The World Bank is to support the Osun State government with an interest-free loan to enhance basic education delivery.
Dr Tunde Adekola, a representative of the bank, who visited the Deputy Governor and Commissioner for Education, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori, said the bank would support basic education by providing financial intervention to the government to train and re-orientate teachers, and provide Information Comunication Technology (ICT) and instructional materials  for schools – like it did in Ekiti and Lagos states.
Though Adekola did not disclose the amount involved, he said the Osun State government would get a moratorium of between 10 and 50 years to repay the loan.
Adekola said the problem confronting basic education in the country was that of accessibility and how to keep children in schools. He added that basic education must be free and compulsory for every child in order for them to learn to read and write.
Responding, Mrs. Laoye-Tomori said the collaboration with the World Bank would facilitate the noble objective of the government at both basic and post basic sectors. She described basic education as a critical stage in the educational development of Nigeria.
She disclosed that the Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme (O’MEALS) were designed to prepare pupils in elementary schools for mental and physical alertness so they can compete favourably anywhere in the world.
Mrs. Laoye-Tomori also informed Adekola of plans to teach basic school pupils in Yoruba Language to enhance understanding and assimilation.
In his welcome address, the Chairman, Osun State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Prince Felix Awofisayo, praised the the global bank’s management for their contributions to basic education in the country, and also their interests to complement the efforts of the state government in the provision of functional and qualitative education.
THE NATION

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Defense counsel devoted yesterday to vetting, sorting and verification of Certified True Copies of documents tendered before the Osun Election Petition Tribunal by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the August 9 governorship election, Senator Iyiola Omisore.
The legal team of the respondent, Governor Rauf Aregbesola of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who won the election, clinically went through all the documents presented by the petitioner, who was challenging results in 17 local governments.
Kemi Pinheiro was later joined by Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and later Femi Falana on the side of the respondent. Alex Izinyon led Titus Ashaolu, and Nathaniel Oke for Omisore.
Akin Olujinmi and Oluwarotimi Akeredolu later arrived to join Aregbesola’s legal team.
The exercise, which was typified by lighter moments and exchange of banters between petitioners and respondents lawyers, moved rapidly to Ola-Oluwa Local Government.
Security was tight as only lawyers and reporters were allowed to come to the tribunal; politicians were kept at bay.
It was learnt that this followed a directive by the tribunal through the registrars.
Anti-bomb and metal detectors were deployed at the venue by a special police unit; cars were screened while lawyers were made to go through metal detector screening.
THE NATION

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The Special Adviser to the Osun Governor on Budget and Economic Planning, Mr Bade Adeshina, has urged state government-owned agencies to take appropriate measures to improve on their internally-generated revenue.
Adeshina made the call in Osogbo on Wednesday during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the just-concluded discourse on the 2015 Osun Budget Estimates.
“There is the need to improve on Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) so as to help the state to enhance its efforts to boost its socio-economic development.
“This has become imperative in view of the continuous dwindling in the revenue which accrues to the state from the Federation Account.
“The need to grow the IGR has become non-negotiable because the state can no longer rely on its earnings from the Federation Account.
“The Federation Account is currently unstable as a result of the volatility in the international oil market,” he added.
(NAN)

