As a part of the Silver Jubilee Anniversary Celebrations marking the creation of Osun on August 27, 2016, President Mohammadu Buhari on September 1, commissioned Osogbo Government High School. The school has the capacity for 3,000 students; equipped with all modern academic and sporting facilities, it is rated as one of the best schools in Nigeria. The status of the school is a fallout of Gov. Rauf Aregbesola’s resolves to standardise education in the state. For the benefit of the uninitiated, Aregbesola convoked an education summit between Feb.7 and Feb.8, 2011, barely three months into his administration, which was chaired byProf. Wole Soyinka. The summit’s communiqué  eventually became the fulcrum of Aregbesola’s education policy direction.
 

 
The new administration, acting on the education template, set a target to build 170 well-equipped model schools across the state, categorising them into elementary, middle and high schools, each with a maximum absorptive capacity of between 1, 000 and 3,000 pupils. In addition, it decentralised the Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) into three districts. Teachers Establishment and Pension
Office (TEPO) was also established for training and retraining, promotion, prompt payment of salaries and allowances and taking care of teacher pension. The government approached the Department of Nutrition Sciences at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, to formulate a feeding roster that could give the best possible balanced diet.
Presently, more than 254,000 elementary school pupils are fed on nutritional meals — chicken, fish, beef, eggs and fruits every school day on the platform of O-Meals programme, which is meant as a bait for greater enrolment of pupils in schools as most poor parents see it as a respite. Records show that
primary school enrolment rose from 155,318 at the inception of the programme to 254,793 (62.8 percent increase). The state government insists that the N3.5 billion spent on the meals annually is an incentive to farmers to produce more as there is a guaranteed readymade market for agricultural produce, while the programme empowers 3,007 trained caterers and food vendors.
To make the new school system work, more than N354 million was committed to the provision of instructional materials, home economics facilities, science equipment and other teaching kits for the public primary and secondary schools. The scheme is being understudied by federal and state governments.
The Aregbesola administration has also committed N800 million into the free school uniform programmes at two pairs. Residents of the state say that the uniform has brought uniformity to schools in the state, thus fostering a sense of belonging in public schools.
There is the Omoluabi Scholar Coaster Buses for easy transportation of students atN20 per daily trip for  each pupil, while primary and secondary schools running grants were increased from N7.4 million to N424 million and N117 million to N427 million per year respectively. Likewise, some categories of students are given computer — Opon Imo –, the e-learning tablet designed to make learning interesting and easy.
The device contains all books required for the Senior Secondary School syllabus, the last 10 years past questions of WAEC, NECO, and UTME. Observers note that in 10 years, Opon Imo would have saved the state more than N50 billion of physical purchase of hard copies of textbooks for the 17 subjects taught in public schools. They note that the innovation has earned the United Nations
World Summit Award for ITC innovation as the 4th best e-learning device in the
World.
The state government has increased  bursary award from N2, 000 paid to each final year students of all courses apart from Law and Medicine to N10, 000, and each final year students in Medicine and Law from N3, 000 to N20, 000 each.
However, due to the raging financial meltdown, these subventions could no longer be accommodated after the third year of the administration.
Aregbesola has, therefore, instructed the management of the four tertiary institutions in the state to look at their areas of strengths and weaknesses. Before this administration, Osun occupied the 34th
position on Federal Allocation with virtually nothing to write home about in terms of Internally Generated Revenue. This notwithstanding, the administration has demonstrated that with little resources but targeted intervention, innovation and political will, dramatic and unprecedented
progress is achievable.
For every project Aregbesola does, he looks at how it is going to benefit the very poor people, seeing governance as a way to develop society by empowering the people.
He believes that investment in today’s children and youths would yield the best returns in the not too distance future, and create a level playground for every child.
Concerned residents of the state, therefore, have observed that the impact of the Aregbesola administration will surely come in the fullness of time and be harvested by the next generation.
Ademola wrote from Osogbo, Osun State and can be reached via 08037127929

Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State yesterday enjoined Nigerians to be selfless in the discharge of their duties as he joined others leaders in goodwill messages to Muslims on the occasion of the Eid-el-Kabir festival.
 

 
Aregbesola said selflessness helps build a nation adding that when the welfare of the people is most paramount, it leads to the emergence of a society with peace, equality and growth.
In a statement signed by the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Office of the Governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, Aregbesola said commitment, perseverance and prayer are the key ingredients needed as the country passes through its worst trial moments.

