Ismaila Adekunle Jayeoba Alagbada is the Osun State Commissioner for Commerce, Industries, Cooperatives and Empowerment. In this interview with journalists, including CORRESPONDENT – Gbenga Faturoti, Alagbada speaks on the efforts of the state government to boost business enterprises, youth empowerment and resuscitate the moribund Cocoa Products Industry, Ede. Excerpts: 

To what extent has the state government boosted the small and middle scale business enterprises and business potentials in the state?
When you look at the state before Ogbeni (Governor Aregbesola) assumed office, they used to call Osun a civil servants state because there was nothing to trade with. We looked at this when we came in; considering how to stimulate commerce in the state.
How do you encourage investors and what are those things that need to be put in place? 
At present, you will discover that the current administration headed by Rauf Aregbesola has put in place policies and programmes to stimulate commerce in the state. One; for you to bring investors to the state, security is paramount. Can any investor go the northern states or any of these Boko Haram terrorised states? The answer is no. So, we thank God that in the state as of today, in terms of security, the administration of Aregbesola is performing well.
How do you expect investors to invest when there are no basic infrastructures? 
Massive road construction is presently going on in the state alongside various infrastructural and developmental projects. If you look at the position of Osun, you will discover that it is central, its’ close to and surrounded by economically active states, so the best way to make use of these opportunities is to link up with these states through infrastructure and these are the kind of infrastructures we need to encourage investors to come in and invest.
Now all these things will lead to the development of small and medium scale enterprises. Another thing we did is that we invited the National Association of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises and asked what their challenges were, and even some of the companies that closed down. They gave us some reasons, which they claim that there was no adequate training, and there was no succession plans, that once the owner of the business dies, that is the end. We venture to address these challenges so that commerce can move forward in the state. We asked them what we can do to encourage our people and business owners in the state is to have training workshop and office for small and medium scale enterprises.
The building has been completed and adequately furnished. The building serves as day care clinic and centre where entrepreneurs will be able to receive training. The state government constructed the building in collaboration with the national body of the small and medium scale enterprises. I am happy to inform you that the first batch of entrepreneurs we trained is over 300 entrepreneurs and it is continuous. Most of the entrepreneurs you see out there, there is no difference between their personal account and the account of the company. They just get things mixed up. Some of them don’t even know how to manage the business. They need training and that is what we are giving to them. So that is part of the strategies we are using to develop small scale enterprises in the state.
What do you say considering the business potential, given that the packaging of the finished product leaves much to be desired and that the type of product would not be able to compete with other products? 
We are working on that as well. The other strategy we are using to stimulate business enterprises is development of infrastructures like airport, electricity, good network of roads among others.
Efforts are on to eradicate poverty, reduce unemployment, banish hunger and functional education in line with the Six Integral Action Plans of the present administration.
Many people live around Osogbo but work in Lagos and the state government moves them to and from especially during festive periods. So free rail service has helped transportation, or what do you think?
Beyond that, people are able to know what was happening before and what is happening now. Then there is communal re-union among their families and that is very important. Many people will not believe what is happening in the state unless they come to the state. This is part of the ways to stimulate commerce. That is how people will get to know that this is what you are producing.
Also before now, there was no organised market in the state. What we were having before now was street trading and it is dangerous considering the lives of people.
The current administration established three international markets they are Ayegbaju market, Aje market and Dagbolu international market.  If you will remember that Ayegbaju market was originally a completed market before the creation of the state in 1991. It was when there was no place to use for secretariat that it was converted to secretariat and that is why we need to give kudos to Chief Adebisi Akande for the wonderful job he did there to give the state befitting state secretariat when he was the governor.
How does it compare today?
As we speak, you will discover that things are gradually changing. Rome was not built in a day. We cannot say that we want to get 100 companies in a day or 50 businesses at once. It is a gradual process. There is a lot of development going on in the state. The only thing we were having before the current administration was the transmission centre that transmits energy to the national grid. Whether we like it or not, Osogbo will be able to benefit at least 12 hours of electricity supply in a day unlike Lagos which is very populated. So when you look at infrastructures, the market that we are constructing and the effect of the airport that is under construction, it is going to have a lot of impact on the business potentials.
What are the benefits we should expect from the ongoing international airport constructed by the state government?
The international airport being constructed by the state government would definitely change the status of the state in terms of industrial development. When you have an airport here, it would decongest the airport in Lagos. The airport will make this state a hub. People would come and clear their goods from Abuja and things would be cheaper here. By the time they come to clear their goods from wherever, this would increase economic activities in the state. Some of them would not go that day, they would stay in the hotels and this would bring business for our people because they cannot go without spending a dime. This will then stimulate commerce just like in Dubai which is even more like a desert in comparison with our state.  So the administration of Aregbesola must be commended.
Railway station is also attracting attention, what is government doing in that aspect? 
Look at what we did at the Osogbo Railway Station. The very first day we got there, the place stinks and we were all shocked but with what is happening there now, we are happy. Of all the stations of NRC, Osogbo station is the best. All these are to stimulate commerce. If you look at the efforts of Aregbesola, it has built the confidence of our people. Gradually things are changing. The small scale enterprises have been boosted and we will still boost their activities.
The government is constructing markets for the people, is that part of commerce stimulation?
The market that is under construction will still contribute and boost commercial activities. Immediately those two markets start operation and more are still coming, people will be happy because they can take their products to those markets.
This administration encouraged farmers to go back to farm most especially plantation of cocoyam through its quick intervention programme. How do you encourage people in this area?
The state government has empowered 332 cocoyam farmers with N32 million. Apart from that, we empower the people of the state through co-operative societies. So we have about 31 cooperative societies that are benefiting from the state. We started this empowerment programme in 2011with N153million with different cooperative societies and about 77 cooperative societies benefited from it.  Between 2012 and 2013 we empowered additional 600 cooperative societies with about N600million. All these money will continue to circulate within the cooperative societies.
There are three markets that the present administration is developing at the same time and when exactly will these markets be operation for the people of the state?
On the issue of market development, there are three of them, we have Ayegbaju, Aje and Dagbolu international markets. Aje market is having about 650 open and locked up shops and by the special grace of God, it will be ready for use on or before June this year.  Ayegbaju market too will be ready. When you talk of the expenses incurred on the two markets, it is not government that committed the huge resources on them; it is being done under Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements because in developed countries if you want any business to succeed, the best model is the PPP. That is why you can see lot of rapid development going on in the two markets. If government had taken it fully, we will not be where we are today.
For Ayegbaju market, it’s about 80 per cent completion and if you get there now, you will see the type of quality of work going on there. The construction of roads, fuel station, fire station among others. So I believe that by June, the two markets will be ready. Looking at what is happening all over the world, if any government wants to build a market, for that market to be ready on time it has to be under PPP arrangements. When you go to London and other advanced countries, most things that you see there are owned by group of people or companies and that is why they are efficient.
The government gave 600 cooperative societies N600million, is it in the range of N1million per cooperative society. Clarify this?
When you talk of empowering farmers, it depends on the carrying capacity of each of cooperative societies and what you want to embark upon. Don’t think that we were sharing N1 million to each farmer. It depends on the acres of farmland that you want to cultivate. There are some people that do not need more than N250,000 to start off. If you want to go into fish rearing, those that want to do one thousand cannot get the same as those who want to do five thousand. For those that want to go into piggery, the person that wants to rear five hundred is different from the one that wants to rear one thousand. So it was shared according to their intentions, needs and their capacities. So don’t think that N600 million was shared among 600 cooperative societies at N1 million each.
How does your ministry supervise and recover loans given out to the people and how much is being owed the government?
As regards supervision of loans, the ministry gives out according to your needs and to make it more successful, we partner with the ministry for agriculture. This is because we have discovered that our people once any money is coming from government, they think it is part of the national cake and they may not the project serious. We met a debt of over N1billion left by the previous administration from loans that people did not pay back. The state government has given them the last notice now reminding them of their indebtedness.
By the special grace of God, we are giving them till ending of March and by then, whoever refuses to pay his/her debt will be sanctioned by government because it is money that belongs to the state, not an individual. I want to use this opportunity to tell you that Aregbesola has approved the establishment of micro-credit agencies in the state to empower everyone. By the special grace of God, before the end of March or by early April, the agency will be launched and it is going to be autonomous.  The government wish to assist the people financially at a reduced interest rate in order to empower them and the money is going to be managed by professionals, so that we can get value for our people. All these are part of the efforts of Aregbesola to empower the people. If the people we are governing are happy, then the government will be happy but if they are not happy, the government will not be happy.
What will be the legacy that the government is going to leave behind? The only legacy any government can leave behind is to make the people happy. The present government has touched people through various programmes such as education, health facilities, road construction and rehabilitation and employment opportunities.
How much has the state government committed to Moshood Abiola Airport in Ido-Osun?
The government has committed so much into the project and it is aimed at boosting the economy of the state. Despite the paucity of funds, when Aregbesola made a statement, considered it done because before he speaks, something must have been on ground.
DAILY INDEPENDENT

