Speaker, State of Osun House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Najeem Salaam has disclosed that effort to halt the negative effects  of industrial action was the motivation for the interventions of the parliament on the wage dispute between the state doctors and government, and the complaint of lecturers of the state tertiary institutions and their governing boards respectively.

 
Speaker Salaam asserted that the concern for the sick people and students, the vulnerable segments was the driving force, and should not allowed to suffer, saying that the state parliament under his watch would step up its third party intervention to sustain the rounded peace.
He the tasked stakeholders in Nigeria and academic scholars in the nation’s universities to pick the role of third party in conflict resolution, saying that would go a long way to decongest prisons and guarantee peace in all segments and classes in the country.
Speaker Salaam, while declaring close training on conflict Studies put up by the Society for  Peace Studies and Practice in collaboration with Institute of Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ibadan themed: Third Party Intervention in Conflict Resolution, said conflict is a by-product of social formation, and its resolution must be socially constructed too.
He then expressed the readiness of  Osun State House of Assembly under his watch to be more committed to the third party role in resolution of conflict among interest groups, between the government and labour force and other stakeholders in the state.

The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, on Friday described as misplaced the call made by the Nigerian Medical Association to President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the abandonment of duty posts embarked upon by some of its Osun State branch members.
 

 
 
NMA had on Thursday issued a statement appealing to President Buhari and APC to call Aregbesola to order to succumb to the doctors’ demands.
Aregbesola, in a statement by the Director, Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Office of the Governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, said the NMA’s appeal should rather go to its members in Osun, who have abandoned their duty posts for about 11 months now.
He said that the striking doctors initially created the problem themselves by going against the accepted modulated salary regulation applying to over 40, 000 workforce of the state and so, it is normal that they should also be the ones to extricate themselves from the logjam.

The Governor disclosed that his administration had exhausted all avenues to solve the problems through dialogues and negotiations.
He stated that all moves to resolve the problem amicably were turned down by the doctors, who incidentally were being paid their monthly salaries without working up until September 2015.
The Governor noted that the NMA appeal is better directed to its Osun State Chapter members rather than President Buhari or the APC.
According to the Governor, it amounts to pure hypocrisy on the part of the doctors to demand what is outside the capacity of government, judging from the present economic realities.
“The appeal to President Buhari and APC is, to all intents and purposes, misplaced, misdirected and improper in that respect.
“One would have expected the NMA to properly address the situation by forwarding its appeal to the respected quarters it should go – the Osun striking doctors.
“Since the beginning of the strike nine months ago, government has opened its door for consultations, dialogues and meetings to resolve the matter but all these were frustrated by the doctor, who were still drawing their salaries despite having abandoned their duty,” the statement said.

The government stated that the NMA should remind their colleagues the need to uphold the Hippocratic oaths they swore to, which in essence is to protect live and not endanger it.
Whenever the striking doctors tow the path of dignity, sincerity and understanding like other workers in the state, the statement noted, the government is ready to cooperate with them.

The Osun State Police Command may have written to the judiciary in the state seeking legal advice on which bank should get the N7, 486, 300 recovered from robbers who attacked three banks in Ikirun should be returned to.
 

 
Sources told our correspondent on Friday that the police was seeking advice from the judiciary to avoid any mistake in handling the return of the stolen money.
The armed robbers attacked FirstBank, Skye Bank and Union Bank in Ikirun, the capital of Ifelodun Local Government Area of Osun State on February 12 and carted away an undisclosed amount of money but the police barricaded the roads and engaged the robbers in a gun duel.

Four members of the armed gang were killed while money, guns and ammunitions as well as explosive devices were recovered from them.
A FirstBank official told SUNDAY PUNCH that the money recovered had the wrappers and stamp of FirstBank which he said was enough evidence that the money was stolen from the First Bank branch that was attacked.
However, he said the police would not return the money until they received a legal advice from the judiciary.
The source said, “Our team of officials led by the Chief Security Officer of the bank in the South-West led other officials of the bank to the police headquarters and they were told that the money might be shared to the three banks.
“They said the three banks suffered losses and the money should be shared to the three banks but our belief is that since the money has our wrappers, it should be returned to us and not shared among the affected banks. One of the officials told me that the police had written to seek advice from the judiciary on whether to return the money to the bank from where it was stolen or to the three affected banks.”
The source said the money was recovered from one of the robbers who was killed at the premises of the First Bank.
The Police Public Relations Officer in Osun State, Mrs. Folasade Odoro, when contacted said she would find out when the money would be returned which will be made public.
Two police officers and two bank officials lost their lives during the attacks while some bank customers were wounded during the attack.
SOURCE : PUNCH NEWSPAPER

No fewer than 71 ghost workers have been discovered by the Osun State government during the last staff auditing exercise carried out to screen civil servants in the state.
 