The Governor urged Muslims to pray for the peace and stability in the country.
He said the country will make progress towards the fulfillment of its great potentials as a nation if Nigerians promote peace, security and stability, which are very essential for development by showing greater respect for national safety and public order laws.
The governor tasked adherents of Islam to imbibe the lessons of commitment, dedication and obedience to higher authorities as inherently demonstrated by Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son in obedience to the will of God which the Eid-el-Kabir commemorates.
Aregbesola restated his administration’s commitment to the people of the state, adding that the president Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government will continue to do all it can to improve the living conditions of Nigerians.
The Governor said the emerging new Osun with better infrastructure, security of lives and property emanate from the readiness of the leadership in the state to remain selfless.

The Emancipation Day Celebration was recently held in  Ghana. Participants for the annual event converged on different parts of the world, especially from America and the Caribbeans .
The activities were held in the cities of Accra and Cape Coast. This year’s programme highlights included wreath-laying ceremonies at  the Du Bois Centre for Pan African Culture,  George Padmore Library and Kwame Nkrumah Park in the heart of Accra.
These three venues are the final resting places of three illustrious sons of Africa and Pan Africanists who lived, dreamt and worked together in Ghana to consolidate and solidify the emancipation, liberation and decolonization of Africa and the black race.
The event was held under the auspices the Ghana Tourism Authority and the Ministry of Tourism Culture and Creative Arts. The Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola,  was the special guest and guest speaker for this year’s edition.
Aregbesola, who arrived Ghana for the event, visited the Nigerian embassy. He later laid a wreath at the George Padmore Library and Kwame Nkrumah Park.

At  the George Padmore Library, Aregbesola  was welcomed by the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Mrs. Elizabeth Agyari, and other Ghanian government officials. He later  lit the flame of freedom.
Aregbesola also visited the  Nkrumah Park where he gave a short speech.  The Osun State Governor said it was  time for Africa to wake up early because it was getting too late,.
According to him,  Africa lags behind other continents in development. Here, his main focus was on the African youths who engaged in drama and dance rich in  the African culture. After this, the governor and other participants walked into the late Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s mausoleum.
 

 
The mausoleum is one of the top tourist sites in Accra. The interior was made of gold and fine marble befitting the first President of the Republic of Ghana.
There are two statues in the park, the new one made of pure gold is a few metres away from the old one destroyed by soldiers as a result of Ghana’s first  coup d’état.  The destroyed Nkrumah statue broken into two has a story to tell. The bullet marks on the body speak volumes about the violent past of the country.
The second day of the programme was at the former capital of Ghana called Cape Coast, a major tourist destination in Africa, blessed with one of the finest and best beaches around in Africa. It is the home of the famous Elmina Castle. Cape Coast attracts thousands of foreign tourists annually.
At Cape Coast, Aregbesola delivered  an inspiring paper. Decked in all white  agbada attire , he delivered his paper in an auditorium filled to the brim with Africans and African-American audience.
Among them were  Prof. Hamlet Maulana , an  African-American historian; Rabbi- kohain Halevi , the Executive Secretary of Panafest Intternational;  Mama Imahkus Njinga Okofu, CEO of One African Resort and Restaurant and Nana Kobina Nkatsia V, paramount chief of Essikodo.
Mr. Kehinde Oluwafusho, who along with his twin brother, are Panafest representatives in Nigeria, took the stage to introduce the governor of Osun State to the audience, in his words. Kehinde described Ogbeni as a leader of leaders who drives the vision of others, a man of robust ideology, a strong and formidable Pan- Africanist , a strong advocate of the people’s culture who talks Africa, eats Africa  dreams Africa.
Aregbesola, in his paper, took the audience through popular African proverbs, traditional songs, properly interpreted, interjected at intervals. Bob Marley’s freedom song; was interjected into his address.

As sallah holiday makers get ready for the 2016 eid-il-kabir festival, the government of Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State has announced free train ride for those wishing to travel home.
 

 
A statement by the Ministry of Industries, Commerce, Cooperatives and Empowerment, said the free train will convey people coming for the festival from Lagos to Osogbo on Saturday and Sunday September by 10 am each day.
The train will return to Lagos on Saturday, September 17. The takeoff time is 11 am.
A statement from the government said Aregbesola’s administration had been doing this in the last six years to facilitate easy movement during festivities.
The ministry admonished the people to make the best use of the opportunities the free train offers them because government wants them to come home and enjoy the celebration with relations.
The statement said, “This tradition of free train ride introduced by Aregbesola’s government is aimed at facilitating very convenient movement of people and goods.
“This welfare package from Governor Aregbesola has taken care of both Islamic and Christian festivities in the last six years and this is with a view to boosting the economy of the state.
“It is this ease of movement during festival periods that informed the introduction of the scheme by the people-centred administration of Aregbesola.

“Therefore, it is the wish of government that our people from Lagos, Ogun and Oyo States trail corridors would seize this opportunity to visit home and celebrate with their relatives.”