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Mr Oladipupo Rasheed, with 4.73 Cumulative Grade Point Average, is among the 20 students graduating with first-class degrees from the University of Osun in Osogbo.
Rasheed is of the Department of Economics.
The Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Adekunle Bashir, disclosed this at a news conference on the university’s third convocation taking place on Saturday.
According to him, the student is the most outstanding of the 20 that would be graduating with first-class honour in different departments.
“We are graduating 1200 students in an array of fields with 20 first-class students ; 328, second-class upper division; 658, second-class lower division and 178 students with third class.
“It may interest you to know that we have got an approval from the National Universities Commission to start part-time and post-graduate programmes in about 11 disciplines.
“Also, our research programmes are very robust and all-inclusive. The prominent among them is the research on the usage of bio-technology products in combating the menace of mosquitoes,’’ he said.
Bashir said the university remained a formidable partner in the development of the state which made it to adopt a multi-campus system of operation.
“We also take the issue of community service seriously; this informed our Rural Women Farmers Empowerment Programme tagged, Rabi Elefo.
“It is a programme targeted at the rural women farmers in our community where we train and empower them in the area of vegetable planting which is really yielding results.’’
He also said that the university had been reliable in the area of human and material development since its inception in 2007.
The vice chancellor explained that the medical students currently under training in Ukraine were in no way affected by the crisis in the country.
NIGERIAN OBSERVER

