Breaking News

Osun begins Interview for shortlisted Teachers across the State | Osun Stewardship/ Ise Iriju wa holds tomorrow, on all radio stations in Osun. | ADELEKE: WORKERS ENDORSEMENT AND OSUN APC’S FAILED STRATEGY. | May Day: Osun Workers Endorse Governor Adeleke for Second Term | No Plan to Evict Farmers for Mining | I am not Quitting PDP, Governor Adeleke Tells Osun Stakeholders’ Forum | Empowering Osun Creatives Through Constant Collaboration: A Commitment to the Future | Osun Clinches Climate Action Awards, Hosts Stakeholders Workshop on Climate Finance. | Governor Adeleke Condoles Iwo Muslim Community Over Passing of Sheikh Abdul Rasheed Hadiyatullah | GOVERNOR ADELEKE CELEBRATES TUNJI ADELEKE ON HIS BIRTHDAY | Remain Steadfast and Avoid Distractions, Governor Adeleke Tasks Osun PDP Members. | GOVERNOR ADELEKE CELEBRATES RENOWNED PUBLISHER, SEYE KEHINDE AT 60 | Governor Adeleke Commissions Isiaka Adeleke Resource Centre Donated to Adeleke University by Hon Bamidele Salam. | Revenue Generation: Osun Adopts Unified Ticketing System for Commercial Motorcycle/Tricycle Riders. | Governor Adeleke Pays Emotional Tribute to Late Brother, Senator Isiaka Adeleke, on 8th Anniversary. | EASTER: KEEP HOPE ALIVE FOR THE PROMISE OF BETTER DAYS AHEAD ,GOVERNOR ADELEKE ENJOINS OSUN PEOPLE | Governor Adeleke to Attend Investment Summit and Commonwealth Trade & Investment Forum in London. | Alternative High School for Girls: Operations Will Commence Soon – Osun Govt Insists | Governor Adeleke Directs Police Commissioner to Stop Tax Extortion & Forgery by Yes/No Council Chairmen. | RE: BORIPE LG INAUGURATES MARKET TASK FORCE: OSUN STATE GOVERNMENT WARNS ALL TO DISREGARD ILLEGAL ACT. | GOVERNOR ADELEKE MOURNS PASSING OF OSUN APC CHIEFTAIN, DR ADEKUNLE ADENIJI.

Category: General

rauf-aregbesola-of-osun-690×450-1

Gov. Rauf Aregbesola of Osun has solicited the passage of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) Establishment Bill by the House of Assembly.

rauf-aregbesola-of-osun-690x450-1

This is contained in a letter written by the governor to the assembly and read by the Speaker, Mr Najeem Salaam, during plenary on Wednesday.

Aregbesola, in the letter, also sought for the passage of the Local Government Education Authority Bill.

The governor also urged the lawmakers to screen Mr Asaola Adebowale as Commissioner 1 in the Civil Service Commission to replace the late Robert Adebiyi.

The two bills, according to the speaker, would provide for effective regulation and management of elementary and middle schools in the state.

A motion for the first reading of the bills was subsequently moved by the Majority Leader of the house, Mr Timothy Owoeye, and seconded by the Chief Whip, Folorunsho Bamisayemi.

Salaam, however, urged members to study the bill properly to enable them to make meaningful contributions during debate.

Read More
1st-annual-independence-lecture-the-point-3

In his speech titled: “Breaking the cycle of dependence” at the public presentation of The Point and the newspaper’s first annual independence lecture on the economy, organised by Right Dev Limited in Lagos, Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola traces the prevailing economic crisis to the early 80s. He prescribes the pills for remedial treatment temporary and enduring cure. 
 
