The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola, yesterday in osogbo joined Muslims from across the world to observe the Eid prayers that marks the end of the month of Ramadan.
Ogbeni Aregbesola urged Muslims to maintain the values imbibed during the holy month as a way of life.
he also called on Nigerians to continue to offer prayers to God for the nation and the president saying that the efficacy of prayer cannot be downplayed
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If your journey ever takes you to Osun state, the land of the living spring, here are five must-visit places.
A UNESCO world heritage site, the history-rich Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove is a place where attractions lie in abundance.
The beautiful sculptures and the priceless surroundings draw thousands of tourists annually for the Osun-Osogbo Festival.
Erin-Ijesha waterfalls are incredible to behold and hard to part from. The falls have seven steps which create multiple cascades of water pouring over a precipice.
Oduduwa, the progenitor of Yoruba race, gave Erin Ijesha (also known as Olumurin) its name, which also means peace.
You are sure to get a lot of that and bliss from the waterfalls – plus there’s also an interesting story behind the origin of the place.
Osun has produced many renowned artists and a bulk of them reside in Osogbo.
The Osogbo arts and metal works – one of the top holiday destinations in the city – is home to artistically crafted metals.
Nike Art Galleries are among the best in Nigeria, and the spot in Osogbo, is no different.
The centre also enrols students, who are schooled in sculpting, painting, bead work, mosaic, batik, adire, applique, pen and ink paintings; quilting, drum making and dancing.
The Museum of Arts is home to series of artifacts and artistic creations such as calabash carving, wood carving, metal work, cloth weaving, tie-dye.
The Osun Government has said it is ready to revive the Junior Engineers, Technicians and Scientists Club in all the public secondary schools in the state.
The Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology in the state, Mr. Oluremi Omowaye said this in an interview with our correspondent in Osogbo on Thursday.
Omowaye said the current administration in the state was making this move because it would help to produce more engineers, technicians and scientists, adding that this would also reduce unemployment rate.
The planned revival of the JETS club, he said, would encourage many pupils to read science and engineering courses. He promised the assistance of the state government towards the effectiveness of student clubs.
He said, “We want to start catching the new generation young, which is the reason we are reviving JET in the state. The club will expose the pupils to practical application of whatever they are being taught in the class.”
“The JETS club was very active in virtually every school in the 1980s and 1990s but it has suddenly fizzled out. I believe this is the kind of the projects we should be looking into now especially at this time when crude oil is no longer bringing money like before.”
…Congratulates, Wants Muslims to Sustain Moral Standards After Ramadan
Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun on Saturday urged Muslims who just completed one month of fasting to pray for an urgent end to festering hate comments that are threatening the corporate existence of Nigeria.
Aregbesola also urged them to sustain the advancement they attained in moral standards even after Ramadan while asking them to make use of the opportunity of their state of piety to pray for the redemption of Nigeria from many of the social, economic and political complications that have beset it.
Aregbesola expressed joy with the Muslim faithful that the one month of fasting has come to its end admonishing however that efforts should be made to sustain the moral rebirth which they achieved within the period of fasting is sustained even beyond the month of Ramadan.
The Governor, in a statement made available by the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, said Nigeria is in dire need of new directions, noting that a new orientation is possible only when people are ready to drop their old habits for a new culture of fear of God.
The Governor expressed regrets over festering ethnic tensions while saying that prayers however can heal the wounds created by the hate comments among the different peoples that make up Nigeria.
“The one month of Ramadan came to its end today and we are grateful to God for this. We wish to admonish our people on the need to sustain that higher moral altitude they attained while fasting lasted. The point is that this is needed for Nigeria to navigate the current turbulent waters and achieve stability.
“It is our belief that the current tension associated with unending hate speeches and threats in our country can be resolved through prayers. We therefore need that prayer to keep Nigeria a united prosperous entity and we can only do this if we rededicate ourselves to God,”
Motorists and other road users have been admonished to put all hands on deck to ensure zero road accident during the forthcoming Sallah celebration.
Chairman, State of Osun Technical Committee on Road Safety, Professor Joseph Fawole gave the admonition today at the monthly meeting of the Committee held in Osogbo.