 
 
The ghost workers were discovered among agencies of government and secondary schools in the state.
This disclosure was made in a statement in Osogbo on Friday by the Permanent Secretary, Local Government Service Commission and the chairman of Personnel and Job Audit Committee on MDAs and Secondary Schools, Mr Dayo Olaluwoye.
He said: “out of the 71 ghost workers, 39 were deceased while 32 were supposed living individuals that collect salaries without coming to the office.”
Commenting on the development, the Head of Service, Mr Yinka Owoeye commended the committee for the discovery and described their job as outstanding.
He said “you have redeemed the image of the civil service by doing a thorough job while discharging the duty assigned to you. The use of civil servants for the screening exercise had saved the government lots of money compared to the use of consultants. I want to assure you that screening of workers is an ongoing process and those that had issues with their certificates should endeavour to clear themselves.”

A team of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency led by Assistant State Commandant Operation, Dzer Julius, paid a courtesy visit to the Osun State House of Assembly. The team also proposed a bill that will enable Drug Education in public schools to the House.
 

The team in their presentation explained the reason why Drug Education should be encouraged in public schools in the state. They said if pupils were enlighten about the adverse effects of hard drug at a tender age, it will greater reduce their tendency to use hard drugs; thereby  reducing the supply because when  there is nobody to take the drugs, nobody will sell them.
The House under the the leadership of the speaker, Rt. Hon Najeem Salaam, charged the NDLEA to be more intense in its work as the abuse of drug in the society is worrisome. He stated that apart from hard drugs, there are some controlled drugs that are also being abused. The house frowned at the rate at which hard drugs are being used in public places and charged the agency to rise up to it responsibilities. He also promised that the house will do everything in its capacity to assist the agency in her pursuits to eradicate the abuse of drugs in our society. The speaker said the present administration under Rauf Aregbesola has provided the agency with two hillux utility vans for effective operation.
 

The Osun Government on Wednesday banned the use of cell phones and motorcycles by students in public secondary schools across the state.
 

 
The state’s Deputy Governor, Titilayo Laoye-Tomori, gave the order in Osogbo during the Education Stakeholders Meeting with representatives from five local government areas.
Laoye-Tomori said the ban became imperative in order to instill discipline in the state’s public secondary schools.

She decried the poor performance of the students during internal and external examinations, saying the results did not reflect the huge spending in educational reforms.
The deputy governor then urged communities to set up committees that would monitor activities of students in schools in their localities as means of checkmating them.

She said, “due to the unruly behaviour of some students, any student caught with cell phone, charms or dangerous objects would be expelled from school”.

Osun State Government says it is working towards improving the level of voluntary compliance of people on tax payment and ensuring immediate and sustainable growth of the revenue base of the state.
 

 
Acting Chairman of the State Internal Revenue Service, Dayo Oyebanji, said this when the task force embarked on a road show to major markets and shops in Osogbo, the state capital.
This is to sensitise the people on the need to pay for their business premises and other taxes.

The OIRS boss said aside from generating revenue into the government’s purse, it would also enable the government to have adequate planning data which would enhance even development in all parts of the state.

Oyebanji added that the agency has been receiving positive response especially from people in the informal sector, saying defaulters would be made to face the full weight of the law.

The Coordinating Director in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Empowerment, Abimbola Oso, said the move would complement development programmes embarked upon by the state government towards making life more comfortable for the people.
He enjoined shop owners, market men and women and artisans to register with the ministry, pointing out that billing will be based on the sizes of their premises.

The government of the state of Osun has called for qualified medical doctors to apply for openings in the state civil service to replace medical personnel who abandoned their duty post five month ago.
 