1st-annual-independence-lecture-the-point-3
 
Our subject of discussion is actually a question – “What is the economics of change?” This is a play on word that indirectly puts to task the campaign mantra of our party – the All Progressives Congress (APC) – that promised Nigerians a change for the better during last year’s election campaign. It is being subtly challenged in light of the declaration by the minders of the Nigerian economy that it has lapsed into recession.
This is on the heels of steep inflation and rising cost of all items; the continued fall in the value of the naira against other currencies; retrenchment of workers in the private sector and the challenges faced by 27 states of the federation in paying workers’ salaries.
There has also been an unusual interest of the media to report pathetic human angle stories of domestic violence, divorce, suicide and petty theft, all blamed on the economic situation in the country. A man that battered his wife to death; a civil servant that reportedly stole his neighbour’s pot of soup; a woman that chopped off her husband’s manhood; and depressed individuals that took their own lives, are regular and prominent daily news items, all blamed directly on the recession.
So, the question is rhetorical because it is cast in a self-evident form with the answer so obvious and tellingly screaming “No, this is not change, or, at least, not the change we asked for”.
Genesis of economic woes
 
But quite honestly, while we may not deny the obvious, these developments do not actually reflect the whole truth. The freefall of the Nigerian economy had begun long before the coming to power of the APC. It has come to the nadir now and we can only be thankful that it is not worse than it actually is, because, indeed, it could have been worse.
The fundamental problem is that we can no longer fund our imports because our foreign earnings have progressively declined while our taste for, and dependence on foreign goods have continued to increase. This is what puts pressure on the naira, makes imported goods to become very expensive and the economy in a tailspin.
Let me add at this point that this recession is not new. It is a cycle that we have experienced several times in the past. We had one in the post crude oil dependency era, circa 1981-82, when Chief Obafemi Awolowo warned that the ship of state was headed for the rocks. He was dubbed then as ‘prophet of doom’ by the ruling National Party of Nigeria (NPN). His prognosis was simple. At the time, just like now, the price of oil fell.  By 1983, we could hardly finance our imports and many states were distressed. The reaction then, as it is now, was to blame it on the profligacy of state governors, forgetting that revenue is recurrent – you only spend what you have and profligacy will no longer be possible when the tap runs dry since you cannot spend what you don’t have.
 
Oil price fall a recurring decimal
 
Again, oil price fell under the Gen. Sani Abacha regime, bringing economic downturns and stress to the states. We had this again during the brief spell of Gen Abdulsalam Abubakar.  The difference then was that salaries and emoluments of workers were a reasonable fraction of expenditure and the military government of the time was not under any obligation of development. The military was more like an occupation force whose primary responsibility was to maintain law and order and keep the peace.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration also had the same problem twice while his successor, Umaru Yar’Adua, also had a depression on account of falling oil price.
The difference with these previous situations was that they never lasted. However, this is the first time that there will be a decline in oil price which has been sustained for more than two years running. Sooner or later, it is bound to knock the bottom off any economy. Hence, the need for urgent action for recovery.
Don’t let us kid ourselves; we are dependent on imports, for everything. We import food, automobiles, petroleum products, drugs, clothing, building materials, machineries, electronics, cosmetics and household products.
You are aware that up to the middle of 2013, crude oil was selling well above $120. The federation account disbursed in excess of N1 trillion every month and our foreign reserves was rising. At a point in 2008, it stood at $62 billion. We were not saving, or better put, we were not using these huge earnings to develop our economy. According to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Federal Government funded the operations of Bureau de Change (BDC) for 11 years with $66 billion before it was stopped in January this year. During this period, Nigerians were encouraged to obtain credit or debit card with which to shop abroad or buy goods online.
Our foreign earnings have since dropped because of the fall in oil price. Late last year, and early this year, oil sold for as low as $22 before hovering now around $50. But we have double whammy in that not only has the price dropped; our daily production has fallen as well. From all accounts, we are losing not less than one million barrels of crude oil per day, out of our 2.3 million official allocation, due to sabotage by militants in the Niger Delta.
In the absence of other serious foreign exchange earners, we are bound to have problems financing our imports, which are huge and humongous. Just take a sample:
At official level, according to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), we spend $20 million daily or $1.8 billion quarterly which translates to $7.2 billion annually to import fuel. We also spend $20 billion every year to import food. This will include $700 million on fish. There are conflicting figures but the highest, from a former minister of commerce and industry, Charles Ugwu, an engineer, claims that we spend $2.6 billion annually to import rice while the CBN claims that our rice import bill for three years cost $2.4 billion. It will also include wheat, biscuits, noodles, dairy products, pastas, wines and other food items.
By importing, we are simply developing the economies of the nations that we buy from, through job creation, value chain maintenance, capacity for product development and other spinoff effects of production.
 