Professor Joseph Fawole warned the drivers to avoid over-speeding, wrongful overtaking, driving against the traffic, overloading and driving under the influence of alcohol, among all other traffic offences.
While identifying areas that are notorious for incessant accidents within the State, the don specifically cautioned motorists plying Ilesa- Ipetu axis of the State to be extra careful, hinting that the area is replete with ditches into which over-speeding vehicles are susceptible to plunge.
Professor Fawole then disclosed that the committee members and other road managers would embark on strategic road inspection during the festive season.
The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Rafiu Isamotu, will today (Friday 23rd June, 2017) flag-off this year’s United Nations Anti-Drug Abuse Campaign week in the State.
Venue is St. Charles High School, along Ilesa-road, Osogbo.
This is contained in a press statement issued by the Commissioner in Osogbo.
The statement urged all Executive Secretaries including religious leaders and market women to attend the flag-off ceremony punctually.
The government of Osun on Wednesday announced the 30th edition of its free train service as it asked indigenes wishing to travel home to make use of the free train provided by the state government.
Thousands of Eid-il-fitr holiday makers are to benefit from the free train scheme as the government on Wednesdayannounced that the train would move from Lagos to Osogbo, the state capital in its usual practice which commenced in 2011.
The edition coming up on the occasion of the 2017 Eid-il-fitr will be the 30th edition in a scheme that witnessed several thousands of people benefiting.
A statement by the Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Office of the Government, quoted the Commissioner for Industries, Commerce and Co-operatives, Hon. Ismaila Adekunle Jaiyeoba-Alagbada as stating that the free train service is in continuation of the commitment of Aregbesola’s administration to making life more meaningful for the people of the state.
The free train is expected to convert and pick travelers along Lagos, Ogun and Oyo before it finally stops in Osogbo, Osun.
The Bureau’s statement added that the free train ride would be offered between Saturday and Tuesday while urging indigenes of Osun to maximise the opportunity.
According to Jayeoba-Alagbada, the train will on Saturday 24th of June 2017 convey people from the Ido Terminus, Lagos to the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park Station, Osogbo. The return journey to Lagos from Osogbo will be on Tuesday the 27th June, 2017 by 11 A.M.
The Commissioner said the gesture by the Aregbesola-led administration is aimed at facilitating a stress-free homecoming for the people during the festival.
The state government had, since 2011, been making similar arrangements for people of the state, to travel home during festive seasons.
While wishing Eid-el-Fitri holiday makers successful journey back home, the statement urged them to take advantage of their homecoming to have a feel of the on-going developments of the state.
“We encourage holiday makers to use this opportunity to update themselves about the developments that are taking place in the state.
“The Aregbesola administration, beyond the negative, hate campaigns of those are threatened by the massive pro-people policies of this government, has created an enduring legacy of service.
“We have taken service to the people to a new height that will be impossible to reverse. We have opened up roads and we have built schools that many find hard to believe are possible in this part of the world.
“We have renewed our urban settlements to attract investors. These are many more would be the spectacles to behold when they visit Osun,” the state Bureau’s statement added.
The newly appointed Special Adviser to the Governor on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Honourable Bisi Odewumi said the government of Ogbeni Aregbesola will continue to accord traditional
institution due respect.
Hon. Odewumi stated this when he paid a courtesy visit to the Orangun of Ila, Oba Abdul Wahaab Adedotun Bibire in his palace today.
He added that traditional rulers are royal fathers whose pieces of advice are needed for the peace and development of the State.
The Special Adviser told the monarch that he was in his palace to seek advice on the ways to continue to promote traditional institutions.
Hon. Odewumi explained that the government of Ogbeni Aregbesola will never undermine traditional institutions but will continue to work with them for the peace, security and development of the state.
While responding, the Orangun of Ila, Oba Abdul Wahaab Adedotun Bibire commended Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola for his untiring efforts in the development of the State.
Orangun promised that he would continue to support the government in his onerous task of developing the state.
Earlier in the familiarization visit of the Special Adviser, Hon. Bisi Odewumi paid a similar visit to Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi Ojaja ll on Wednesday in his Palace.