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Mr. Isaac Owoeye, the Executive Secretary of Osun Board for Technical and Vocational Education, on Thursday, said the state government had concluded arrangements to establish nine vocational centres in the state.
He told the News Agency of Nigeria in Osogbo that the centres were specifically for women and youths to acquire skills.
The centres, he said, would be established across the nine federal constituencies of the state.
Owoeye added that “we have plans to establish one centre in each of the federal constituencies. The project is already contained in the 2014 budget.”
The board scribe said the project would engage the youths and provide employment for women.
The centres would train youths and women in bee-keeping, hat-making, fashion designing, bead-making, auto-electricity, carpentry and joinery.
PUNCH

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The Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) and the Governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Chibuke Rotimi Amaechi on Wednesday said adequate school feeding programe such as that practised in Osun under the OMEALS scheme is key to better education of children in Nigeria.
Amaehi while delivering a lecture titled, “Higher Education and Good Governance in Nigeria: The way Forward”at the second UNIOSUN Distinguished Guest Lecture Series, at the Osun State University Auditorium, main Campus in Osogbo, charged every governor in Nigeria to learn from Osun.
This was even as the governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola pointed out that, despite the dwindling allocation coming from the Federal government, his administration still marches on providing development projects.
Amaechi held that other states of the federation should emulate the school feeding programme of Osun, saying the programme will reduce the number of out-of-school children in the country.
The governor stressed that he is amazed with the level of infrastructural development of Aregbesola’s government in the State of Osun.
The Chairman of NGF pointed that good governance should not be based on the construction of roads but every other amenities that will touch on the lives of citizens with education as one of the cardinal points of every serious governor.
According to Amaechi, “Every serious governor should take education seriously, though it is common for most governors to want to concentrate on road construction because people will praise them.
“It is not enough to construct roads alone, I have noticed that, that is not the case with your governor. His giant stride in every other aspects of development which includes quality education is commendable.
The issue of his school feeding programme deserves an applause, every other state must emulate this programme because it will drastically reduce the number of out-of-school children which Nigeria ranks among the nations with greater numbers of children.” Governor Amaechi pointed out.
Aregbesola  told the gathering N5.4billion has been used to argument payment of salary in the state since July last year when the statutory allocation from the Federal Government to Osun dropped from 4.6 billion to 2.8billion.
The governor pointed out that despite the drop in allocation, the situation will not stop him from carrying on with his 6 point integral action plan aimed at developing Osun.
Speaking on his commitment to basic education, the governor said,” basic education is not negotiable, that is why we are doing what we are doing on basic education considering the neglect that the sector had suffered, it is our concern to give it it’s necessary quality.” he noted.
Aregbesola while commending UNIOSUN stressed that a university is not a place established merely for the pursuit of knowledge, but a place to generate knowledge that will bring positive impacts to bear on the society.
According to him, “From what I can observe, I am persuaded to the thinking that UNIOSUN is fully sensitive to this high responsibility and giving it due attention.
“It is my well-considered view that the university, among other considerations, is a unique device invented by human society as part of its strategic tools to solve the problems with which it would inevitably contend.
“What this means in essence is that helping society to confront and overcome its challenges is part of the founding mission of the university. It is a mission in which it cannot afford to fail. I do hope that UNIOSUN will sustain this tradition of academic excellence tailored towards social relevance”. The governor stressed.

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Photos from the 2nd UNIOSUN Distinguished Guest lecture, held at the University Auditorium Main Campus, Osogbo, the State of Osun on Wednesday 26/03/2014.

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (right); Guest
Lecturer, River State Governor, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi (2nd right),
Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council Osun State University, Osogbo,
Professor Gabriel Adesiyan Olawoyin (2nd left) and Vice – Chancellor,
Professor Adekunle Bashiru, at the 2nd UNIOSUN Distinguished Guest
lecture, held at the University Auditorium Main Campus, Osogbo, the
State of Osun on Wednesday 26/03/2014.