Local manufacturing as elixir
 
You can imagine that there are seven million vehicles on our roads and we do not produce a single tyre for them. If the average lifespan of a tyre is three years, then every three years, we need 28 million tyres, working on the assumption that an average car has four wheels. We must then find a way to import 28 million new or used tyres. We can imagine what effect it would have on our economy if we produce just half of these tyres at home.
Then of course, we import textiles and clothing items, including handkerchiefs, underwear and footwear to the tune of $4 billion in a year. Apart from traditional wears, virtually all formal wears are now imported. For a very long time now, I have stopped wearing non-traditional dresses. If half of the country had been like me, it means that at least 80 million people will engage our local tailors and retain that whole transaction within our economy.
This problem did not begin last year. It has been the orientation of our economy since the oil boom of the 1970s. It must therefore be sensitive to the shocks of oil price crash.
 
Remidial treatment
 
What we can do in the short-term is to find alternative sources of funding for our balance of trade deficit through borrowing, restriction on the importation of non-essential goods for which we can readily find local alternatives and disposing off idle and non-performing assets. We should also, by whatever means, end the conflict in the Niger Delta to be able to ramp up oil production. Adding one million barrels to our production will take us out of the woods. Therefore, plugging leakages and recovering loot, as the government is doing, is a right step to stop the hemorrhaging of the economy and maximising the current situation.
Another short-term solution is to, in the Keynesian mode, engage in direct employment of youths. In spite of neoliberal opposition, this policy has never failed in addressing depression in the past. This is one of the innovations we brought to governance. Our administration has carried out the engagement of two tranches of 20,000 youths in public works in quick succession. The OYES cadets were not given permanent employment but engaged as volunteers and given monthly allowance. They were eventually given soft landing in the various empowerment schemes of the government in agriculture, teaching and Information and Communication Technology (ICT). In less than two years of taking the youths off the streets, crime rate in Osun dropped to rock bottom. It also reflated the local economy since the N200 million monthly allowances given to them percolated into the grassroots. It is public fund well spent. The programme has since been adopted by the World Bank and introduced nationally in a modified form as YESSO.
 
Permanent solution
 
The long-term solution is to get off the addiction to imported goods and start producing what we consume. We have no business importing fuel, for instance. We should be producing refined fuel, not just for local consumption, but for export as well. There should be a national policy centred on local refining of our crude. It will not only reduce the price of fuel, it will create jobs, wealth, foster a value-chain and bring development.
 
Back to farm
 
We should also cut the importation of food to less than 25 per cent of the current volume. This is to enable us develop agriculture. It has been the policy of our administration since day one to promote food production in order to be able to feed our people. It is really shameful that in spite of our endowments in natural resources, we are still dependent on imported food items as a nation.
We should return to farming, not just at the subsistent level, but as big business. We should strive to increase agriculture productivity and yield. While Nigeria is the leading producer of cassava for instance, the traditional yield per hectare has been around 10 tonnes, while global average in 2010 put at 12.5 tonnes.
However, India’s average yield in 2010 was 34.8 tonnes per hectares and Thailand’s yield is reported to be a whopping 120 tonnes per hectare.
If we can double our food output from cultivating the same land size as we currently do, it is possible to eliminate hunger from the country. But this will require innovation in crop science, agriculture mechanisation, extension services, improved inputs and agriculture entrepreneurship. The agriculture knowledge base has to be widened and scientific findings have to be brought to (and applied by) the farmers.
There must also be a transition from producer of primary goods to value adding. Adding values create a value chain that increases the momentum of development. For instance, the value of one kilogramme of cocoa beans that we export is multiplied 5,000 times by the time we import it as chocolate. If we can make the same quality of chocolate, we could have earned 5,000 times the value we derive from cocoa beans in a value chain that includes revenue generation, wealth creation, job creation and spiralling effect of developing ancillary industries around this product.
 