The Governor,State of Osun, Ogbeni  Rauf Aregbesola, on Thursday said the current economic crisis has marked the end of prodigal spending in Nigeria.
 

 
Aregbesola stated this at a public lecture organised by an online newspaper, Uhuru Times, in Ijebu-Mushin, Ogun State.
“The era of frivolous spending is gone in this country. No money to throw about anymore. This is not a curse but a fact,”  Aregbesola stated.
The Governor said Nigeria must return to agriculture to get out of the economic recession. He decried the past attitude of government to the sector.
He said Nigeria must drastically cut back on importation and improve local production of goods. He said the taste for foreign goods contribute to the high rate of unemployment and crime in the country.
Ogbeni Aregbesola said his administration in his first term created 20,000 jobs for the youth in Osun and that the state has since had the lowest rate of crime and unemployment in the country.
The governor also tasked journalists on need to do adhere to the ethics of their profession and abhor falsehood, innuendoes and half-truths.
“The media has compromised and it is a fact. Those concerned should address the problem,” he admonished.

Speaking earlier at the event, Wale Adedayo, publisher of Uhuru Times, said he established the platform to fight for freedom and the less-privileged in the society.

The Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Office of the Governor of Osun State yesterday described those calling for the resignation of Governor Rauf Aregbesola over the latest ranking of the state in the West Africa Examination Council, WAEC, as naive and ignorant of statistics.
 

 
It said the call stemmed from the usual lack of knowledge of performance charts and attention to details that the opposition elements are notorious for. Osun State in the 2016 WAEC published on the website of the organisation placed 29th and, thus emerged the least ranked state in Southern part of the country coming behind Kogi and Benue State.
 
This prompted the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in a statement by Prince Diran Odeyemi, its spokesperson to call on Governor Aregbesola to immediately re-evaluation all policies and programmes he introduced in the education sector, if he intends to arrest the downward slide in WAEC rating.
 
But the Bureau’s statement signed by the Director, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon stated that records and statistics of students put forward by the state in the past years have shown that there was improvement in percentage of overall results.
 
It added that critics have forgotten that to get the true performance of a student, a mere look at the position of the student in a class is not as important as the percentage of total scores. The Bureau noted that the downward trend in education in the country in general should make all worrisome due to the role of education in development.

Last Thursday, September 1, all roads led to Osogbo, the Osun State capital. The occasion was part of the state’s celebration of the Silver Anniversary of its creation by military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, on August 27, 1991, along with 11 other states, namely, Abia, Adamawa, Anambra, Delta, Edo, Enugu, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kogi, Taraba and Yobe. The significance of Osun State’s celebration lied, in part, in the fact that it was the only one President Muhammadu Buhari participated in.
 