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola(2nd left); Guest
Lecturer, River State Governor, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi (2nd right),
Deputy Governor State of Osun, Mrs Titi Laoye -Tomori (left) and
Pro-Chancellor/Chairman of Council Osun State University, Osogbo,
Professor Gabriel Adesiyan Olawoyin, at the 2nd UNIOSUN Distinguished
Guest lecture, held at the University Auditorium Main Campus, Osogbo,
State of Osun on Wednesday 26/03/2014.

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (middle); Guest
Lecturer, River State Governor, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi (2nd right) and
Deputy Governor State of Osun, Otunba Titi Laoye -Tomori (left), at
the 2nd UNIOSUN Distinguished Guest lecture, held at the University
Auditorium Main Campus, Osogbo, State of Osun on Wednesday 26/03/2014.

Governor, State of Osun,Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (right); Distinguished
Guest Lecturer, River State Governor, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi (middle)
and Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council Osun State University,
Osogbo, Professor Gabriel Adesiyan Olawoyin(left) at the 2nd UNIOSUN
Distinguished Guest lecture, held at the University Auditorium Main
Campus Osogbo, State of Osun on Wednesday 26/03/2014.

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A socio-cultural lifestyle magazine in Abuja, Ariseigala magazine, will on Saturday hold its maiden awards and recognition of excellence in leadership, outstanding entrepreneurial skills, educational, agriculture, human capacity and infrastructural development.
The event, which will start from 5pm, will take place at the Ladi Kwali Hall, Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Abuja.
Twenty-two distinguished Nigerians will receive awards.
They include Osun State Governor Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola,(Ariseigala leadership award for agricultural and education development); Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso,(youth empowerment & capacity building); Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, (infrastructure development& peace initiative); Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha, (institutional reconstruction, empowerment & capacity building); Senator Smart Adeyemi,(representative leadership).
Others include High Chief Raymond Aleogho Dokpesi (enterprise, unity & cultural advancement); Alhaji Yahaya Bello, (transport sector development & job creation); Senator Amodu Ada Ali; Prince Abubakar Audu; Prof. Frances Suleimanu Idachaba; Kashim Ali, etc.
The event will be chaired by Gen. T. Y. Danjuma (rtd). Chief host is Senator Bala Mohammed, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. Kogi State Governor Capt Idris Ichallla Wada is the special guest of honour.
THE NATION

