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Governor Adeleke, Women Affairs Minister Strike Deals on Women Development | Osun: Environment Commissioner, Adejoorin Counsels Residents On Indiscriminate Dumping of Refuse | Birthday: Governor Adeleke Felicitates with Elerinmo of Erinmo | Governor Adeleke Approves Construction of Hajj Camp for Osun State | Governor Adeleke Approves Construction of Hajj Camp for Osun State | Fake News: Osun Government Sets up Action Committee On Cyber Crimes, Cyber Bullying | His Excellency Gov. Ademola Adeleke observed Iftar with Royal Fathers in Osun | For Ramadan /Easter Needs, Governor Adeleke Approves March Salaries, Pensions, Palliatives | Governor Adeleke Approves Promotions within Civil Service | Governor Adeleke Sets up Implementation Panel on the White Paper on Contract Review Committee | Courtesy visit by Minaret International University Foundation | It”s our collective interest for Mr President to succeed – Gov Adeleke | GOVERNOR ADELEKE CONGRATULATES NEW NACA DIRECTOR–GENERAL, DR. TEMITOPE ILORI | OSUN APC IS A LYING MACHINE- GOVERNOR ADELEKE DID NOT TAKE ANY LOAN | Governor Adeleke Salutes Barr Owolade at 70 | Governor Adeleke Opens Rehabilitated Government House, Says Upgrading State Assets is a Policy | Olubadan’s Exit: Gov Adeleke Commiserates with Gov Makinde, Ibadan people | The management of the Federal College of Education, Iwo paid a courtesy visit to Gov. Ademola Adeleke | The World Health Organization (WHO) team led by Prof. Ebun Adejuyigbe paid a courtesy visit to Governor Ademola Adeleke | On going Dualisation of Akoda-Oke Gada road …

Breaking News

Governor Adeleke, Women Affairs Minister Strike Deals on Women Development | Osun: Environment Commissioner, Adejoorin Counsels Residents On Indiscriminate Dumping of Refuse | Birthday: Governor Adeleke Felicitates with Elerinmo of Erinmo | Governor Adeleke Approves Construction of Hajj Camp for Osun State | Governor Adeleke Approves Construction of Hajj Camp for Osun State | Fake News: Osun Government Sets up Action Committee On Cyber Crimes, Cyber Bullying | His Excellency Gov. Ademola Adeleke observed Iftar with Royal Fathers in Osun | For Ramadan /Easter Needs, Governor Adeleke Approves March Salaries, Pensions, Palliatives | Governor Adeleke Approves Promotions within Civil Service | Governor Adeleke Sets up Implementation Panel on the White Paper on Contract Review Committee | Courtesy visit by Minaret International University Foundation | It”s our collective interest for Mr President to succeed – Gov Adeleke | GOVERNOR ADELEKE CONGRATULATES NEW NACA DIRECTOR–GENERAL, DR. TEMITOPE ILORI | OSUN APC IS A LYING MACHINE- GOVERNOR ADELEKE DID NOT TAKE ANY LOAN | Governor Adeleke Salutes Barr Owolade at 70 | Governor Adeleke Opens Rehabilitated Government House, Says Upgrading State Assets is a Policy | Olubadan’s Exit: Gov Adeleke Commiserates with Gov Makinde, Ibadan people | The management of the Federal College of Education, Iwo paid a courtesy visit to Gov. Ademola Adeleke | The World Health Organization (WHO) team led by Prof. Ebun Adejuyigbe paid a courtesy visit to Governor Ademola Adeleke | On going Dualisation of Akoda-Oke Gada road …
coat of arms

