Pathetically, research and studies conducted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other non-governmental health related agencies revealed that 10 Nigerians die of cancer every hour, with attendant implication of average of 240 citizens of the most populous black nation dying daily.
 

 
 
Statistical information indicates that globally, in 2008, 7.6m people died of cancer and the figure rose to 8.2m in 2012. In analyzing this unpalatable and heartbreaking figures, medical statisticians allocated 13 per cent to the 2008 figures and 14.6 per cent to the 2012 with more disastrous revelations that 32 per cent of deaths to be recorded will be as a result of cancer related disease. This is indeed an international disaster looming.
 
Unfortunately, 70 per cent of cancer patients who eventually lost their lives are residents of middle and low income countries, often termed developing/emerging economies, with Nigeria leading the pack where over 250,000 new cases of cancer are discovered annually. More damaging is the fact that Nigeria cannot boast of a national cancer centre where diagnosis and treatment of this prevalent disease can be attended to at the advance stage, hence the need to seek medical attention abroad. This often results in medical tourism where $1billion, which should have been used to stimulate or buffer our economy, is spent outside the shores of Africa in European countries with Germany, India, United Kingdom topping the list of beneficiaries.
Osun State government has scored many firsts in many areas of its creative style of governance: the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES) has become an internationally-acceptable and sustainable model towards addressing the menace of youth unemployment. The ingenuity of Rauf Aregbesola in the last six years has liberated 40,000 youths and middle-aged citizens via this OYES model; a remarkable attainment which was emulated in neighbouring states, even beyond the shores of the south.
The Osun school feeding programme, O – Meal, is a well-designed concept for elementary school pupils wherein they are nutritionally taken care of by the state government everyday. It is an assemblage of adequate nourishment in balance diet to, among other things; boost the knowledge and mental capacity of the children towards education which has increased the school enrollment in Osun by over 50 per cent.
 
Today, the path-finding and trail-blazing initiative of the Aregbesola administration has found its way into our national life where the school feeding programme has been entrenched into the manifesto of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its implementation has commenced in 18 states of the federation in the 2016 budget.
Now, the Aregbesola – Osun model in tackling the scourge and unbearable menace of cancer which will teleguide the debate on national platform is unfolding; another first, another feat, another concept of participatory governance in fulfilling the six integral action plan of the Oranmiyan module.
In commemoration of this year’s Cancer Day, Mr Rauf Aregbesola invited a 3-man team of professionals, seasoned academics and practising oncologists from the Institute for Operative Medicine of the Otto-yon Guericke University, Germany to partner with the state in reducing to the lowest minimum this ugly trend, having discovered that the average perception of Nigerians is that cancer is a disease of the wealthy and the elderly; creating a robust platform to reach out to all the 30 local government areas, nine federal constituencies and three senatorial districts through a thorough and vigorous technique of massive enlightenment, well publicised awareness on the causes and preventive measures for cancer and stages of treatment from the primary to the tertiary level. The 3-day visit, led by Professor Hans Lippert, created an avenue to access the background information, state of equipment and facilities, medical personnel and other likely interventions of the German institute. 30 health care practitioners, 10 drawn from each of the three senatorial districts, were subjected to intensive interaction  on cancer management, raising their consciousness on the awareness and sensitisation campaign as pilot coordinators, setting machineries in place as trainers of the remaining health workforce to undertake the task. The discovery of the visitors revealed a grand design to make the project a sustainable one by involving all the primary health centres which are always the first point of call by rural dwellers with a certainty that 70 per cent of cancer victims, detected very early, can survive.
 
The motives and objectives of the visitation climaxed with a commitment from the Germans to build a state-of-the-art cancer registry, combining administrative and technical functions, in creating a central online database for data collection and collation, statistical analysis for research to pattern an accessible link for both the  Osun State government and the institute in Germany for the exchange of modern-day solutions in managing the commonest types of cancer in Nigeria — breast, cervical and skin cancer as prominent in women, prostrate and lung cancer in men, with emphasis on detection, management, treatment and appropriate referrals when and where necessary.
So also, telemedicine concept with infrastructure and equipment components, already installed by the state government at the state hospital building complex at Asubiaro, Osogbo, the state capital, will be activated in a matter of days for the smooth take off of the initiative; a collaboration to attract international organisations/governments for studies and educational research.
The collaborative support of Seri Care Foundation (SCARF), a pet project of  Alhaja Sherifat Aregbesola, the wife of the state governor, also cushioned the positive response, as she has, over the years, intervened in critical areas of concern on cancer related issues, sponsoring and financing the free screening of women, orientation and educational enlightenment programmes on risk factors like tobacco intake, obesity, harmful use of alcohol, eating of carcinogenic products, sedentary lifestyle, poor diet, exposure to ionizing radiation and environmental pollutants which result in cancer symptoms like lump discovery, abnormal bleeding, prolonged cough, unexplained weight loss with preventive and precautionary measures of daily and routine exercise, regular medical check up.  This three-in-one solidarity will make available machines to screen  thousands of women in Osun State  annually.
The involvement of the state House of Assembly in supporting legislation will not be undermined as the Vice Chairman of the Osun State House of Assembly Committee on Health, Honourable (Dr) Olaolu Oyeniran  who is a seasoned gynecologist, has given a concise affirmative statement on the readiness of the people’s representatives to give commensurate backing. We must also commend the Federal Government for giving executive reaction to the bill passed in August 2016 by the Senate on an Act for the establishment of the National Institute for Cancer Treatment and Research which is the desire of the present Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, to establish six internationally-recognized cancer treatment centres in the existing geopolitical zones of the country, with funding from private initiatives. This will reduce drastically the increasing rate of cancer uprising just like we have combated Ebola virus, polio, HIV, malaria, children mortality rate, tuberculosis. And this is a clarion call for selfless service to other state governments to replicate the Osun model in their strategy to disarm cancer from killing the great potentials of our citizens.
Oluremi Omowaiye writes from Osogbo

The Governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, and his Osun State counterpart, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, have lamented the non-resumption of academic activities at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo State.
The state governors bared their minds during the submission of the report of the Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN)-led panel, set up over the crisis rocking the university, at the Governor’s Office, Ibadan, on Friday.

 

 
 
The panel was set up in October 2016 towards charting a fresh path for the institution, which had been experiencing funding crisis, a situation that led to the closure of the school for more than eight months.
Although the school was reopened by the management on January 27, 2017 following the injection of about N500m by the two owner states, the institution’s branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities has yet to return to classes, citing unresolved issues with the management.
Ajimobi said, “Oyo State that used to get N5.2bn as monthly allocation now gets as low as N2.5bn and we have to pay salaries of workers and finance social infrastructure. How do we survive that without looking inwards?
“The reality on the ground requires that we look at different ways of doing things. There is need for repositioning the university, especially on the structure. The non-resumption of academic activities after all our efforts is worrying. LAUTECH should be the flagship institution of the South-West.”
Aregbesola also lamented the refusal of lecturers to return to classes, saying that the school’s crisis was regrettable, but inevitable due to a sharp drop in the states’ financial powers as caused by dwindling oil fortunes.

Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the governor of the State of Osun, today received the report of the committee set up in September 2016 to draft the bill for the Harmonization of Local Government Levies, Charges and Rates. The committee worked in partnership with Growth and Employment in States (GEMS3).
 
In his statement, the Tax Advisor of GEMS3, Mr. Dawuud Musa gave a brief introduction, saying that GEMS3 is a UK DfID project targeted at improving the business environment for States. He said the project has been working in 15 States of the Federation.
 
See photos below

 

Tax Advisor of Growth and Employment in States (GEMS3), Mr. Dawuud Musa giving a brief introduction of Growth and Employment in States GEMS3

Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola while addressing the gathering at the presentation

The Ijaloja General of the state of Osun and her entourage at the presentation of the bill

Group photograph with members of the harmonization committee

Successful students who sat for the entrance examination into four of the Government High Schools across the state are expected to resume on Monday, 13th February.
 

 
The students who wrote the entrance examination into the Government High Schools in Osogbo, Ejigbo and Ede are advised to check their names among the list of successful students pasted in the schools of their choice.

This is contained in a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Mr. Festus Olajide.
The statement added that, the successful students are to fill in the subject capturing forms obtainable at the office of the Principal of each school.
According to the statement, the schools are tuition free for students of Osun Origin, while each student is expected to pay a school infrastructure maintenance levy of N2,000 per head per term to maintain the school building.

The Osun Muslim Community would  on Sunday  hold a national prayer session in honour of Dr Sakariyau Babalola, Deputy President General of Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA).
 

 
This was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday in Ibadan  by Alhaji Femi Abbas, a spokesperson for the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN).
The event billed   to hold in Osogbo would have in attendance the Sultan of Sokoto  and President-General of NSCIA, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar,  as well as Gov. Rauf Aregbesola of  Osun.
 Also expected at the prayer session are  Islamic scholars from South West Zone as well as Muslim organisations and groups.
The statement said that this was the first prayer session that the Osun Muslim Community would  be holding for Babalola who also doubles as the President of MUSWEN.

Ede is one of the most popular ancient towns in Yorubaland. It lies on approximately latitude 07° 40′North and longitude 04°30′East. It is in the guinea savannah zone. It is has two local governments namely Ede North and Ede South Local Governments. The population is put at 159,866 according to the 2006 Population Census
The people engage in farming, trading and commercial activities are found on a large scale because of the central nature of the town and closeness to major cities like Osogbo, Iwo, Ife and Ejigbo.
Ede is important in the history of the State due to the presence of the Federal Polytechnic, Redeemer’s University, railway tracks connecting Lagos and Northern Nigeria, River Osun which passes through the town and Ede Water Works that supplies water to about twenty (20) local governments in the state.
The Timi of Ede is the traditional title of the paramount ruler and the present Timi is Oba Muniru Adesola Lawal Laminisa I.