Functional education
not negotiable
 
The primary engine of development is education. This is where innovation is most needed. A functional system of education that develops and put to use the creativity of Nigerians is urgently needed.
I conceive of education as the preparation and development of worthy citizens for the immediate society and the world at large. Education is that infrastructure of the mind that develops our youths to become models of good character, innovation and competence. This is what we call Omoluabi in Yoruba.
Omoluabi is the epitome of virtue. An Omoluabi personae is honest, courageous and rational; one who excels in character, innovation and competence. The educated person is well connected to his or her culture and heritage. Everything he/she does with others, the society, family and friends is driven by the desire to live and demonstrate good deeds. It is only when we interrogate this definition that we can know if we are meeting the objectives of education.
Making graduates employable
Education has not been an engine of development. Rather, it is a system of social stratification where bland certificates are issued in order to separate the political and economic elites from the others. This is one of the factors responsible for poor productivity. Those who have certificates without the requisite skills cannot drive enterprise or provide leadership. They only see their certification as entitlement to privileges.
It is always embarrassing to hear employers say our graduates are not employable. The bright ones among them have to be trained and retrained to be found suitable for the jobs on hand.
Education therefore has received the greatest attention and resources from our administration. One of our first tasks was to convene an education summit, headed by the Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka. That summit produced the blueprint of our education reforms. In a state of roughly four million people, we embarked on an ambitious programme of building from the scratch 100 elementary schools, 50 middle schools and 20 high schools. Each of these schools has capacity for 1000 pupils, with the high school being a three in one, each designed and equipped to sustain 3000 pupils. These new public schools soon began to displace private schools.
We provided a stand-alone e-learning tablet, which we named ‘Opon Imo’ (tablet of knowledge), for final year students in public schools, in share display of creativity. This tablet contains all the recommended 56 textbooks by the three examination bodies for senior school certificate examinations in Nigeria. It contains also past questions of these bodies, a virtual classroom, extracurricular zone and the themes of Yoruba traditional religion. This tablet was the saving grace in a year when teachers went on strike for eight months and did not prepare the final year students for their examinations.
We also pioneered in a sense, the home grown school feeding programme (O’MEALS), in which sumptuous meals are provided for 252,000 elementary school pupils on every school day. We say ‘in a sense’ because the programme had existed in an attenuated form prior to our coming, but our administration gave it a new identity and prominence.
Because of its success in Osun, it has now been nationally adopted by the Federal Government. Very recently, our state organised a national induction for other states understudying the programme, preparatory to implementing it in their own states. I have also been invited twice to the British Parliament to share our experience with the world.
The interesting aspect of this programme, as it relates with innovation, is that it is integrated with our agriculture policy and local empowerment. Under it, 3000 community-based caterers were employed, trained and assisted financially to set up their business of community catering.
Also, to be able to feed these pupils, 15,000 whole chickens, 254,000 eggs, 35 heads of cattle and 40 tonnes of catfish are purchased weekly from farmers and food vendors. This has kept the farmers in profitable business and even attracted other youths to farming.
In keeping with the original objective of making the programme home grown, the O’MEALS has an input supply chain that is linked to our various agricultural development projects. Consequently, our Osun Fisheries Out-growers Production Scheme (OFOPS) provides the catfish used for the school feeding programme while Osun Broilers Out-growers Programme (OBOPS) provides part of the chickens.
We also need a national policy on entrepreneurship development. The most successful and leading enterprises in the country are owned largely by foreigners, with our people being minority shareholders. A system where it is easier to prosper and succeed in business through buying and selling is inherently anti-development. Entrepreneurship training should be part of education at all levels.
In all, we should change the direction of our economy from dependency to self-sufficiency. It will take sacrifice, hard work, determination and unrelenting pursuit.
If we fail to do this, we should be preparing for another recession when next there is a fall in oil price.
Once again, I thank Right Dev Limited for the invitation to be here and I wish your new born baby a successful entrance into the media world.