Ooni prayed for the success of the present administration as well as the peace, progress and development of the State.
The attention of the Government of Osun has been drawn to a protest embarked upon by some market women at the secretariat Osogbo today.Their protest was ostensibly to press home their rejection of the use of the standard weight and measure (Osunwon Omoluabi) which the government introduced last year as part of the efforts to standardize commercial transactions in our state.We consider this rather to be sad, unfortunate and totally uncalled for.For the avoidance of doubts, Osunwon Omoluabi was launched in Osun precisely on June 13, 2016 to bring equity, Justice and fairness in all forms of commercial transactions within the territory of Osun.It was done to restore confidence in both the buyer and the seller. It was done to eliminate all forms of distrust, acrimony and tensions associated with buying and selling.Above all it was a move by the current administration to bring our commercial transactions at par with the most civilized and acceptable norm on commerce across the globe.We recall that long ahead of the 2016 public presentation of Osunwon Omoluabi, this government embarked on a massive public enlightenment, stakeholders engagements and full elucidation of the philosophy behind the introduction of the standardized measure.As a responsible government, we have given ample room for all stakeholders to be sufficiently prepared for effective take off and full implementation of this scale and measure policy.It is therefore a surprise that attempts by officials who sought enforcement of the use of the scale and measures in some markets on Tuesday and Wednesday were resisted by some.We have assured all, including the women who protested today, that the government means well and should there still be a few who are not at home with this new culture we are trying to encourage and enforce, the government will stop at nothing at ensuring that every stakeholder is made to buy into this noble culture.Semiu OkanlawonDirector,Bureau of Communication & StrategyOffice of the GovernorOsogbo
…Passes vote of confidence in Aregbesola’s administration
The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Stuart Symington has applauded the state Government of Osun for its Social Investment Programmes, saying that is the major reason everybody is coming to Osun to learn about her programmes.
Mr. Symington declared this today when he paid a courtesy visit to governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola at the Bola Ige House, Abere, Osogbo, the Osun State Capital.
The Ambassador who was accompanied on the trip by the US Consul-General, Mr. John Bray; Deputy Public Affairs Officer, Mr. Frank Sellin and Assistant Regional Security Officer, Mr. Paul Biba commended the state government for its massive infrastructural investment which he said has created wealth and employment for the people.
The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola had while receiving the US Ambassador with select members of his cabinet described his government’s believe in investing in human capital.
The Osun governor also made it clear to the ambassador that his administration came into government with a clear objective of how to tackle the various socio-economic problems of the people of the state.
Aregbesola maintained that his administration focused on the six-point integral action plan which has over the years made his government to focus on social security areas through schemes such as the O-YES, O-MEALS, O-AMBULANCE and the welfare scheme for the aged among others.
“From the onset, our goal for the people of the state was clear to us. As part of our efforts to take our people out of poverty, we re-energised the school feeding programme which we met on ground.
“The OMEAL programme of our state has turned subsistence farming into a commercial venture in Osun. It has boosted the sales of agricultural products in the state tremendously” Aregbesola stated.
The governor further revealed that the state has served as at the last count, over 202,234,400 hot meals to primary school pupils in the state.
The American envoy on learning that over 200 million meals have been served to school pupils in Osun, lauded the State Government for running an impactful and people-oriented government in spite of the present economic challenges facing Nigeria.
Mr. Symington also commended the efforts of the state government in road infrastructure likened road development to human development.
Describing democracy as the best form of government in the world, Syminton noted that the policies adopted by the Osun state government in stimulating her economy and advancing the well-being of her citizens’ remains the major characteristics of democracy in the world.
“The state is on a steady growth, I so much appreciate good roads. This state is investing so much in roads infrastructure and it’s very good for the future and overall development of the state.
“Another good area is your various social intervention programmes, you are helping in creating jobs and wealth, no wonder people always come to your state to learn,” The American envoy noted.
Recall just last week, the UNICEF had led top government officials drawn from 17 states in the six geo-political zones of Nigeria to Osun for a four-day learning tour of its various social investment programmes.
