THE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Godwin Emefiele, has commended the Osun State government for formulating people-friendly policies that are particularly geared towards the empowerment of women in the state.
The apex bank’s governor made this remarks in the state capital, Osogbo at the official ceremony for the disbursement of N2 billion CBN Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises Development Fund and the distribution of second batch of 22 mini-buses some transport operators in the state.
The CBN Governor, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Development and Finance, Paul Nduka Eluowe, affirmed that the polices had clearly set the government apart as one the few administrations in the country that place emphasis on women empowerment and genuinely backed it up with funds and all the necessary technical assistance raised the state to
The scheme is a partnership with the CBN, under the Bank’s N220 billion Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Fund.
Elumelu while stressing that Small and Medium Scale Enterprises are essential ingredients of growth for any serious developing country, commended the governor for formulating policies and programmes that have economically and financially empowered the people of the state.
The CBN boss charged the governor to ensure that 60 percent of the 2billion Naira given to the state go to women and 2 percent to physically challenged people in the state.
He said: “I am overwhelmed by the numbers of people present at this event, I am not surprised that the majority of the people in attendance are women this is in tandem with the CBN beliefs that women are supposed to be empowered to unleash their potentials,”
The state governor Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, in his address titled “Marching onto Greater Development Heights”, said his determination to drive the state to a prosperous height was borne‎ out of genuine commitment to take Osun to the height of socio-economic and industrial development.
Aregbesola held that his administration is conscious of the fact that the success of any development enterprise was dependent upon the active involvement and participation of the people.
He pointed out that Osun, with carefully thought-out policies, programmes, conscious mobilisation and proper organisation of the people, nothing can stand in the way of its development.
The governor added that the most effective ways of making people the driving agents of development is to economically and financially empower them, and then allow them to handle the rest.
According to Aregbesola “We thus decided to come up with various economic empowerment schemes in order to give our people the economic wherewithal and the financial enablement to make them job-creators and wealth generators in a manner that will be beneficial to all and sundry.
“In order for the programmes to have the widest coverage for maximum outcomes, we have decided to spread the net to include the people in the lower rung of the socio-economic ladder – the small traders, the market women, the artisans, the transporters, the small-holder farmer, and the craftsmen and women among others.
“It is for this reason that we have established the Osun Micro-Credit Agency which was officially inaugurated on July 9, 2014.
“It was aimed at ensuring easy access to credit facilities by operators of micro, small and medium scale enterprises, particularly those in the informal sector of Osun economy”.
The state Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Wale Bolorunduro, disclosed that Osun was the first state in Nigeria to benefit a sum of N2billion for the CBN to improve micro, small and medium enterprises, affirming the money was a product of financial engineering.
He maintained that 50 per cent of the money is expected to be used for agriculture and commerce.
“Osun is the first state to have assessed and secured the N2bn loan for Central Bank of Nigeria for the purpose of development.
THE GUARDIAN 

CITING favourable business climate and vast opportunities, Osun State Government has called on foreign and local investors to site industrial plants in the state.
The State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who made this appeal while delivering his goodwill message at the Summit on Industrialisation of Ijesaland organized by Ijesaland Development Foundation held in Lagos yesterday said his government has consciously and deliberately put in place favourable investment and partnership opportunities in the state, which private investors could take advantage of.
Aregbesola said the state government has deliberately ensured timely processing of Certificate of Occupancy for interested business concerns, while it had established the Office of Economic Development and Partnerships (OEDP), a one-stop shop that facilitates trade and investment and helps to cut the red tapes in partnerships for investment in Osun.
According to the governor, Osogbo, the state capital is home to the National Distribution Centre of the unbundled Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) and therefore has one of the relatively most stable power supply situations in Nigeria, which is attractive for business to thrive.
To ensure easy ferrying or transportation of manufactured, finished or raw products, Aregbesola said the
state hosts the South- North rail line that links the southwest region to the central and northern parts of the country.