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On Dec. 16, 2013, Gov. Rauf Aregbesola of Osun presented a bill to the State House of Assembly, seeking the creation of 27 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) from the state’s 30 local government areas.
The bill’s presentation was sequel to the submission of the report of the Local Government Creation Committee, constituted by the state government and chaired by Prof. Mojeed Alabi, a former Speaker of the state Assembly.
Aregbesola explained that the bill, captioned “Local Government Areas (Creation and Administration) Bill 2013’’, would increase the number of administration units and ensure rapid development across the state.
According to him, the new local council development areas will co-exist with the existing local government areas which are specified in the 1999 Constitution.
While urging the lawmakers to pass the bill, the governor assured them that “the new councils would operate a parliamentary system of government to avoid financial constraints.
“There is no gainsaying that the only way a government can deliver the greatest happiness to its citizenry is its level of closeness to the people.
“This bill has some unique features that are meant to make local government administration cost-effective, people-oriented and development-based.
“It is our firm conviction that this will inevitably reduce cost of governance; enhance quality of representation at the grassroots level and ensure smooth running of the local government administration,’’ he added.
Sharing similar sentiments, Mr Najeem Salaam, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, stressed that the creation of the LCDAs would not constitute a burden to the existing local government areas.
“From what we heard from the governor, the new councils will not constitute a burden on the existing ones, rather they will serve as platform for effective, efficient and all-inclusive governance at the grassroots,’’ he said.
Salaam pledged that the legislature would examine the contents of the bill and pass it into law at the appropriate time.
Nevertheless, the presentation of the bill has continued to generate varied comments among the residents of the state.
Mr Kazeem Alao, a public analyst in Osogbo, insisted the creation of the 27 council areas would affect the state’s economy because of the dwindling resources allocated to the state from the Federation Account every month.
“My question is why the creation of local councils is considered more important than creating wealth for the impoverished people of Osun State,’’ he said.
All the same, Mr Kolawole Amusan, a civil servant in the state, said that that the creation of the LCDAs was long overdue in the state.
He said that the proposed council areas would foster an all-inclusive government at the grassroots and bring government closer to the people.
Amusan noted that the parliamentary structure of the proposed councils would ensure prudent spending, reduce cost of governance, enhance quality of representation at the grassroots and ensure efficiency.
He noted that the creation of the councils would also provide job opportunities for the youth, while bringing development to the proposed headquarters of the councils.
Apart from these observations, some concerned citizens, nonetheless, express worry over the series of petitions and protests by different communities on the proposed councils.
They note that some communities petitioned the governor, protesting against the exclusion of their communities from the proposed councils, while other communities protested against the location of the councils’ headquarters.
For instance, Mr Rasaq Afolabi, the National President of Ofatedo Descendants Union, said that the people of Ofatedo were happy about the way the creation of the councils was handled.
Afolabi alleged that Ido Osun, the proposed headquarters of the proposed council in the area, had refused to involve other communities in matters relating to the council’s creation.
The community forwarded a letter of protest to the governor and copied the Speaker of the state Assembly.
Besides, some traditional rulers and stakeholders in Ife North Local Government Area have petitioned the state Assembly, alleging the omission of their area in the proposed councils.
They appealed to the legislature to review the exercise by creating a council from Ife North Local Government Area so as to bring development to the area.
The petition, which was written by the Unity Club of Ife North Local Government, was signed by six traditional rulers from Ife North local government.
Moreover, the residents of Oke-Irun in Boluwaduro Local Government protested against their inclusion in a proposed council which would put them under the authority of a neighbouring town.
They said that they preferred to remain within the domain of Bolorunduro Local Government Area, instead of being in a council where Igbajo, a major town in the area, would likely be the headquarters.
In view of these protests, analysts urge the executive and the legislative arms of government to look into the petitions so as to avoid friction among the communities in the future.
In an apparent response to this call, Salaam on Feb. 8 directed the state Independent Electoral Commission (SEIC) to conduct a referendum on the proposed council development areas.
The speaker also directed the House Committee on Local Government to visit the proposed headquarters of the council areas.
Salaam said that the report of the House Committee and the outcome of the referendum would be considered in the final passage of the bill.
Responding to the directive, the committee, between Feb. 26 and March 10, visited all the local government areas where the proposed councils are to be located.
During the visit, Assemblyman Wasiu Adebayo, the committee’s Chairman, appealed to the communities not to allow issues relating to the location of headquarters of the proposed councils to cause mayhem.
He said that since the creation of the new councils was awaiting the lawmakers’ approval, the people must eschew violence and strive to promote the socio-economic development of their areas.
All in all, observers are querying the rationale behind the parliamentary system of government put in place for the proposed LCDAs, saying that it may not be acceptable to opposition parties in the state.
They, nonetheless, urge relevant stakeholders to ensure that necessary mechanisms are put in place for the running of the proposed councils if the bill is finally passed into law.
(NANFeatures)
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Education is the greatest instrument of change in any human society, which explains why investment in human capital has continued to bring about development and training of future generation for the nation building.
The government of the state of Osun in the last three years has invested 30billions of naira on education. Osun school infrastructure project called “O SHOOL” is aimed at bringing the infrastructural standard of education in the state at par with the standard in advanced countries of the world. The reality on the educational structure today is the new face of state of the art schools that are already in use or about to be commissioned by the state government.

The governor of the state of Osun , Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola began to prove the opposition wrong on the non-achievement of the three years administration of the present government by commissioning the Salvation Army Middle School, Alekuwodo, Osogbo on the 2nd of October 2013 .The New school is one of the 50 middle school government plans to build across the state. The governor averred that the educational reclassification is a well thought out arrangement painstakingly put in place to showcase government’s pragmatic approach to revolutionize education and address the many rots which have crippled the system before November 27, 2010 when his administration assumed office.
Reason for school reclassification
From the school structure to the quality of education prior to his assumption of office in the state were indescribably dilapidated, students performances both at the internal and external examinations were abysmally woeful with less than 3% that could manage to secure admission to tertiary institutions.
Instructional materials were not provided; Parents Teachers Associations were the one making provision for the needs of their wards when things have gone badly. The educational summit organized by the new government resolved that surgical operations must be carried out in order to redeem the educational sector, which eventually gave birth to the reclassification of Schools.
The school reclassification by the state into; Elementary, Middle, and High schools synonymous to global trend in which effective teaching and learning take place, and where pupils of same age brackets are grouped together in classes with fewer students to be taught and prepare for examination. The new school system aims at removing financial burden of running of schools totally from parents, hence the government has taken full responsibility for infrastructural development, funding and management. The new school system also aims at making available and exposing pupils and students to modern facilities and international best practices in teaching and learning. This explain the reason why the present government has been providing standard classrooms, boarding facilities, sporting facilities, libraries, science laboratories and ICT facilities in the new schools across the state.

