The governor, state of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola yesterday visited the site of ongoing construction work at the Bisi Akande trumpet bridge in Gbongan.
The governor expressed satisfaction at the pace and quality of the work done so far, whilst urging the contractors to keep up the good work and ensure that the project is completed as and at when due.
 
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Ikire is the closest town to Oyo state and can be called the gateway town to the State of Osun. It is within the basin of the famous River Osun. It lies on latitude 07° 30′North and longitude 04°20′East. The population is 143,599 according to the 2006 Population Census
 

 
Farming is a major activity in the town and crops grown includes yam, cocoa, cassava and plantain. The town is know for production of ‘’Dodo Ikire’’, a snack made with plantain and pepper. The proximity to Ibadan, a major commercial and industrial centre in the Southwest helps in facilitating smooth movement of goods and services.
The Akire of Ikireland is the traditional head and Chairman Akire-in-Council.
The people practice Islam, Christianity as well as traditional religion. The Akire Festival is an important event in the town.
Important landmark in the nodal town includes, College of Humanities and Culture Osun State University and State General Hospita

A non-profit organisation under the aegis of United African State has trained 300 craftswomen in Osun State, in areas such as bead making, fashion designing, batik, tye and dye among others, with a view to making them self-reliant.
Speaking on the objective of the organization, Ambassador, Nurudeen Ogunlade, said the initiative was designed to empower the women economically as a strategy to reduce poverty in the society in line with the vision 2020.

 
Ogunlade said the women drawn from all the 30 local government areas in Osun state, have been equipped with different skills and that they would also be exposed to international markets to sell their products.
He added that his organization in collaboration with another group known as All Work of Life (AWOL), is assisting Osun women on capacity building and guiding them through the business side of their trades.
Ogunlade said his organization also plans to cultivate the women to be advocates of world peace, free expression, environmental harmony, universal human love and appreciation of native culture.
He said the women in Osun would also be mobilised and encouraged to lend their voices to the war that has been waged against corruption and corrupt individuals by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Ogunlade then went ahead to commend the Osun State Governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, for the massive infrastructural development in the state, particularly in the aspect of road constructions, newly built schools and other projects that targeted the women and children in the state including the school feeding programme.
He however disclosed that out of the 300 women that participated in the training, 20 would be taken to a Business Expo Exhibition in Belize, near Cuba in Central America, to showcase their made in Nigeria products.

Osun United Football Club on  Monday afternoon forced Gateway United Football Club to a 1-1 draw in the South West NNL Pre-Season Tournament match played at the Onikan Stadium, Lagos.
 

 
Gateway went in front very early in the match, Christian Samuel was the man who gave them the lead after he latched on to a lose ball in the box and he skilfully helped it into the net.
The Omoluabi Giants however mounted pressure on Gateway defence and got their equaliser in the 52nd minute when diminutive midfielder Hakeem Olalere scored via a penalty.
Efforts by both teams to increase their tally  yielded no result.
Coach Duke Udi, commended Gateway team and expressed satisfaction with the performance of his players.
He praised his charges and said with what he saw, the players, would play better in future engagements.
Osun United will battle with National League newcomers My People FC on Tuesday evening at Onikan Stadium.

Ilesa, a major city in the State of Osun is very strategic because it is a major gateway to the north, south and eastern parts of Nigeria. It is located on approximately 70 N 50E. A rain forest zone known for its agricultural potentials. The major crops produced includes cocoa, oil palm, kolanuts, cotton, pumpkins.
 

 
People from this part of the state are called Ijeshas and they are known to be very hardworking, industrious and widely travelled. Local governments making up Ijeshaland includes, Ilesa East, Ilesa West,  Obokun, Oriade, Atakunmosa East and Atakunmosa West.  Major towns are Iperindo, Ijebu- Jesa, Osu, Esa Oke, Ikeji Arakeji, Owena Ijesha, Imesi Ile, Ifewara and others  villages numbering over two hundred.  The total population of Ijesaland according to the 2006 Population Census is put at 620,109.
Ilesa is known to have large deposits of gold in commercial quantities and other minerals in considerable proportion.
The traditional ruler of Ilesa is called the Owa Obokun of Ijesaland who is the paramount ruler and head.
Ilesa is home to the International Breweries Limited, Wesley Guild Hospital, the famous Ilesa Grammar School and Osun State College of Technology, Esa Oke.  Tourist attractions in this part of the state are Erin Ijesa Waterfalls, Kiriji War Museum and the annual Iwude Festival.

The Governor, state of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has received a warm applause for being forthright on the implementation of policies designed to revamp the agriculture sector in the state.
The praise was coming from members of the Osun state chapter of Cassava Growers Association of Nigeria, while they presented their position paper to the State House of Assembly Committee on Agriculture.
 