coat of arms
As part of its six integral action plan of restoring healthy living, Osun State government has purchased drugs and consumables worth N1.7 billion.
This is apart from the upgrading, rehabilitation and renovation of nine State Hospitals across the state at the cost of over N1bn.
The state hospitals are in Osogbo, Ikirun, Ikire Ilesa, Ila, Ede, Ile-Ife, Iwo and Ipetu Ijesha. Wale Bolorunduro, commissioner for finance in the State of Osun, who was the guest of the month of the Oyo State Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) said the move by the state to renovate, rehabilitate and upgrade the hospitals is to ensure adequate healthcare delivery service in the state hospitals.
Answering questions after presenting a paper entitled “Improving Public Finance for Better Governance: The Example of the State of Osun,” noted that the Rauf Aregbesola-led administration is anchored on a six point integral action of banishing poverty, banishing hunger, banishing unemployment, promoting functional education, enhancing communal peace and progress as well as restoring healthy living.
He however pointed out that Aregbesola has fulfilled his promises in providing adequate healthcare service delivery to the people.
To minimise malaria, the Finance Commissioner told journalists that the “Ipinle Omoluabi” embarked on urban renewal and dredging of waterways coupled with good food served pupils in schools under the “O Meals” programme of the State government. Bolorunduro said the dredging of the waterways had helped to reduce the incident of communicable diseases.
The state, he also stressed, embarked on fumigation to further bring down malaria occurrence in the state. He stated that once the ecological and environment verification are completed, fumigation of the airspace will be done.
Temitope Ilori, commissioner for health in the state had urged the Osun people to be health conscious in this year but assured that the government would remain committed to adequate healthcare delivery.
The health commissioner who said the state government spent a lot on the renovation of the hospitals and purchase of ambulances added that healthcare is basically free.
“Things like consultation, opening card, admission are done freely and even 80 percent of the drugs are given out free to patients, drugs for common ailments like hypertension, diabetes, malaria and so on, are free, irrespective of age and sex,” she added.
She further revealed that Vitamin A, deworming tablets, and blood tonics are given to pregnant women in state hospitals.
BUSINESSDAY

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Re- Aregbesola’s Misguided Church Project