Fatubarin called upon the foundation to work towards ensuring that small and medium scale industries were set up in all the nooks and crannies of Ijesaland to boost the economy and provide job opportunities for the teeming youth population.
Such industries including gari, soap, yam flour, oil palm, chalk and several others.
President of the Foundation, Engineer Dideolu Falobi, in his address, said: “Our vision in IDF is ‘Transformation of Ijesaland into a modern industrialized community with high quality of social, economic, medical and scholarly life, medical and scholarly life, co-existing in peace, unity and love with other people of Osun state.”
Falobi said the foundation intended to do this by harnessing the diverse human, economic and natural resources available within and outside Ijesaland towards sustainable development of the area.
He added that the IDF was a child of circumstances that came into being to provide a structured platform for driving the development of Ijesaland.
THE GUARDIAN

Osun State Government has sought partnership with foreign and local investors in the area of agriculture in a move to diversify its sources of revenue following a decline in the allocation from the federation account.
The Director-General, Office of Economic Development and Partnership, Osun State, Dr. Charles Akinola, said this while addressing a delegation of investors from Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina.
According to a statement made available to our correspondent on Tuesday, the foreign investors were led to the state by the Nigerian Ambassador to Brazil, Chief Chive Kaave.
The DG, after enumerating the policies of the state government led by Governor Rauf Aregbesola, said the investors could key into any of the areas.
He told the investors that the state had climatic condition suitable for most agricultural products existing in the three countries.
He explained that the partnership could be in mechanised farming, livestock, food processing and other areas.
Akinola said, “We are interested in all-season farming and we need to do so because the state government plans to supply at least 10 per cent of the food consumed in Lagos and we need to go into commercial agriculture to be able to achieve this.
“We want to promote Osun through Small Scale Enterprises into industrial growing nation and for this singular reason we are developing all farm settlements.
“Over 190,000 acres of land had been prepared for the purpose of developing agriculture and encouraging banks to bring in people who are interest in large scale agriculture through different partnership.”
The envoy assured the investors that the government would provide conducive atmosphere for the partnership to work.
Kaave also stated that there was an urgent need for Nigeria to develop the non oil sector to be able to fund projects and develop the people, especially with the dwindling resources from oil.
PUNCH

‪As Governor Rauf Aregbesola is set to take fresh Oath of Office therefore commencing another four years in office as Governor of Osun state, southwest, Nigeria, he has been urged not to rest on his oars in bringing dividends of democracy to the people of the state.
The Asiwaju Musulumi of Yorubaland, Alhaji Khamis Olatunde Badmus tasked the governor to see the renewal of his mandate as a call to finish the numerous projects his administration embarked upon and also to perform better. ‪
In a statement issued and signed by his Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs, Alhaji Dawood Ajetunmobi, Alhaji Badmus disclosed that throughout his first term, Aregbesola redefined the meaning of governance in the public sector.
According to him, Governor Aregbesola achieved this fit by bringing about the real and sustainable interventions that had enhanced the quality of life of every citizen of the state.‬ ‪
He added that since the creation of Osun state on August 27,1991, the people of the state have never had it so good until the inception of Aregbesola’s government which has transformed the state in the areas of good road network, qualitative education, support for Agriculture, business and good health care among many other developmental projects. ‬
‪The Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland therefore advised residents of the state to keep supporting Governor Aregbesola and members of his team in order to attain optimum results that would spread to the nook and crannies of the state before the end of his second tenure. ‪
While congratulating the governor on his swearing in for the second term in office, the religious leader prayed God to endow the Governor with Solomonic wisdom to steer the ship of the state to shore of more success.‬
GAZZELLE NEWS
 

The Osun State Government has declared today a work-free day to commemorate the inauguration of Governor Rauf Aregbesola. Director of Bureau of Communication and Strat­egy, Office of the Governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, who disclosed this in a statement made available to Daily Sun, said the public holiday was to allow people of the state partake in what he called the celebration of the “Triumph of the People’s Will.”
According to him, the sec­ond term inauguration of the governor would come up at the Osogbo Township Sta­dium. The governor, the state­ment added, urged the people of the state to pray for contin­ued peace and sustainable de­velopment of the state as the current administration enters its second phase.
He also urged civil ser­vants to reflect on their com­mitment to duty, while reit­erating his administration’s determination to drive the state to a prosperous heights.
Aregbesola also assured citizens ahead of his second term in office the best of gov­ernance in the state above what was witnessed during his first term.
He said: “We hereby de­clare Thursday (today) a work-free day to enable our people take part in the cel­ebration of the triumph of their will. We have offered ourselves for service for the good of the people.
“As often repeated, the best way to pursue our ob­jectives about governance is to run the whole hub of the mandate provided by the constitution that will give us enough time to meet our as­pirations for the people.
“It was in the interest of the people and the determination to put our state on a high pedestal among the community of states in Nigeria that we sought for re- election.”
THE SUN