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The Stakeholders in the State of Osun health sector, on Wednesday November 12, 2014 has promised more commitment to a healthy living among residents in the state by curbing challenges associated with maternal and newborn babies.
The stakeholders met during this year campaigns for Maternal and Newborn Child Health Week (MNCHW).
The meeting which had in attendance the Religious leaders, Educationists, Health officers, among other stakeholders was held to discuss on how the WNCHW will be successful.
Addressing the gathering, Mr James Oloyede the state Nutrition Officer and Spokesperson for MNCHW said “the programme is about maternal newborn and child health week and it is done in the month of May and November every year.
According to Oloyede, “It is a week that is set aside to deliver high impact low cost child survival and maternal intervention aimed at reducing maternal death and to bring an overall improvement in the health of the community.
“It will be done in over 800 government owned public health facilities in the state.
“We have the fixed post approach where the caregivers will bring their children or ward to receive this intervention at health centres and we also have outreach posts which include churches, mosques and schools, this includes the private schools.
“In this round of MNCH we are targeting about 100,000 children to benefit from the intervention which includes administration of Vitamin A supplements, Immunization, screening for malnutrition, deworming and free birth registration.
“Mothers will receive tetanus toxoid (TT) anti malaria and insecticide treated nets for pregnant mothers apart from family planning commodities.
“We will be promoting key household practices such as exclusive breast feeding and appropriate food supplements.
“We encourage parents, guardians to bring their children to benefit from this programme and we urge religious leaders to help us inform people in various places of worship to allow our health workers do
their job.
“We are not out to harm anyone, we have the government backing in this campaign and it is for the safety of our children who are our future”, he said.
Mr Adewole Adewoye, Health Educator at the ministry of Health said that in 2013, about 2million children died between the ages of zero to five years in Nigeria.
“Malnutrition is the highest cause of infant mortality in Nigeria rising to about 55%. We want a reduction in infant and child mortality in the state and in the nation at large.
“In May, we were able to cover 94% of children in the state, in this round; we are aiming above 100% through this public intervention.
“We have trained some health workers and we have purchased about 100 public address mega phones which will be given to all the local governments in the state to aid the campaign”, he said
BIOREPORTS gathered that the health intervention was for children between the ages of 0 to 17 years old and that MNCH week will be implemented from November 17 to 21.
BIOREPORTS

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Governor of the State of Osun, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, has reiterated the determination of his administration to always promote cause of good justice in the state.
Aregbesola stated this on Tuesday in the address delivered at the swearing-in of two newly-appointed Judges of the State High Court; Justice Ayotunde Oyeyemi Oyebiyi and Justice Adekola Lateef Adegoke, held at the Conference Hall of the State Local Government Service Commission, Osogbo.
The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Otunba (Mrs) Titilayo Laoye-Tomori, in the speech titled: ‘Justice is of the essence’ congratulated the two newly-appointed judges, while charging them to administer justice without fear or favour.
Aregbesola observed that absence of social justice leads to conflict and war, adding that justice is the centre of all organisations of human society and at the same time, centre of the Yoruba ethos.
He therefore, re-affirmed the determination of his administration to champion the course of good justice, because he is a product of justice as delivered by the courageous Judges of the Court of Appeal that sat in Ibadan in his favour in 2010.
Aregbesola disclosed that since his assumption of his administration, necessary machinery have been put in place to preserve and promote the course of justice, among which was the establishment of alternative centre for resolution of conflicts in the state.
Earlier in the response by one of the newly-appointed Judges, Justice Oyebiyi, he gave glory to God and appreciated the governor over their appointments, while he described the occasion as a memorable one in their lives.
He then promised not to fail and disappoint the state judiciary and the state while discharging their responsibilities.
OSUN DEFENDER

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Knocks and commendation have continued to trail the last governorship election in the State of Osun, as participants in the electoral process and political analysts have not stopped reviewing the election three months after.

