governor Rauf Aregbesola had met with State Committee on Ebola and Committee specially set up from the OAU to discuss on how to prevent the deadly disease from rearing its head in the state.

Ilori further stressed that the state government, in its quest to avert the spread of the viral disease in the state, her ministry would continue to work with management of Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital as well as other stake holders in the state, in order to ensure that, Osun remain Ebola free.

It would be recalled that, OAU female student was said to have had primary contact with an EVD victim in Port Harcourt, and fell sick when she arrived the university and was rushed to OAUTHC.

There were rumours in most parts of state, on Tuesday, that a student of the OAU, Ile-Ife had contacted the virus and had been admitted at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital OAUTH, Ile-Ife.

BIOREPORT

Photos of the Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Managing Director, Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation, during a Courtesy Visit to the Governor in his Office, Abere, State of Osun on Thursday 11-09-2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (right) and Managing
Director, Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation, Mr Bode
Opadokun, during a Courtesy Visit to the Governor in his Office,
Abere, State of Osun on Thursday 11-09-2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (2nd right); Managing
Director, Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC), Mr Bode
Opadokun (2nd left); Zonal Manager NAIC, Oyo State, Mr Rasheed
Ogunbiyi (left) and Branch Manager NAIC, Oyo State, Mrs Famodun Kemi,
during a Courtesy Visit to the Governor in his Office, Abere, State of
Osun on Thursday 11-09-2014

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (3rd right); Managing
Director, Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC), Mr Bode
Opadokun (3rd left); Coordinator, Osun Quick Impact Intervention
Programme (QUIIP), Mr Dele Ogundipe (left); Osun Manager NAIC, Mr
Adelowo ‘Lekan (right); Zonal Manager NAIC, Oyo State, Mr Rasheed
Ogunbiyi (2nd left) and Branch Manager NAIC, Oyo State, Mrs Famodun
Kemi (2nd right), during a Courtesy Visit to the Governor in his
Office, Abere, State of Osun on Thursday 11-09-2014

The state of Osun contingent of the intending muslims pilgrims have been admonished to pray for the peace, progress and economic development of the state in the holy land of Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

Governor Rauf Aregbesola gave the admonition at the farewell ceremony for the 2014 muslim pilgrims.

A total of eight hundred and sixty-eight intending pilgrims which include self and government sponsored will attend this year’s Hajj operation from the state of Osun.

The first batch of the contingent will leave Osogbo for Lagos on Saturday and will finally depart the shore of this country in the evening of Sunday.

Previous Hajj operations since the inception of the present administration has been successful according to governor Rauf Aregbesola.

Expressing hope that this year’s Hajj operation will be better in terms of coordination, conduct and performance of the spiritual duties by the intending pilgrims, Governor Aregbesola enjoined them to consider Hajj as a call to duty in the ways of Allah.

He admonished them to make use of the exercise to seek spiritual rebirth and come back a new born who will submit themselves to the total will of Allah, while also charging them to be of good conduct and be clean at all times.

The Governor also demanded that the pilgrims while in the holy land should thank Allah on his behalf for his success at the just concluded gubernatorial elections in the state.

“Performing the hajj will make you as clean as a newborn. Anybody going to meet with God at the holy land has no business with filthy things. I urge you to make sure you present yourself holy before God.

“If you take your hajj operations very seriously you will get everything you desire before you leave this earth because God can do anything you ask from Him except He doesn’t want to do it.

“The hajj operations is very important aspect of Islam which should not be handled with kid gloves. So I urge you to take the exercise seriously and pray for the peace and economic development of the state of our”, Aregbesola stressed.

OSUN DEFENDER

With a meagre monthly allocation of an average of less than one billion naira from the Federation Account and an Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of less than N1bn naira a month, Governor Rauf Aregbesola has maintained a motivated workforce paid as at when due; built, renovated and reconstructed primary and secondary school building across the state; rehabilitated, reconstructed and constructed health facilities; built and reconstructed roads and streets designed and completed with covered drains, walk ways and street lights; provided communities across the 30 local government areas in the state with potable water and electricity as well as flood control, environmental sanitation and beautification. Osogbo, the Osun State capital, is undoubtedly a cleaner, safer, orderly and beautiful city compared to the decay of the past. Compared with some Niger-Delta oil producing states’ huge monthly allocation of an average of N20bn and IGR receipt of N8bn, Governor Aregbesola by all standards qualifies to be termed a genius in financial management, prudence, accountability and transparency.

Governor Aregbesola introduced Sukuk Bond to fasttrack the state’s economic development. He knows that Sukuk, commonly referred to as the Islamic equivalent of bond, is opposed to conventional bonds, which merely confer ownership of a debt. Aregbesola knows that Sukuk grants the investors a share of an asset, along with the commensurate cash flows and risk. As such, Sukuk securities adhere to Islamic laws sometimes referred to as Shari’ah principles, which prohibit the charging or payment of interest. Governor Aregbesola wants to achieve rapid economic development for the people of the state and other Nigerians by catalysing both national and international trading infrastructure, product innovation and information flow within strong, transparent and well regulated standards and guidelines. The governor wants to promote acceptance and integration with mainstream markets.