No fewer than 17,000 farmers at least, have benefitted from the loans scheme of the Osun Quick Impact Intervention Programme (QUIIP) as part of the comprehensive program of the Rauf Aregbesola administration to boost agriculture.

A set of 77 farmers’ cooperative groups benefited under the QUIIP I while another set of 419 farmers’ cooperative groups benefited from both QUIIP II programmes. Some of the cooperative groups have as much as over 200 as members.

While the sum of N164, 882. 920 million was disbursed to farmers under QUIIP I programme, N686, 786, 612 million was distributed under the QUIIP II, coming to a total of N851, 669, 532 million.

A statement by the Bureau of Communication and Strategy signed by its Director, Semiu Okanlawon, quoted the Coordinator of QUIIP, Mr. Dele Ogundipe as giving the breakdown Tuesday evening when farmers under the QUIIP program gathered at the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park Osogbo to express appreciation to the government for its massive support for food production and general agric business in the state.

This was just as other heads of agencies told the huge gathering the extensive support program of the Aregbesola administration since inception.

 The Osun State Agricultural Development Corporation (OSSADEC) gave out N250million loan to farmers in 2010 while in 2012, it gave out a sum of N500million.

Also as part of the massive provision of infrastructure to aid farming, the Rural Accessibility Mobility Programme (RAMP), constructed for the state 662km rural roads for easy access to farm settlements.

 In addition, out of 300km World Bank-Assisted programmes, 225km roads had been completed through N12bn World Bank assisted loan where Osun paid a counterpart fund of N2bn.

These breakdown was made by the Project Manager of the RAMP, Engr Lere Oriolowo.

However, Aregbesola called on all farmers who had benefitted from the agriculture loans to repay the initial capital so that the money could circulate among other farmers in the state.

The governor frowned at a situation where a paltry sum of N364, 693. 21 has only been repaid out of N1. 421bn government lent the farmers.

On micro-credit scheme, the Governor stated that Government also made soft loan available for the development of small and medium scale businesses in the state.

 He held that the loan was targeted at micro-enterprises such as traders, artisans, market men and women and entrepreneurs.

The General Manager of the Osun Micro-Credit Loans Agency, Dayo Babaranti, had earlier announced that almost 25,000 beneficiaries had benefitted from the facilities from the agency.

According to the Governor, the state borrowed N2bn from the CBN and deposited it with the Osun State micro finance Bank for the people to assess at free interest.

Aregbesola said, government undertook to pay the interest rate pegged at 9 percent by the CBN, which totalled N186 million.

He averred that the interest people were supposed to pay on the principal borrowing was thus taken up by the government so as to make it easy for the borrowers.

Aregbesola said that against the backdrop of the current economic crisis, the whole country is neck-deep in crisis which only massive agriculture can remedy.

The governor therefore made passionate appeal to farmers across the state to stand up and redouble their efforts towards massive engagements in different forms of agricultural practices from poultry to cash and food crops.

Governor Aregbesola noted that the only panacea to the current economic imbroglio is for every serious minded government to rise to the occasion and look for alternative means by exploring the abundant potential in agriculture.

Aregbesola said: “At this critical juncture and judging from the economic crisis of the present, our state has no alternative than to diversify and stop relying on what comes from Abuja, if we must survive.

“Therefore, our dream is to turn the state into a modern, industrial and commercial agricultural state.

“The situation at present requires that we do everything humanly possible to awaken the huge potential of our agricultural sector.

“Failure to do this leaves us with only two alternatives. It is either we float or sink, but in our state, we shall float because our administration is determined to leave no stone unturned at ensuring general wellbeing of its citizenry in making the state food basket of the nation.”

Ejigbo is a prominent town in Yoruba Land and the headquarters of Ejigbo Local Government Area of State of Osun. Ejigbo is strategically placed in the middle of the region, as 35 kilometres north-east of Iwo, 30 km from Ogbomoso in the north and 24 km from Ede in the south-east. It is about 40 km north-west of Osogbo, the capital and about 95 km north-east of Ibadan. It is part of the Ede North/Ede South/Egbedore/Ejigbo Federal Constituency. The population is put at of 132,641 at the 2006 census.
 
 

 
 
Farming is the traditional source of economy in Ejigbo. It is based on production of food crops, such as yam, cassava, cocoyam, potato, maize, guinea corn, cowpea and cash crops like cocoa, palm oil, kola-nut, coconut and varieties of fruits. Trading in textiles and imported goods is also common in the town
Ejigbo indigenes reside in Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin Republic and some other Francophone Countries thereby giving them the opportunity to speak French in addition to Yoruba, their mother tongue. They also occupy key positions in some of these countries.
The traditional title of the paramount ruler is Ogiyan of Ejigbo.
Ejigbo is home to the College Of Agriculture, Osun State University.