Read More

Industrialists in the State of Osun have been urged to produce to standard to make their products globally competitive.
This was stated by the Coordinating Director of Ministry of Industries, Commerce, Cooperatives and Empowerment, Mr. Abimbola Oso during a-day Industrial Business Clinic organised by the Ministry.
During his opening remarks, Mr. Abimbola said the main objective of the clinic was to discuss the challenges which industrialists in the state are facing and proffer necessary action plan to mitigate the challenges.
He reiterated the readiness of the State Government, under the leadership of the State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola to decisively address problems confronting industrialists in the state with a view to solving them and placing the state on the path of sustainable industrial development
Mr. Abimbola later advised the Industrialists to regularly intimate the Ministry of the challenges affecting the smooth operation of their businesses.
Speaking in the same vein, Mr. Badewole from the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) urged the participants present at the clinic to put into practice everything they had been told to ensure that the industrial sectors are performing well.
Industrialists at the clinic expressed their gratitude to the Ministry and the State Government for organising the programme. They called for Government patronage of their products and putting in place a fiscal and monetary measures that will enhance their operation.
Present at the event were the former Commissioner for Commerce, Mr. Jayeoba Alagbada, other Directors of the Ministry as well as heads of Federal Government Industrial Regulatory Agencies.

Read More

The State of Osun Judiciary under the leadership of the State Chief Judge, Hon. Justice Oyebola Adepele yesterday  (Tuesday 25th of October, 2016) held  a Valedictory Court Session and Send-forth Ceremony in honour of a retiring judge, Hon. Justice Adebisi Oyedele Ogunlade at High Court No 1, High Court of Justice, Ilobu Road, Osogbo
This was contained in a statement by the Chief Registrar of the State High Court, Mr. Lawrence Olawale Arojo.

Read More
cvmqp-5wgaag-4w

Osun State House of Assembly under the leaders of its Speaker, Honourable Najeem Salaam has lauded the Governors of Osun and Oyo states, Rauf Aregbesola and Abiola Ajimobi for the peaceful resolution on the recent controversy about ownership and management of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology.
 
cvmqp-5wgaag-4w
 
In a statement by the Chairman, House Committee on Information and Strategy, Hon. Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, the Assembly said, the gesture of the two leaders had demonstrated that they are living up to the demand of their offices.
The assembly noted that conflicts cannot be ruled out in any human settings even among siblings but allowing conflict to degenerate into crisis was a responsibility that leadership must exercise.
This resolution according to the assembly would make the institution  stronger and meet up with the aspiration of its founding fathers.
According to Assembly, the resolution and the re-affirmation of the joint ownership of the institution by the two states has vindicated that path of peace, dialogue and tolerance was the way to go rather than any party fanning the ember of discord and violence.
“We have always said that Oyo and Osun, are creations of law and the constitution and would not do anything that would contravene the same constitution over the joint ownership of LAUTECH.
“LAUTECH is also created by law and unless that law is jointly amended by the two states, none of the two states can arrogate to herself the sole ownership of the institution.
“Those fanning the ember of discord needed to be educated on this and desist from causing disharmony between the two states and their people over the institution.
“It was a privilege that the institution is located in Ogbomosho, Oyo State and that privilege must be properly explored by the hosting community for economic development”, it said.
The Assembly then charged the government of the two states to design ways of making the institution self-sustaining like other universities.
It said, by making such design, it would relief the two states, the burden of using their scarce revenue to finance the institution on monthly basis, rather than making it a revenue-generating institution on its own.
The parliament further noted that LAUTECH has created for itself a name that would continue to place it in the lead among its peers, saying, the advantage must be properly made use of.
It said, the management of the institution must strive very hard to maintain the lead that the university has secured.
Osun Assembly also expressed the need for the two Houses to work together on matters of mutual interest rather than be seen as groups working at cross purposes.
It then appealed to the workers who have been on strike since the commencement of the ownership crisis of the institution to return to work in the interest of the students host community and the people of the two states.