The new school system and national policy on education
It is important to let the world know that the new educational policy is in tandem with the National Educational policy. Under the re-classification, the government of the state of Osun run the modified National 9-3-4 System as well as the normal school academic calendar. What the state has now is 4-5-3-4 System. Under the re-classification of the Primary and Secondary Education into Elementary, Middle and High Schools; pupils in primaries 1-4 are under the same roof and environment with provision of modern facilities that is consistent with their age. They will spend four years before proceeding to the Primary Middle school and complete their last two years before going into the High school.
Critics of the new educational system
Politicians who realised the benefits of the new educational policy rather than appreciating the achievement of the Aregbesola administration in this sector allowed their emotions to over run their reasoning, only to align themselves with the Baptist Church whose demand is for the government not to allow their long term Christian traditions to be swept away with the re-classification. The political opposition see the gargantuan achievements of Aregbesola not only in educational sector but in infrastructural development and road development, and were frightened by such success, believing that if nothing is done to rubbish Aregbesola’s achievement it may block their chances of success in the August 2014 gubernatorial election.
The sudden appearance of masquerades in Baptist High school Iwo can only better explained by the politicians abracadabra, who promised to “ return school to the original status owners” if elected “ as governor of the state “. The question is that how many original owners can afford to invest 30 billion on education at the primary to secondary level of education, and even let us assume the schools are eventually returned to the owner, looking at the economic condition of the state, how many parents will be able to finance their wards education. As at today, parents have been withdrawing their children from the private schools to the public schools because of the massive government investment on education aiming at fulfilling the state anthem which says:

“ Egalitarianism/ Is our watchword/Equality of good fortune/Must be to each sure reward”
The education of the people must not be toyed with; neither should we play politics with it, if we are to avoid catastrophic future. The Northern part of Nigeria is burning today because some of our leaders failed to do what they ought to have done in providing the then youths with good and sound education and today things have fallen apart in the North East and the centre could not hold. We must allow the new educational system to fulfil its purpose in the lives of our children so as to usher in a new generation of complete man.
Governor Aregbesola was right by saying “it is our unwavering belief that education offers the best way to produce great individuals that will create great society. This is the thrust of our mission in education. It is a mission that should be backed by all, for it is a mission that is in the interest of all.”
Religion in schools
The politicians who hope to reap at the polls using religion as a bate underrated the present government as they failed to understand the mission of the government of building the state for all irrespective of religious persuasion. As the governor Aregbesola further opined “We are clearly neutral on religious observances. If religious observance had been allowed, why would a section of the partisans seek relief from the court?”.
DAILYINDEPENDENT

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When Governor Rauf Aregbesola began the implementation of the public schools reclassification, doubts were raised about the intent of the new policy. The government insists the new grade system will improve education. Two years after, how has the policy changed the state of education? Seun Akioye investigates
It was 11:00am and preparations were ongoing at the AUD Elementary School, Isale-Osun, Osogbo for the mid-day meal. Meal times at this school are always a special time not only for the immaculately dressed food vendors but for the pupils, many of whom are from poor families. In Grade Two classroom, the children beamed with smiles as the vendors passed around a sizeable bowl of rice and vegetable, garnished with melon and chicken. A bottle of water was placed beside each student. Two pieces of banana completed the meal.
The class teacher, Mrs. Mariam Aderinola, watched with glowing pride as the pupils performed this pleasurable duty of completing their meal. Everyday spent in that classroom, for her, was a reminder of what the school used to be and how in a spate of two years things have changed completely.
“I used to teach in this school before the reclassification policy of the government, I was teaching this same class then known as Primary Two. Coming to school then was agony and we used to be fearful because the building had fallen apart and touts taken over the school,” she said, a small frown creeping to her brow.
The teacher had a solid reason to be fearful. In 2011, AUD Primary School – as it was known, was a specimen of rot and mismanagement. The buildings, the ones still standing were dilapidated, while the roof in many places had gone off. According to Aderinola, the whole premises was overgrown with weeds and immediately the children left the school, touts took over the compound. “They will mess up the whole compound with faeces and we would see left over marijuana and drugs. Different things were going on here, the touts were sleeping here and in the morning we would cover our noses while we teach because of the stench,” she said.
New policy, new challenges
The state of AUD Primary School was a reflection of the state of education in Osun’s public schools, when the Aregbesola administration came into office says the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Oyelade Oyeniran. According to the state government, public education had been so badly managed that only pupils whose parents could not afford private schools were left in the public schools. Primary school pupils, especially, were poorly dressed and malnourished while performance at both internal and external examination dipped to an all-time low.
But in February 2011, the state government convened an extra-ordinary education summit with the aim of finding a solution to the deep rooted problems. The summit paraded heavy weights in the education sector like Professors’ Wole Soyinka, former vice-chancellor of University of Lagos, Ibidapo Obe and Peter Okebukola of the National Universities Commission (NUC).
The recommendations were far reaching and one of the vital points was the reclassification of schools, which implementation began in 2012. But the government knew the change will generate controversy so there were series of meetings with the stakeholders. Materials explaining government’s position were produced and distributed, while the Ministry of Education continued to engage with the public.
Under the new school policy, the primary school system gave way to the grade system with the former Primary 1-4 with the age range of 6-9 years, merging into what is now called Elementary school, in Grades 1-4. Primary 5 and 6 and junior secondary 1-3 merged together to become middle school and now to be known as Grades 5-9 with the age range of 10-14, while the senior secondary students are grouped together in Grades 10-13, in what is now known as high school.
In the new policy, the elementary schools will have a maximum capacity of 900 pupils in a purpose built state-of–the-art school. Other features will be provision of school uniform, books and balanced diet meals. The schools were designed to be within the neighbourhood for easy access for all students.
For the middle school, the maximum capacity will be between 900-1,000 students, with the provision of state-of-the-art educational infrastructures and catchment to be between 2-3 kilometers, while the high school will have a maximum capacity of 3,000 students with hostel facilities. However, the curriculum did not change rather, what changed were physical infrastructure and more conducive environment.
But fierce opposition began against the policy immediately it was announced. While the government may have anticipated some resistance, it probably underestimated how organised the opposition will be. Questions were raised about the merging of students from different schools and backgrounds under one roof, the loss of identity especially for mission schools and the problems of how workable the new “complicated” model will be.
The government gave reasons for wanting to change the way public education is being conducted in the state, probably forever. According to Oyeniran, the new grade system is the global trend and approach to modern education for effective teaching and learning. In adopting the grade system, pupils of the same age bracket are grouped together with fewer students in classes.
The government also claimed that multiplicity of schools had decayed infrastructure over the years, leading to poor funding, shortage of teachers and inefficiency. The new policy, the government said will reverse the rot and make quality education available to all children without discrimination making public school comparable to the private schools.
 