Baderinwa spoke while picking his intention form of the APC to contest the 2015 Federal House of Representatives election for Ifelodun/Boripe/Odo-Otin Federal Constituency in the State of Osun.
The Senior Special Assistant to Aregbesola on Media and Strategy stated that the election could be best described as an unsuccessful coup plot by the PDP and Presidency, who had deployed all their machineries for the election to rig out the APC government.
He maintained that the PDP and the Presidency could not believe Aregbesola would be returned to the Government House in line with the wishes of the people, saying that the election was almost rigged in favour of the PDP governorship candidate but for God’s and human interventions.
Baderinwa then warned against rigging the 2015 general elections, stating that the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, confirmed the botched attempts to rig the Osun election against the people’s will.
He said: “As a participant in that election, I could describe it as an unsuccessful coup plot. The share number and myriads of security personnel that superintended that election made it look like there was an attempt by PDP to snatch the government of Osun from APC at whatever cost.
“The utterances and dispositions of PDP operators at all levels portends attempt at snatching power. They must have been briefed by their Ogas at the top as to the fact that voting or no voting, PDP candidate would be declared. That was the sing-song of PDP members immediately President Jonathan left on Saturday preceding the election after the last moribund rally they had in Osogbo.
“It took God’s intervention for reasons to prevail and APC to make it eventually. You will agree with me that it would have been beyond comprehension to say APC and Governor Rauf Aregbesola lost that election in view of available indices. But PDP and the Federal Government were hell-bent on snatching the APC-led government of Osun.
“God intervened. A lot of reasonable and rational Nigerians intervened on the side of reason. You will recollect that by 7.00pm on August 9, 2014, all results from the polling units had been known. Also, by 9.00pm, collations in all the council areas had been done. You can then imagine what happened between that time and 7.00am on August 10, 2014, when the winner was declared.”
Baderinwa, who stated that the PDP and its members had been rejected in the state since 2007, said the party would also lose all the elective offices in the 2015 general elections to the APC as they did in 2011
OSUN DEFENDER

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The legal team of Governor Rauf Aregbesola on Tuesday, continued vetting, sorting and verification of Certified True Copies (CTCs) of documents which Senator Iyiola Omisore was seeking to tender before the Justice Elizabeth Ikpejime-led Election Petition Tribunal.

Tuesday’s sitting became the second out of fourteen days allowed in the pre-trial session report for the Senator Omisore to maintain his petition before the Tribunal.

As early as 9 am when lawyers from both sides arrived the Osogbo High Court venue of the Tribunal to begin the exercises in earnest with a view to going through all the 17 Local Governments challenged by Omisore in his petition.

The Tribunal had allowed the exercise to go ahead based on the consent of all the parties when they conveyed their decision to members of the panel on Monday.

Mr. Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, was later joined by Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, and later Mr. Femi Falana, SAN, Dr. Alex Izinyon, SAN led Chief Titus Ashaolu, SAN and Nathaniel Oke, SAN for Omisore.

Two leading silks, Chiefs Akin Olujinmi and Oluwarotimi Akeredolu later arrived to join the legal team of Governor Aregbesola.

The silks were assisted by a battery of lawyers from both sides as each of the certified true copies of the result for individual polling unit was brought out by Omisore’s legal team and verified by those of Governor Aregbesola.

The exercise which was typified by lighter moments and exchange of banters between petitioners and respondents lawyers moved rapidly to Ola-Oluwa Local Government at the time of filling this report.

The Tribunal was expected to sit later on Tuesday afternoon to hear the report of the exercise after which the documents already consented to by the respondents could be tendered by the petitioners from the bar.

Security arrangement was tighter at the sitting yesterday as only lawyers and journalists were allowed to come to the Tribunal while politicians were kept at bay.

It was learnt that the instruction to maintain tighter security arrangement arose from a directive issued by the Tribunal through the registrars.

Anti-bomb and metal detectors were deployed at the Tribunal venue yesterday by a special police unit with which cars were screened while lawyers were made to go through metal detector screening.

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The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on Tuesday observed that elections are the most legitimate means of sustaining the social contract in a democracy.

The governor was quoted as stating this while delivering a lecture titled ” Federalism, Democracy and the future of Nigeria” at the 2014 convocation and 66Th foundation day ceremony of the University of Ibadan at the University’s International conference centre in Ibadan.

He held that where political power does not derive from the consent of the people, then it is corruption of the term ‘democracy’.

Aregbesola noted that after the harrowing years of military rule, the requirement for the administration of Nigeria was a political system that guarantees popular participation.

The governor stressed that the transition to democratic rule was not a simple replacement of military but a substantial restructuring of the political system with new institutions such as the legislature, independent judiciary and a free press.