Read More
1st-annual-independence-lecture-the-point-2

Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State has listed ways for Nigeria to quickly get out of the current economic recession.
 
1st-annual-independence-lecture-the-point-2
 
Aregbesola spoke weekend during the one-year anniversary and first annual lecture of The Point Newspapers held at the Eko Hotel, Lagos. At the lecture with the theme, The Economics of Change, the governor said Nigeria must cut its dependence on foreign goods, increase local production and enhance entrepreneurship, adding these would help save the local currency which currently carries too much pressure.
 
Aregbesola expressed regrets that Nigeria has failed to make use of the huge opportunities in agriculture and  manufacturing sectors. Also at the event, among other prominent personalities, were the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi and Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo.
 
The governor said it was disheartening that Nigeria depends too much on foreign foods, which is killing agriculture. He said: “We should also cut the importation of food to less than 25 per cent of the current volume. This is to enable us develop agriculture.
 
It has been the policy of our administration since day one to promote food production in order to be able to feed our people.”

Read More
visit-to-olubadan-of-ibadanland-1

visit-to-olubadan-of-ibadanland-4
From left- Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi and Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji during a visit to Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Akanmu Adetunji, at Olubadan’s palace, Ibadan, Oyo state
 
 
visit-to-olubadan-of-ibadanland-3
Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (2nd left), his Deputy, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori (2nd right), Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji (middle), Olori Kudirat Adetunji (right), and Olori Rashidat Adetunji (left),  during a visit to Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Akanmu Adetunji, at Olubadan’s palace, Ibadan, Oyo state
 
 
visit-to-olubadan-of-ibadanland-2
Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (left), Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi (right), and Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji (middle), during a visit to Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Akanmu Adetunji, at Olubadan’s palace, Ibadan,
 
visit-to-olubadan-of-ibadanland-1
Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola Presenting head of Olokun statue to Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji during a visit to Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Akanmu Adetunji, at Olubadan’s palace, Ibadan, Oyo state

Read More
rauf-aregbesola-of-osun-690×450-1

Prominent indigenes of Iwo in Osun State, have called on Governor Rauf Aregbesola to approve the planned conversion of the Reality Television building in the town, to a journalism institute. Elites from the town, including thirty professors and other eminent personalities, recently resolved to appeal to the governor to affiliate the proposed institute to Osun State University when approved.
 
rauf-aregbesola-of-osun-690x450-1
 
The spokesperson of the groups, Prof. Alagbe Gbolagade, explained that part of the suggested programmes for the planned institute include, Bachelor of Arts in Music, Bachelor of Arts in Performing Arts, Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts, Bachelor of Arts in Advertising, Bachelor of Arts in Film Production and Bachelor of Arts in Photo Journalism.
“We are aware of the current financial situation of the state. In order not to put financial pressures on the government of the State of Osun, the community, through groups likes Iwo Board of Trustees, Iwo Action Council, Iwo Progressive Union and some individuals, have agreed to take up the financial responsibilities for the take-off grants.
“All we want from the government is an approval for take-off. Iwo Local Government is one of the biggest in Osun State and it is not good that Iwo has no government owned higher institution. Sincerely speaking, one higher institution in a place is better than ten industries.

Read More
rauf-aregbesola-of-osun-690×450-1

Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State has reiterated that he would not renege on his promise to banish hunger and make life meaningful for the people of the state.
The governor made the statement on Monday in Osogbo at the celebration of 2016 International Day for Poverty Eradication.
 
rauf-aregbesola-of-osun-690x450-1
 
Aregbesola said that his administration remained resolute to do ‘everything humanly possible’ to champion the cause of creating wealth by eradicating poverty.‎
In his speech titled: “Poverty Has No Place with Us,” Aregbesola said that the policy thrust and programmes of his administration were geared towards poverty eradication, make live abundant and create wealth for the citizenry.
 