After reading the editorial of The PUNCH newspaper of Tuesday January 21, 2014, titled: “Aregbesola’s misguided church project”, every discerning reader will be compelled to ask: What is the motive behind the write-up that would conveniently pass for a desperate attempt at promoting religious tension especially in a state where faith is immaterial in how the citizens relate with one another?
In summary, the editorial accused Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun of lacking clear understanding of core functions of government simply because his administration embarks on the construction of a 200,000 capacity interdenominational worship centre in the state. The editorial went on to state that it is a taboo for any government to dabble into matters of religion and that rather than face issues of development especially using agriculture, the government is busy taking over lands from farmers who ought to cultivate the lands for food productions.
Perhaps what sounds most ridiculous in all the claims is that the Open Heavens Christian Convention Centre amounts to a “bribe” to silence a section of Christians in the state who had viewed with suspicion some of the administration’s programmes and policies and had tagged some of the policies anti-Christian in what remains a largely unsubstantiated claim.
For the avoidance of doubt, the issue of a massive worship centre could not have been an after-thought for as early as one week after his November 27, 2010 inauguration, Governor Aregbesola had chosen the December 4, 2010 occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Ilesa Grammar School to announce the state’s plan to embark on the project.
Those in attendance include the highly revered General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God; Pastor E.A Adeboye, Prof Wale Omole, Prof Oye Ibidapo-Obe, Justice Belgore, Mr. Tunde Oloko, Oba  Adekunle Aromolaran and other eminent Nigerians. This was apart from pre-election promise over the same issue.
The Governor repeated this pledge on several subsequent occasions especially during the convocation ceremony of the Joseph Ayo Babalola University, in Ikeji-Arakeji  in 2012 and the visit of Pa Adeboye to him at the Government House as part of Adeboye’s tour of the Let’s Go A Fishing programme in 2012.
Of course, the idea of a worship centre was not just a happenstance as the editorial sought to make it look. It emanated from the realization that many famous church leaders have their roots in Osun and precisely Ilesa and its environs. Among these are Pastor Adeboye of RCCG; Late Joseph Ayo Babalola, who was the first indigenous Christian evangelist from Ilesa, WF Kumuyi, late Prophet T.O Obadare, Pastor Mathew Ashimolowo, Pastor Kayode Abiara, Prophet G. O. Fakeye and a host of others.
It must be stated that the land for the project was freely given to the State by the community through the Looja of Odo-Iju in Atakunmosa-West Local Government Area; Engr. Adelekun. The compensation recently paid that was mischievously reported by the PUNCH was government’s way of supporting the people of the community for the high sense of patriotism displayed in releasing their lands for development purposes.
The bribery insinuation takes the argument to an all-low; albeit, pedestrian nadir. How wrong could the PUNCH be insinuating bribery and ominous gift! Bribe for who? And for what?
At the heart of every policy of the current administration is rapid economic growth of the state and immediate liberation of the people from grinding poverty. For instance, as ordinary as it looks, the seasonal use of train to transport Osun indigenes to the state during festivities free of charge is to increase inward travel and encourage more people to visit the state.
Every serious government must recognize what potentials there are and exploit that for its people’s economic advancement. Just as you have religious tourism, there is medical tourism popular in Germany and lately United Arab Emirate.
Had the economic development of Osun been a major concern of the PUNCH editorial, it would have examined the huge economic potentials that lie in the congregation of about 200,000 visitors/worshippers to our state weekly for a year.
If a worshipper spends an average of N1,000 during each of their  visits, Osun will rake in a whopping N10.4 billion in a year from what the editorial prefers to demonise as a ‘dangerous religious venture’.
At best, the editorial would pass for a fallacious concoction lacking in merit, reason and veracity. One wonders how PUNCH’s argument that religion is purely a private organization affair where government interventions amount to taboos can be sustained.
The Roman Emperor, Constantine the Great, began building the Old St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City between 319 and 333 AD. Today, the Basilica is famous as place of pilgrimage and attracts many visitors to the Vatican. Services at St. Peter’s have been recorded to draw audiences in large numbers from 15,000 to 80,000 people, both within and outside the Basilica. Even though Osun may not be able to finance a monumental structure as the Basilica in this modern day, the dream of an Interdenominational Worship Centre has tremendous potential to attract audiences to the tune of the proposed 200,000 capacity given the attention Nigerians pay to worship today.
But if history is too remote for the editorial to grasp, there are contemporary interventions of government across the world on issues of religion.
If governments have no business with religions, why do they spend money to maintain the religious shrines and monuments in Saudia Arabia and Israel; attracting millions of people every year? Does religious tourism in some of world’s most visited shrines not constitute significant percentage of their GDPs?
The National Ecumenical Centre and the National Mosque both in Abuja enjoy massive government patronage. As a matter of fact, President Obasanjo, as sitting President played very significant role in the completion of the National Ecumenical Centre which is now called the Church of Nigeria in 2004 after it had been abandoned for almost 16 years.
The PUNCH did not write a negative story let alone an editorial when Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa states hosted and paid for massive crusades last year, where very sizeable chunk of states fund went into bringing scores of foreign gospel singers from across the globe.
Every year, states and the federal government sponsor pilgrims to Mecca and Jerusalem. So, where is the separation of state from religion for which PUNCH has been very vociferous against Aregbesola?
The central mosque Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos and the Chapel of Light church beside it belong to the Lagos state government. There is a Chapel inside the Villa, built and maintained by government. If Osun builds an interdenominational place of worship that people can use for revivals and retreats, shouldn’t the state government be encouraged?
The attempt to whip up sentiment over the land acquired for the project failed woefully. Massive food production remains one of the major agenda of the current administration with noticeable growers’ activities through the carefully established schemes such as the Osun Rural Enterprise and Agricultural Programmes (OREAP). Through this scheme, thousands of hectares of land have been acquired and cleared free of charge and allocated to serious-minded farmers. Farm settlements in Mokore, Ifon-Orolu, Ago Owu, Ila, Iwo and others are testimonies to the very active and result-oriented farming investments in Osun. An equal amount of energy is devoted towards creation of cooperative groups to create veritable platforms for farmers to access financial supports for agriculture purposes.
Today, Osun remains a very peaceful state with the administration’s carefully plotted development programmes which are visible in health, agriculture, tourism, security, youth empowerment, education and infrastructure.
It is sad to note that while no one has raised objection against the construction of this worship centre, a national daily of PUNCH’s profile is inciting sections of the populace against the government. Or how else do we define PUNCH’s advice to Christians never to accept this “ greek gift” and its request to adherents of other faiths to demand for equivalents of this worship centre even if they have no reasons to so do.
We must ask what the interest of the PUNCH is in stoking religious hostility in this part of the country that is reputed over the years for tolerance and accommodation. It began with Hijrah holiday, School uniform, education reform and now committing public fund to building a Christian Religious Centre. In all of this a major strand is obvious which is to portray the Governor as a bigot that is on an Islamist agenda that the Christians must resist. This perspective is not only wrong it is divisive, mischievous, poisonous and very dangerous.
A newspaper’s noble role should be to inform and educate the people; not to urge them to take negative actions which they never felt was necessary and called for.
Just like the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Aregbesola’s administration’s decisions are premised on reasons, not sentiments, benefits not disadvantages. Awolowo was a Christian; yet history has it that he established the first Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board in the defunct Western Region because he saw the need for this body based on the relevance of pilgrimage to Mecca as integral part of the Islamic faith. Awolowo did not establish an equivalent Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board at that time just to please Christians.
The PUNCH is a respected media house in Nigeria, and controls substantial readership which surpasses most other newspapers. Over the years, the reputation was built with strict adherence to all the principles and ethics of responsible journalism. The assumption that writers have checked their facts thoroughly and have drawn conclusions which can reasonably be gleaned from those facts, are factors which come with the terrain which the Punch has enjoyed so far.
It is disastrous to note that these are what the national daily wants to stake in what now appears to be a self-appointed mission to promote disunity and cause disaffection in the land.
As a government, we recognize and respect the newspaper’s rights to its views. But as an institution that wants to be respected for its views, such rights must be exercised in the most cautious manner lest it makes itself a willing tool in the hands of those bent of truncating the development and liberation of our people.
 