According to Aregbesola, “‎regrettably, the peoples’ rewards for political participation have been circumscribed by the dominant section of the political class.

“These sets of political functionaries have degraded the psyche of the people by perverting the democratic process.

“What ordinarily should be political empowerment conducted in a transparent manner became a warfare in which the people are literally held hostage.

“We saw this play out recently in Ekiti and Osun States’ governorship elections in which terror apparatuses were unleashed on the people in the most unconscionable manner.

“The security instrument of the state designed to protect the people was turned against them. Elections ought to a democratic festival during which the incumbent political party is rewarded for good performance and given a renewed mandate or sanctioned for poor performance”. The governor told the gathering.

‎Aregbesola added that democracy and federalism are inseparable Siamese twins, noting that it is unthinkable to have federalism outside of democracy.

‎He also noted that the First and Second Republics in Nigeria were aborted when federalism as a system was distabilised.

The governor said, “when political greed set in, making the centre to covet the units, the autonomy of the units which is a pillar of federalism, comes under assault.

“The subsequent taking over of the units by the centre’s imperial control in brazen political banditry sounded the death knell of both republics. I sincerely hope we are not on that ruinous path again,” he stressed.

The governor charged the students of the tertiary institution to concern themselves with the political development in the country so as to shape their own future.

He directed them to form formidable and informed committees for defence of democracy and democratic institutions.

He continued: “You will not allow anyone to again subvert our current democracy.

“Therefore, it is incumbent on you to get yourselves organised that we must collectively reject  appropriation of democracy by few individuals.

“We must thus defend the little gain of democracy we have made as Nigeria can only be great if it remains a federal state.”

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan,Professor Isaac Adewole, commended the government for having and demonstrating and unshakeable belief in the Nigerian nation.

Prof Adewole noted that what Nigerians want is a country that is safe for everybody.

He said: “we thank and commend you for your demonstration of an unshakeable belief in the Nigeria nation

“We need a Nigeria where everybody will be safe. Those who have a states and believe in the collectiveness of our peoples will not want the nation to be destroyed.”

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Pictures of the  Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the Vice Chancellor University of Ibadan, Prof. Isaac

Adewole and others during the 2014 Convocation Lecture/66 Founder’s Day Ceremony, at University of Ibadan on Tuesday  11/11/2014.

Guest Speaker/Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf
Aregbesola; Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof. Isaac Adewole
and Secretary to the
State Government of Osun, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, during the 2014
Convocation Lecture/66 Founder’s Day Ceremony, at University of Ibadan
on Tuesday 11/11/2014.

uest Speaket/Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf
Aregbesola (middle); Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof.
Isaac Adewole (right) and Deputy Governor Oyo State, Chief Moses Alake
Adeyemo (left), during the 2014
Convocation Lecture/66 Founder’s Day ceremony, at University of Ibadan
on Tuesday 11/11/2014.

Deputy Governor Oyo State, Chief Moses Alake Adeyemo;
Guest Speaker/Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; Vic
Chancellor,University of Ibadan, Prof. Isaac Adewole and Deputy Vice
Chancellor Administration University of Ibadan, Prof. Emilolorun
Ayelari, during the 2014 Convocation Lecture/76 Founder’s Day
Ceremony, at University of Ibadan on Tuesday 11/11/2014.

Guest Speaker/Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf
Aregbesola (middle); Vice Chancellor University of Ibadan, Prof. Isaac
Adewole (right) and Registrar Mr. Olujinmi Olukoyer (left) during the
2014 Convocation Lecture/66 Founder’s Day Ceremony, at
University of Ibadan on Tuesday 11/11/2014.

Guest Speaker, Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf
Aregbesola(middle); Vice Chancellor University of Ibadan, Prof. Isaac
Adewole (right) and Deputy Governor Oyo State, Chief Moses Alake
Adeyemo (left), during the 2014 Convocation Lecture/66 Founder’s Day
Ceremony, at University of Ibadan on Tuesday 11/11/2014.

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