The promise of new infrastructure
On October 2, 2013, the state government rolled out the drums to celebrate the commissioning of the state-of-the-art new school infrastructure, The Salvation Army Middle School, Alekuwodo, Osogbo. It was not the fanfare or the presence of top government functionaries that became the center point of the event but the arrival of Governor Aregbesola, wearing a middle school uniform and beaming with smile as he commissioned the first mega school that would accommodate students of the middle school.
There are lots of promises in the new education policy of the state government. In moving students from different schools together under the same roof, the government promised to build 170 mega schools throughout the state. While elementary will have 100 schools, middle will have 50, while 20 high schools will be built. These mega buildings will have laboratories, libraries, clean toilet facilities and ICT centers. These new infrastructures will complement other schools that would be upgraded to acceptable standards under the reclassification policy.
The government also promised to feed all students in elementary school under what it called the O’Meal programme. About 3,000 food vendors have been contracted throughout the state and the students followed a regime of nutritional meals throu-ghout the week.
Under the reclassification, all public schools in Osun State will be free while government will also supply books and uniforms to the students. But how much of these promise have been fulfilled and what has been the impact of the new education policy on students?
Inside Aregbesola’s Grade Schools
Passing through the busy Aleku-wodo road, Osogbo, the imposing Salvation Army Middle School is unmistakable. Built in a rectangle shape and painted in bright yellow colours, when viewed from the opposite direction without the benefit of the equally imposing signboard, one would believe the building is part of a new private university.
Three members of the Osun Peace Corps movement mounted guard at the gate while students continued with their studies in the classrooms. No student loitered around and an examination of the entire classroom revealed that the students were all studiously engaged. There were no blackboards but white boards and instead of the chalk, markers were used to write on the boards. The students sat two in a seat and none of the classroom had more than 40 students.
At the same time, Eunice Yaya, the Head Teacher at AUD Elementary School was having her first classroom inspection in the morning. Like the middle school, AUD is recently commissioned as a mega school, which catered for Grade 1-4 students of six primary schools. The students in Grade Two, on perceiving a visitor sprang to their feet in greetings, welcoming the visitor to the classroom and ending it with a prayer for God’s blessings on the visitor.
“The difference is clear to what we used to have,” Yaya said as she exited the classroom. “We have a very conducive atmosphere for learning and our children loves to come to school because there is free feeding,” she said.
Yaya also said the reclassification of schools has improved the education standards. “Now we have teachers commensurate with the students unlike what we had before. This is a far better system than what we used to run.”
The AUD Elementary School also boasts of some world class infrastructures. “There are 12 toilets and bathrooms, electricity and running water and we have toys for the children. We have a multipurpose hall that can sit 200 pupils at the same time and we educate our children on how to use the facilities because we are determined to preserve and maintain it,” Agbelekale Serifat, the facility manager said.
Currently, 39 mega schools have been completed across the state and many are still under construction. At the CAC Araromi Middle School, work was about 40 percent completed when The Nation visited. But the old school built in 1998 by Theophilous Bamigboye’s military administration had been refurbished with the leaking roof replaced and temporary chairs provided for the students. One teacher who spoke anonymously said: “As you can see, work is going on our new school but the government has given this one a face-lift. It is not what we want yet but we will get there.”
Also, at former Osogbo Grammar School, work is ongoing for the construction of a 3,000 capacity Model High School. While that was going on, the old building has been refurbished and given a face-lift. But questions have been raised about the distance of the high schools which has been mitigated by the purchase of 100 Omoluabi scholar buses, which according to a government official would be strictly for the students. The Nation can also verify that these buses are currently at the state Ministry of Finance.
The impact of the new educational policy has also been generating interesting permutations among the residents of the state. More than 90 percent of the people sampled by The Nation agreed that the policy has changed the landscape for education forever. “I have two children in school. I withdrew my son from a private school where I was paying N60,000 to join a public school. Now the money is back in my pocket because he attends school free and the facilities are better than the private school. I have a small girl in a private school, as soon as she is old enough, I will take her to a public school,” Toyin Barry-Ogwu, who works at Diamond Bank said.
Barry-Ogwu said the reclassification and reforms in the education sector has changed the face of education. “In Osun State, no child is forced to go to school, the children are looking fine when you see them coming from school, everyone wants to be part of them now because they are well fed,” she said.
Lolade Olanipekun, whose daughter attends AUD Elementary School, may have had a tiring day but the mention of the new school system brightened his face. “That is one reason I am happy. My daughter is in Grade Two, she talks everyday about how good the school is. She said they eat food everyday and they have this car that goes round to play with,” he said enthusiastically.
On the education standard, he said she is showing more promise. “I am so happy that she is even writing. Her handwriting is not too fine now but she is improving every day. She wants to go to school almost every day of the week, I have seen the school myself and it is a very good environment,” Olanipekun said.
Aderinola, Grade Two teacher at AUD Elementary School said, a child came from one of the private schools and sat in her class. “She had a different uniform and she sat in the class. We inquired and found her school but she insisted she wanted to stay in our class. She must have been attracted by our facilities here and that is to show the improvements that have happened to this school, even the teachers are also looking very fine,” she said beaming with smile.
One parent who declined to be named said: “You will not know what the governor has done if you don’t know how bad things used to be. I have a shop here and I used to see the students begging for money in the traffic or hawking, when they should be in school, but can you see any child on the road today?” he asked.
The policy has also had a reverberating effect on private schools. According to investigations, many parents are withdrawing their children from private to the public schools, while to counter the Opon-Imo policy. The private schools are now selling a similar device to their high school students. The President of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Osun State, Prince Wale Oyeniyi, who is also the proprietor of Mustard Seed School, Ode-Omu, told The Nation that while the new school policy is a welcome development; it should also incorporate students of the private schools. “I want to say the reform in schools is good but I must caution that the government must maintain the standard so that it won’t become a distortion in the end. There has to be a balance too, so the other sector of the state won’t suffer,” he said.
Oyeniyi denied that private schools are losing their pupils. “I see no difference throughout the state, we have a symbiotic relationship, there is no problem. But I should say that government should also treat private school pupils the same way. They are all citizens and we too are electorate and we vote, all the children are the same, so they should all enjoy the dividends of democracy,” he said.
But the situation was slightly different at International School, Abere, Ede North Local Government. The principal, Babaremi Olusola, acknowledged frankly the educational reforms had affected his business. “To be candid, this is affecting us, I have seen parents withdrawing their children to public schools because of the free education and uniform and food.”
Olusola also had knocks for the government: “The way they are going about it, it’s like they don’t want us to exist, look at everything they are doing, and we should be partners in progress. We also employ people here and we are voters too. He also implore the government to grant private schools tax reduction and give them what he called special grants to also upgrade their own facilities.
 