 
The president’s participation was by way of visiting a couple of the state’s newly built primary and secondary schools before finally commissioning the Osogbo Government High School. The school must be one of the largest, most beautiful and most well equipped secondary schools in the country.
Actually the school, as the state’s governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, explained in his welcoming address, is three-in-one, each with a student population of 1,000, its own principal and staff but with an overall supervising principal and sharing academic and sports facilities.
The High School may be top of the line but it is only one of a dozen or so high schools that Governor Aregbesola has built or rebuilt as part of his comprehensive restructuring – today’s buzz word for every politician seeking relevance! – of primary and secondary school education in the state to give its students the quality education they need to transform their state from Third World status to First in one generation. (It reminds you, doesn’t it, of the famous title of the autobiography of Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s late prime minister, who lifted his country from Third World to First in one generation).
When Aregbesola first became the state’s governor in November 2010, he inherited a public school system typical of public state system all over Nigeria – dilapidated, over populated, under staffed, under equipped, and badly managed schools. As a man who apparently believed the key to human progress is education, the governor resolved to end the rot.
As the man himself told it in his welcome speech on Thursday, the first step he took in ending the rot was to convene an education summit for the state chaired by no less an icon of the virtue of knowledge than Wole Soyinka, black Africa’s first Literature Nobel Laureate.
Out of the summit emerged four elements for the transformation of the state’s public schools: their feeding and health programme, reclassification of the schools into elementary, middle and high schools, infrastructural development and the provision of what Americans call edtech (the use of technology to drive education) but which the state called Opon-Imo (Yoruba for tablet of knowledge) for all students.
The building of the high school President Buhari commissioned last Thursday fell into the third category in which so far the Aregbesola administration has constructed or reconstructed 28 elementary schools, 22 middle schools and four high schools, with another 14 virtually completed.
Aregbesola was, of course, not the first to convene an educational summit. Long before him, the Northern Governors’ Forum did so in Kaduna. Individually the governors also made the right noises about ending their region’s notorious educational backwardness. To date their actions have not matched their noises. Instead, the region has dropped even further behind than it was during the First Republic.
Educationally backward as the North was back then, its leaders, with its premier, Sir Ahmadu Bello, in the forefront, walked their talk about bridging the gap between the region and the rest of the country. Meaning, they invested heavily in primary and secondary schools so that the region could produce quality materials qualified for admission into any tertiary institution any where in the world.
With all due humility, I can boast that I am one of those materials. I and my cousin, retired Major-General Mohammed Garba, and a childhood friend, Professor Mustapha Zubairu of Federal University of Technology, Minna, attended Native Authority primary schools in Kano, first in Tudun Wada for the first four years from 1957 and finished in Kuka Primary School after another four, having had to repeat my final year because I failed to gain entrance into a secondary school in my third year in 1963.
Kuka was located between Sabon Gari where we lived and Fagge. It was a walking distance from our home on Niger Road. All around us were Igbo and Yoruba most of whose children attended private and mission schools. In the evenings of weekdays all of us attended private lessons to improve on our chances of doing well in school. I remember we used to beat the children who went to private and mission schools in the evening classes, especially in English.
I am always amused each time people talk about the magic Chief Obafemi Awolowo performed with free education in Western Region. Of course, it was a great achievement which showed Awo’s foresight. Even then I am always amused because while the great premier of the West gave free education, in the North we were paid to go to school and we did so in hundreds of thousands, if not in millions.
The problem, I think, was that the next generation of the region’s politicians chose to pay only lip service to investment in education, especially primary and secondary education, without which invariably we could only send garbage into our tertiary schools. And as they say of computers: garbage in, garbage out.
I know this for sure because of the experience I had teaching in my alma mater, Ahmadu Bello University’s Mass Communication Department for six years until I left two years ago. During the last three of those six years, I made it a habit to test the English Language of all my students, both under- and post-graduates, at the beginning of each semester.
The test was a simple one of correcting ten sentences with errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation. The average failure rate for all the students was a dismal 70%! The highest score was 8 and you could count those on your fingertips.
The conclusion is obvious; our universities have generally been taking in barely literate materials because our primary and secondary schools have suffered criminal neglect.
In giving primary and secondary education top priority to the extent of even borrowing to reform Osun State’s public education system, Aregbesola has demonstrated that he has his heart and mind in the right place. As a mutual friend, Chief Ikechi Emenike, who also witnessed Buhari’s commissioning of the Osogbo Government High School said, the governor’s educational intervention “reflected an abiding love for his people and a deep appreciation of history and his legacy.”
President Buhari summed it even better when he said in his speech the governor was only keeping the promise of the ruling party to provide free and qualitative basic education by implementing the Basic Education Act.
“What we are witnessing here today,” he said, “is the formal fulfillment of that promise in Osun by the state government. The cost effectiveness of this project can only be seen when we consider that this school will graduate an average one thousand pupils in a year and in fifty years it would have produced fifty thousand well-trained and well equipped pupils many of whom will go to higher education and will form the backbone of the administration of our country.
Over six years ago, an award-winning columnist of the New York Times, Thomas Friedman, wrote an article which underscored the importance of quality basic education and which I have had cause to refer to on these pages and elsewhere. He titled it “ Pass the Books. Hold the Oil.”
It was published in the Times of March 10, 2012. Every politician concerned abou the dismal state of our education at all levels should read that short – roughly 1,070 words – article. In it Friedman narrated how a study by rich-country club, the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (O.E.C.D.), established a negative linkage between natural resource dependent countries and knowledge.
The club looked at the bi-annual test of 15-year olds in Mathematics, Science and reading comprehension in 65 countries and the total earnings of each of them as a percentage of its Gross Domestic Product. The test was called PISA, Program for International Student Assessment.
The study, Friedman said, showed that the bigger a country’s revenue from natural resources as a percentage of its GDP, the poorer the knowledge and skills of its pupils.  For example participating Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Algeria, Bahrain, Iran and Syria that were natural resource rich performed poorly compared to Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey, also in the Middle East, which were natural resource poor. So, Friedman concluded, “Oil and PISA don’t mix.”
As always there were exceptions to his thesis. Canada, Australia and Norway, also countries with high levels of natural resources, he pointed out, still scored well on PISA, in large part because all three countries had established deliberate policies of saving and investing these resource rents, and not just consuming them.
The three countries provide great lessons for us as a natural resource dependent country by showing that oil and PISA can indeed mix.
As a country we may have so far blown away our oil fortune but clearly Aregbesola has shown as governor of one of the poorest states in the country that you don’t have to be rich to plan for the future of your children.