He listed the six-point integral action plan of his administration to include: banishing poverty, hunger and unemployment; restoring healthy living, promoting functional education, enhancing communal peace and progress.
 
He said that the plans were designed to uplift the people from being poverty stricken to being wealthy.
Commenting on the achievements made by his administration, the governor said 40,000 unemployed youths had been empowered under the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme.
 
Aregbesola said his administration had adopted multi-faceted approach to achieve its goal of providing healthcare for all.
 
Aregbesola said: “While government will continue to do everything within its means to provide for the people, we should all be productively engaged, especially in agriculture where we have comparative advantage.”
 
Earlier in his address, Alhaji Abdul-Rahaman Musa, the Chairman, Osun State Community and Social Development Project, commended the governor for the various poverty alleviation programmes he had put in place to benefit the people.
 
The CSDP General Manager, Funmi Abokede, also commended the government for being consistent in payment of counterpart funds for the programme.
 
She said that CSDP was being funded by the state government and World Bank.
Abokede noted with satisfaction that government had released N550 million for payment of counterpart funds between 2010 and 2015.

Read More
images-2

Osun State government on Friday said the 46.30 per cent performance of its students in the 2016 West Africa Examination Council Examinations confirms its huge investment in the education sector.

images-2

The government said that for a state that once fell to a woeful six per cent performance prior to the Rauf Aregbesola’s administration to move up to 46.3 per cent aptly illustrated the fact that the government’s various interventions in education were paying off.
A statement by the Bureau of Communication and Strategy in the Office of the Governor says the government is not yet satisfied or resting on its oars until the state emerges the best state in the country in external examinations.
The statement, signed by the Bureau’s Director, Semiu Okanlawon, noted that the 2016 WAEC results indicate that the 2016 performance rating remained the highest and the best in 13 years.
In 2015, results of the WASCE showed that Osun ended up with 21 per cent in performance.
The details of the results from West Africa Schools Certificate Examination (WASCE) showed that Osun presented for the examination, a total of 36,678 students with 18,318 males and 18,360 females.
Out of these, 8,329 males secured credits in at least five subjects including English and Mathematics while 8,654 females candidates secured credits in English and Mathematics totaling 16,983 that got five credits with Mathematics and English.
Gradual Upward Movement
The state had registered 48,845 candidates the previous year, 2015 with 25,347 males and 23,498 female candidates.
Out of these, 5,314 male candidates got five credits and above in Mathematics and English while 5,276 female candidates secured at least five credits, including Mathematics and English, making a total of 10,590 to make the 21.68 per cent performance of 2015.
The Bureau said Osun, under Aregbesola’s administration had recorded gradual upward movement from the abysmal performances due to the various interventions in the sector.
“For instance, the state has discouraged enrollment of students whose performances in internal examinations were nothing to write home about. This has compelled many of the students to change their orientations towards learning.
“Other novel interventions such as provision of stand-alone Tablet of Knowledge (Opon Imo) to all students writing WAEC each year has made learning much easier.
“With the introduction of this tablet, students now spend quality times both in and out of classroom situations.
“The result is that there is no dull moment for every student who is desirous of true education,” the Bureau’s statement read.
Better learning environment, the statement identified, had also contributed in no small measure to the improved results.
“So, far, Osun has completed 1,694 classrooms in the existing elementary, middle and high schools; providing accommodation for 84,700 pupils at 50 pupils per classroom.
“We have provided for them more than 100,000 desks and chairs, toilets and boreholes.
“Today, the Wole Soyinka Government High School, Ejigbo, Ataoja Government School of Science, Osogbo, Osogbo Government High School, Osogbo and Adventists Government High School Ede have been completed, with Ilesa Government High School, Iwo Government High School, Unity/Fakunle Government High School, Osogbo and others near completion,” the statement added.

Read More