“We want our mega high school”
At 2:00pm, members of the Christian students fellowship at St. Daniel High School 3, Ode-Omu, began a session of prayer. They prayed for progress of the state and also for a new high school. Outside the old building where they met, three of their teachers sat huddled together.
“We are not happy because our school is split into three when we should all be in the same compound. Our buildings are not to be compared with the other schools, we are waiting for the government to build us a mega high school because we really need it,” the teachers said.
About 150 meters from the high school is an imposing new building that will house St. Michael Elementary School, Ode-Omu. Inside the compound, workers put finishing touches to the painting. “We have 22 classrooms here; we have modern toilets, hall, playground and even a projector. But the best part is that it is dry construction, no brick was used, fire cannot affect it and if we need to move it away from here we just dismantle it and set it up somewhere else,” one of the workers said.
Besides the new building is the old school refurbished by the state government, but compared to the imposing new building, it looked like materials made ready for the museum. The teachers of St. Daniel, while praising the new building insist they deserved it more. “That should have been our school, we need it more but they gave it to the children.”
At the sound of a signal, students of AUD rushed to the playground where several toys have been provided. They played on the see saw, the swing and other toys provided by the state government, Elizabeth Ajala, the second Head Teacher stood by watching. “We will maintain this standard, we are determined. This is the only way we can show our appreciation,” she said with a smile.
THE NATION

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