Chairman of the Technical Committee on Road Safety in Osun State, Professor Joseph Fawole, has observed that activities of the committee set up by Governor Rauf Aregbesola coupled with those of other stakeholders have gone a long way in reducing road accidents in the state.
Speaking while presenting the committee’s quarterly report on fatality on road, Fawole said recent reports from the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) indicated that death ratio in Osun has reduced to the bearest minimum.
Fawole, who spoke in IJebu-Jesa in the Oriade Local Government area of the state on ‘Ember Month Road Safety Campaign’, said the activities of the committee and others have saved lots of lives.
While listing use of phone on wheels, over speeding and use of Tokunbo tyres as some of the causes of road accidents, Fawole advised passengers to always take time to check the tyres of any vehicle they intend to board and ensure that they were not worn-out.
He further advised them not to hesitate to caution any driver when over speeding.
DAILY INDEPENDENT

Osun State Chapter of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) has appealed to women politicians to take up the challenge by vying for elective positions in the coming general elections.
The chairperson of the association, Mrs. Toyin Adeoye, who made the appeal during a programme on community voter education in Nigeria organised for selected women in the state by an NGO, charged women in the state to develop greater interest by participating more in politics for adequate representation in the society. She emphasised that when more women are interested in politics, the society will be better for it, insisting that women perform better when in positions of responsibility.
She implored women to love and support themselves and avoid decimation among themselves while in position of authority.
Also speaking, coordinator at the programme, Mrs Ruth Omoloye, advised women in politics never to forget their home as the home supersedes all.
Omoloye stressed the need for women to know their rights and use their voting power to vote the right people to power.
Other speakers at the occasion include Alhaja Babalola Adubi, Alhaja Nofiu and Mr Tijani who admonished women that are yet to collect their voter’s card to do so in their respective INEC local government offices.
DAILY INDEPENDENT

Osun Sate Government has declared tomorrow a work free day to commemorate the inauguration of Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
The Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Office of the Governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, said the public holiday was declared to allow people of the state partake in what he called the celebration of the “Triumph of the Peoples’ Will.”
The second term inauguration of the governor comes up at the Osogbo Township Stadium.
according to the statement, the governor urged the entire citizens of the state to pray for continued peace and sustainable development of the state as the current administration enters it’s second phase.
He also urged civil servants to reflect on their commitment to duty while reiterating on his administration’s determination to drive the state to a prosperous height,
Aregbesola assured citizens ahead of his second term in office the best of governance in the state above what was witnessed during his first term.
He said, “We hereby declare Thursday November 27 th, 2014 a work-free day to enable our people take part in the celebration of the triumph of their will. We have offered ourselves for service for the good of the people.
“As often been repeated, the best way to pursue our objectives about governance is to run the whole hub of the mandate provided by the constitution that will give us enough time to meet all our aspirations for the people.”
“It was in the interest of the people and the determination to put our state on a high pedestal among the committee of states in Nigeria that we sought for re- election.” The governor stressed

The Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola,  Special Adviser to Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Development

Finance, the Commissioner for Finance, Dr Wale Bolorunduro and many others during a Courtesy visit to the Governor in Osogbo,

State of Osun. Photos below…

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (3rd left); Special
Adviser to Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Development
Finance, Mr Paul Nduka (centre); Commissioner for Finance, Dr Wale
Bolorunduro (2nd right); Assistant Director, CBN Abuja, Amina Umar
(2nd right); Secretary to the State Government of Osun, Alhaji Moshood
Adeoti (right); Acting Director, Development Finance Department, CBN,
Dr. Mudashir Olaitan (2nd left) and Assistant Director, Head
Development Finance Office, CBN, Mr Adebisi Adedeji (left), during a
Courtesy Visit to the Governor in Osogbo, State of Osun