According to the issuing houses, Governor Aregbesola’s sukuk initiative was said to be the first Islamic bond in sub-Saharan Africa. The Sukuk bond was issued in accordance with enactment of the Osun State Bonds, Notes and Other Securities Law 2012 and setting up the Osun Sukuk Company Plc. Though the governor knows that Sukuk is Islamic in nomenclature, the Sukuk bond is a conventional bond and coordinated by the regular investors in the nation’s capital and money market. The bond was issued in accordance with the Security and Exchange Commission’s rules and regulations. The N14. 4 billion sukuk (14. 75 percent) fixed return tranche 2 has 42 investors with Lotus Capital Limited as the leading issuing house and Augusto and co, one of Nigeria’s leading rating agencies, as the rating agent. The bond, which is being used to finance roads and school constructions across the state, is due in 2020. While authorising and approving the offer at the board meeting for the Sukuk Company, Aregbesola said his government took the sukuk bond as an opportunity for the development of the state. “In name, the bond is Islamic but it has the conventional bonds’ characteristics and is coordinated by the regular capital and money market investors.Out of the 42 investors, only one of them (Jaiz Bank) is Islamic and the name sukuk is just a nomenclature. The investors are regular Nigerians,” the governor said.

The emergence of Sukuk in Osun and indeed Nigeria has been one of the most significant developments in Islamic capital markets in recent years. Put simply, Sukuk instruments act as a bridge. They link their issuers, primarily sovereigns and corporations in Osun State,, Nigeria, Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia, with a wide pool of investors, many of whom are seeking to diversify their holdings beyond traditional asset classes. In this way, funds raised through Sukuk can be allocated in an efficient and transparent way to infrastructure initiatives and other deserving projects in the 56 member countries of IDB, as well as communities in over 100 non-member countries.

The Debt Management Office (DMO) in Abuja has said that Osun’s debt profile is a sustainable one which is healthy for its economic development. Dr Abraham Nwankwo who is the Director General of DMO in the Presidency has said that Osun State is one of the best states in the federation with public debt management, describing the claims that Osun was heavily indebted as mere propaganda and hoax. Nigeria wants to make sure that all segments of the society is captured in the bond market because there are some groups of people or individuals who do not want to participate in ordinary bond because of interest. Osun took the initiative and helped in introducing Sukuk in Nigeria. This is Governor Aregbesola’s vision for the people of Osun and the rest of Nigeria by introducing Sukuk bond to sub Sahara Africa.

The governor understands how domestic and foreign investors buy Sukuk which have various structures approved by Shari’ah boards of Islamic scholars. He knows that Sukuk issuance has proven its resilience during recent periods of turbulence in global capital markets.

Governor Aregbesola understands that Sukuk will play a major role in the development of infrastructure and this is crucial to his vision of establishing Osun as a commercial hub for the South West of Nigeria.

Donald is the Director of Justice Research Centre, Benin City

TRIBUNE

It was a triumphant entry for the Osun Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola when the Osun workforce literally “layed ambush” as he enters the Bola Ige House in Abere- where they welcomed him to office.

Trade Union Congress TUC Chairman Comrade Francis Adetunji said the gathering was a demonstration of their love for governor Aregbesola. His NLC counterpart Comrade Saka Adesiyan said “workers trooped out as a demonstration of natural support for our governor. This is just to show that we are unrelenting in our support for this man who has done so many good things for us- workers of Osun”

The head of service, Sunday Owoeye dedcribed the ocassion as unprecedented. “No governor has ever been welcomed to office by workers. This shows that for every action, there is reaction. This is a show of workers’ reaction to the numerous good things that Osun workers have enjoyed under your administration.”

Addressing the mammoth crowd of workers, Governor Rauf Aregbesola thanked them for standing by him during the last election.

He racalled how efforts were made by the opposition to fraudulently win the election. “They tried everything within their powers. They officially deployed 73 thousand security men to our state. That is minus the over 20 thousand impersonators in DSS uniform.

“They even have the guts to attempt entrance into my official residence on August 9. Led by the “election AIG”, Police Commissioner, and the one in charge of the Army. They claimed that they got intelligence that election rigging was underway in government house. They tried but they met the right resistance”, said governor Aregbesola.

He stressed that there was nothing within the powers of members of the opposition to “cause the longest civilian coup in the last election” that was not done.
Aregbesola added that God however showed that He was with Osun people during the last election when he was returned after all.

Against the rumours that there would be backlash on some workers who brazenly joined the frail of the opposition’s machinations to take over government, the Osun governor asured the workers that there will he no backlash whatsoever.

“I say it here openly that we will not carry out any reprisal on any worker for not voting for us in the last election”, Aregbesola said.

He added that it is the right of any Nigerian to support anybody through the ballot; including workers. He explained that it is however criminal that amy civil servant who pledged allegiance to the service and still went all out to openly express support for the opposition party on election day.

“Any worker who went partisan during the last election should please desist. Though we know some of them. We will not take any step against them but we plead with them to repent and let’s build our state togather. What happened last August 9 was God’s doing. And we are sure that whoever tries to cross God’s path will fail woefully”, Aregbesola said.

BIOREPORT