 
The government through a statement released by the Head of Service, signed by the Permanent secretary, Festus Olajide, the state stated that, “On Wednesday, 10th February, 2016, the State Government of Osun appointed, in public interest, new Medical Doctors to replace serving Medical Doctors who walked out of their various posts in
the State’s Public Service unilaterally on their own volition since Monday, 28th September 2015.
“However, other eligible Medical Doctors are encouraged to apply as vacancies still exist for various positions in the Medical Officer cadre of the State of Osun Public Service.”
The government in the advert seen by Osun Defender stated that “the State Government of Osun hereby requests for applications for employment from suitably qualified candidates both in Nigeria and the Diaspora for the under-listed
vacant position in its Public Services: Medical Officer, Grade lever 12 (CONMESS II)”

The state government however stated that Medical Doctors, including those who were formerly in the employment of the State of Osun Public Service, who are still willing to take up appointments in the State of Osun Public Service are hereby enjoined to call at the State Hospitals’ Management Board for employment forms for processing.
Osun Defender learnt that interested Medical Doctors who are in the Diaspora are to send their application  torecruitment.osun@gmail.com.
Click Here To Find Out How To Apply

The Government of Osun yesterday described as a cock and bull tale, allegation by the Peoples Democratic Party that the Rauf Aregbesola administration was planning to replace doctors who had abandoned their duty posts with native doctors.
 

 
The government expressed pity for what it called the irredeemable abyss that the Peoples Democratic Party had sunk into as demonstrated by the lack of substance and hollowness that characterise its criticisms of the Aregbesola administration.
In a statement by the Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Office of the Governor, the government said in an attempt to play the crucial role of opposition, PDP had exposed itself as a political party peopled with characters, who sufferred from ‘crass ignorance’ and ‘chronic intellectual deficiency.’
The statement endorsed by the Director, Semiu Okanlawon, said that the allegation that the government intended to sack some striking doctors and replace them with traditional healers (herbalists) could only be a figment of an inelegant and unrefined minds that could only be found within the rank of PDP.
He argued that PDP’s criticism must be misplaced when put side by side with the performance of the state in the health sector as second to Lagos in the provision of sound primary health care delivery in the whole country.
But the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, insisted that the government had concluded plan to sack another 3,000 workers through a sinister mechanism. It specifically condemned Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s request, asking workers in the state to submit their Bank Verification Number (BVN) or forfeit their salary.

The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba AbdulRasheed Adewale Akanbi, has commended what he called the gallantry of men of the Nigeria Police Force, Osun State Command in thwarting armed robbers’ attempt to rob banks in Ikirun recently.
 

 
Oba Akanbi also lauded Governor Rauf Aregbesola for his foresight in considering security as the first major thing to put in place ahead of everything, adding that if not for the adequate provisions that had been made for the police by the Aregbesola administration, the attempted robbery would have been successful.
 
The monarch made the commendation in a statement signed by the spokesperson for his palace,  Prince Dauda Abimbola.
 
According to him, without adequate security, investments whether local or foreign, would remain a mirage.
 
“There is no doubt that Osun is impregnable to criminals and this is commendable. This can easily be attributed to the foresight of Governor Aregbesola in considering security most paramount. I am aware of the state’s heavy investment in security equipment.
 
“I am aware of about 25 highly sophisticated Armoured Personnel Carriers which have been provided for the police which are found on our roads in Osun. I am also aware of the many patrol vans available for security agents. Everywhere you go, there is a sense of security because you see highly motivated men and women of the Nigeria Police.
 
“What happened in our state on that fateful Friday was yet another test case of the preparedness of our security agencies to combat crime. We must congratulate the government for this and we most salute the gallantry of the officers, who showed confidence and prevented the men from their evil plot,” the Oluwo remarked.
 
Oluwo, however, urged government and the police not to relent, adding that criminals of today always employ new tactics to overwhelm their victims.
 
He added: “I want to urge the government and the police to intensify efforts in the area of security. Our attempt to promote our culture through tourism will be a mirage if visitors feel unsafe. I also urge residents of the state to be vigilant while cooperating with the law enforcement agencies in their efforts to make Osun uncomfortable for criminals.”