Governor Rauf Aregbesola is an enigmatic individual whose trajectory epitomizes the building of a unique brand. And that brand is OGBENI.
I first came into contact with him sometime in the early days of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s tenure as Governor of Lagos State. A mutual friend had initiated an International Tennis Championship League called Governor’s Cup. The press briefing was slated for the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, with many prominent individuals  and potential corporate sponsors and stakeholders in attendance. So impressed was I by the zeal he showed and the uncommon loyalty to his boss, evident in the energy and passion at which he drummed up support for the project, that I unhesitatingly volunteered my own  support, which I would then sustain for the next six years of the Annual Championship.
His performance as the Honourable Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure in Lagos is legendary, and needs no further mention here, other than to say that his days of selfless, innovative service proved to be an incubation which prepared him for his sterling public service delivery which we are all experiencing in Osun today.
In retrospect,  I was happy, not only to answer the call to be part of the people he reached out to in the early days of his consultations preceding his decision to throw his hat in the ring for the Osun Gubernatorial race, but also to play a pivotal role in the evolution of his philosophy of People Friendly Government which we later put in print as his social contract; The SIX-POINT INTEGRAL ACTION PLAN.
Coming from a leftist background, he realized very early in his political life that the welfare of the people is the only reason to be in government.
The 6-point Integral Action Plan is a testament of welfarism borne out of a conviction that you can never go wrong if you put in place institutional framework and policies for satiating the yearnings of the masses.
His strategy of happiness in the immediate run for the masses whilst embarking on long run Programs and Projects is manifested in his unique Social Safety Net Programs such as Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYes), Elementary Schools Free Lunch Program, Senior Citizens Welfare Program, Program of Succor for people with special needs and the list is endless, which have engendered a bonding with the People he governs.
At the approach of the August 9,  Osun Gubernatorial election, a governor had just been declared the loser in the  election in a sister state  of Ekiti under questionable circumstances and the predominant rationale for the electoral failure was alleged lack of due attention to the masses, giving rise to notion that the progressive states, anxious to put in place modern infrastructure and amenities in their domain, often neglected the people and overlooked their hunger, and the obnoxious terminology “stomach infrastructure had just slipped in our consciousness like a thief in the night. He was confronted by the Press with the probability of losing his bid for the second term for the same reason, and this is what had to say:
“Those trying to embark on stomach infrastructure in this late hour wil have a lot of catching up to do because we have begun long ago and are four years ahead of them.  We are masters of the game”. June 2014, while granting an interview to Business day Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola proudly and confidently give assurance of his victory in the then forthcoming August 9, 2013 Gubernatorial Election. thus;
“Let me assure you, the overwhelming majority of the people of the State will Vote for us because we have represented them well in our first term, we have been accountable to them and we have served them with passion and integrity”
Indeed, he would not brood any doubt about his popularity with his people. He said this again at a public forum;
“I am a product of the popular forces, the people and I am part and parcel of them. I emanated from them and I am a product of their struggle.”
August 9, 2014 was therefore payback day, and, predictably, the people voted with their hearts, and Ogbeni rauf Aregbesola has now been given a renewed mandate to govern the State of Osun for a second term.
When Aregbesola story is going to be told, it would be that of a people-conscious leader, who has put in place some of the most audacious policies in rapid infrastructure upgrade, urbanization, and highest quantum of social service delivery ever experienced in this clime.
Interpersonally, Ogbeni is a good man. He has, over the years,  been surrounded and followed by a huge community of loyalists who believe in him, and the sincerely of purpose with which he has pursued it. He shows extra-ordinary compassion for his fellow man. And he is quite generous. When you came into contact with him, you will realize his personality. He has read far and wide and has held his own both honorably and with  eloquence in any setting, even abroad.
As a family man, he is the doting husband of his sweetheart, Sherifat, who , during their courtship provided the much needed encouragement to reconcile this restless young activist with his Creator, and has remained a strong pillar ensuring that he receives all the comfort and succor a General needs whenever he returns home from life’s many battles.
It is difficult to believe how a man of the People like Ogbeni could create quality time to attend to the nurture of his children who are all well behaved and now pursuing their various callings.
In matters of faith, Ogbeni remains unapologetic for his depth of piety, and why should he be? I have said on several occasions, I wish I could be as faithful to my religion as he is to Islam.
Yet he displays incredible understanding of the Bible which he quotes frequently and copiously whenever we get into discussions around ethics and morality. Not once has ever displayed discrimination against any religion, rather he is a foremost advocate of equality of the religions, and that is a disposition which is made poignantly clear by the fact that Osun is the only State where prayers are said in the Christian, Islamic and Traditional faiths at every public function.
Little wonder that he bedazzles even his most volatile traducers, and continues to wax strong as he pursues, with profound sense of urgency, his truly progressive and people-centered developmental agenda. His unique brand of People Friendly Government.
May our world be continually populated and enriched with multiple OGBENIS!