 
The association commended the state for being the bulwark of support to the needs of farmers in the state since assumption of office.
Presenting the paper, the Chairman of the Association, Dr David Ogunsade, described agriculture as the only surviving alternative to dearth of revenue from crude oil production in the country.
He stressed the need for more support from governments, stakeholders and other interested groups to enhance agricultural productivity, capacity, as well improve on the youth’s endorsement and participation in farming.
Ogunsade said government must provide the enabling environment that would further enhance micro-credit facilities to farmers most especially the peasant farmers in the country.
He however saluted Governor Aregbesola’s administration for establishing what he described as a robust and mutually beneficial partnership with the association which according to him, had re-positioned the agricultural sector in the state.
Furthermore, he stated that the government of Osun had done well in boosting the welfare and morale of farmers through its prompt interventions as part of efforts to realising the state’s potentials in agriculture.
Calling for modern agricultural practices to improve on the agricultural productivity in the state, Ogunsade said no effort must be spared by all at building a capacity that would encourage farming through the provision of ultra-modern facilities to farmers.
According to him, for rapid growth in the sector, modern agricultural practices must be encouraged while interest-free loans must be introduced to farmers.
He implored the state not to relent on its goal at turning the state to food basket of the nation.
“Our moribund agricultural infrastructures like cassava processing industry, cocoa processing industry, palm oil production industry among others, must be resuscitated so as to meet the needs of the people and help the state to be self-sufficient in food production.
“We want our Governor to do more in reviving all the cassava processing industries across the state so as to further increase on our cassava production capacity,” he added.
In response, Chairman of the Osun State House committee on Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Gbadebo Abdullahi, said government would continue to support the association in realizing its goals.
He then urged the farmers to always fulfil their obligation by refunding all credit facilities provided by government in order to enable others to benefit.
Abdullahi also tasked the farmers to seek other avenues to improve on their production and quality.
He assured them that the government would do its bit and they should also do theirs while maintaining unity.
Another member of the committee, Mr Israel Aloba, in support, called on the members of the association to cooperate with relevant agencies in the realisation of their dreams, saying this would help fast track their job and make the state the hub of cassava production in the country.

Nigeria Women Premier League side Osun Babes FC have unveiled their new club crest which will appear on the club’s shirt from the start of the 2016/2017 Nigeria Women Premier League Season (NWPL).
The management of the club decided to make it known to the public after lengthy consultations with stakeholders and fans of the club who were broadly in favour of establishing a new logo for the Omoluabi Queens.
 

 
The new design marks the departure from the existing badge, adopted in 2014, and instead resembles an updated version of the club’s new philosophies.
According to a statement by the club’s media officer, Olayinka Olawole, “The new crest features a shield that retains the seal of the State of Osun, which comprises of two elephants, Ori Olokun, a Cocoa tree, an inner shield, crossed woods, Swords, a mace and seven cowries.
“The elephants symbolizes strength, service and prosperity, while the Ori Olokun represents the common origin of Yoruba and their dexterity in technology. The Cocoa Tree and two crossed logs of wood on which the elephant stands signifies the dependence of the state and its respects for agriculture and other natural resources of the land.

“Also, the chief’s sword and mace embodies the spirit and purpose of Osun State! While the inner shield and cowries on the Ori Olokun symbolizes the link between Osun State and the federal republic of Nigeria and the seven grandsons of Oduduwa respectively. The crest also includes the year the club was founded, 1995.
Some of the players told the club’s media team how happy they are looking forward to wearing the new badge.
“We are really looking forward to wearing it. It’s something new. This is what we love about this club and the journey we have been on since we’ve been here. There have always been new and exciting things and every one of them positive. It’s no different with this badge. We think it’s great.”
Meanwhile, the club has officially ended screening for new players ahead of the 2016/2017 NWPL season and have retained eighteen players from the old players and also picked twelve new exciting players for the new season.

Ife is an ancient town in Yoruba history and is regarded as the cradle of civilization. According to Yoruba tradition, Ife is the ancestral and spiritual home for all Yoruba. It is believed that the creation of the world started from Ife. Hence, it is popularly referred to as ‘’Land of the Source’’.
The Ooni of Ife is the traditional head and is highly revered amongst the Yoruba particularly and the nation in general.
 

 
 
Administratively, Ile-Ife has two local governments namely Ife Central and Ife East. The headquarters of Ife Central Local Government is on Ibadan Road while that of Ife East is at Oke Ogbo. The population of the two according to the 2006 National Census is put at 167,254 and 188,027 respectively.
Geographically, Ile- Ife lies on longitude 4° 69’E and latitude 70° 50′ N.The climate is tropical. Like every other Southwest area, the rainy season starts April to October while the dry season lasts October to March.
Ile-Ife is home to the Prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University and other important places like University Teaching Hospital Complex, Ife Museum of Antiquities, Opa Oranmiyan, Okemogun Shrine, Oduduwa Palace, Zoological Gardens and Odua Shrine. The Olojo Festival, an important event in the ancient town holds annually.

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has said it would partner with the Osun State Government in the area of electronic assessment of students.
 

 
WAEC Head National Office (HNO), Mr Olu Adenipekun, revealed this during a courtesy visit to Gov. Rauf Aregbesola in Osogbo.
According to Adenipekun, “WAEC will require support and assistance of the state government with allocation of land in conducive location for this project.”
“The council is willing to collaborate with the Ministry of Education to create avenues for experience-sharing with teachers in secondary schools in the state.”
“This will be in the areas of standardised testing and candidates/ students assessment…
“We will continually ensure the smooth conduct of our examinations. We are equally open for collaboration in the training of teachers in order to improve the performance of candidates in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE),’’ he said.
Adenipekun commended the governor for strides in education in the state, praising the “Opon Imo’’ (meaning tablet of knowledge) initiative by the state government, as a major breakthrough of Aregbesola’s administration in the education sector.

Aregbesola im response commended WAEC for diligent conduct of their variois exs and promised to approve a piece of land for the proposed e-testing and training centre as requested by the WAEC.
“I am happy you are here today to recognise our little efforts in improving the quality of teaching and learning. But we are not particularly happy with our performance because we are still not where we want to be.”
“Our progress is steady, certain and with that progress, it has guaranteed us the need to do more.”
“Your visit has encouraged us to do more, and I want to assure you that we are fully committed and willing to partner with you on all your projects, aimed at driving our developmental effort in education.”
“What you want to do is a blessing and therefore, I want to appeal to you to register us as your partner in all your projects,’’ the governor said.