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OSUN SWAN GETS NEW EXECUTIVE
A new executive that will steer the ship of the State of Osun chapter of Sport Writers Association of Nigeria, (SWAN) has been inaugurated.

The newly constituted executive council comprised of: Adeyemi Aboderin, New Dawn Television, Ibokun as Chairman, Joshua Adegbite of Reality Television; Iwo, Vice Chairman while  Bola Bamigbola of Hallmark newspaper is the secretary.
Others are : Yetunde Oladejo of Champion newspapers, the Treasurer while Olufemi Olanipekun of Gold FM Ilesa is Assistant Secretary.
In his acceptance speech after taking the oath of office, the new chairman of SWAN Osun chapter,  Adeyemi Aboderin promised to reposition SWAN in the state take it to a greater height and sued for cooperation of stakeholders to achieve success.
He promised on behalf of other members of the executive not to betray the confidence reposed in them.
Earlier, chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Osun chapter, Abiodun Olalere, and the National Vice- President of SWAN, Muhideen Adeleke had charged members of the new executive to see their new positions as a call to duty and uphold the ethics of the profession.
BIOREPORTS

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…Makes case for nationwide adoption of scheme  
It was a historic moment for Nigeria and Africa on Wednesday as the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) in the House of Commons, London, United Kingdom commended the Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme (O’MEALS) as a successful model to be copied worldwide.
Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola received loud applause as he made eloquent statistical presentation before the parliamentary body during which he advocated the use of biometric registration of beneficiaries of the Home Grown School Feeding programme worldwide to eliminate corruption and guarantee transparency.
To guarantee sustainable future for Nigeria, the Governor called for the adoption of O’MEALS programme across the nation with appropriate legislative backing and extend it to the first nine years of schooling
At the meeting presided over by Lord Cameron of Dillington, Governor Aregbesola submitted before the world audience gathered in Committee Room 9 of the House of Commons that technology remained the best way out to address the concerns of development partners and international donors on the issue of corruption.
Addressing the concerns of development partners on what was referred to as all-pervading corruption through which project funds were usually lost in the past, the Governor expressed the conviction that once beneficiaries of the programme are registered biometrically, banks that are linked with the programme funding would rely on the data to process payment and ensure that no fund is lost at the implementation stage.
“Technology remains the only effective way to remove corruption from the implementation of the Home Grown School Feeding programme. Once the technology of biometric registration is introduced for beneficiaries, the data is linked to settle the banks and through that, the vendors are paid. Beneficiaries are then able to register their biometric features through the Point of Sales (POS) terminals to guarantee a transparent, corruption-free and efficient HGSF system worldwide”, he said.
All the four speakers including Professor Donald Bundy, the Lead Health and Education Specialist of the World Bank, Mr. Peter Rodrigues, the Chief of School Feeding and Chronic Hunger Unit of the World Food Programme (WFP), Ms. Boitshepo Bibi Giyose of NEPAD and Professor Josephine Kiamba, the Senior Technical Adviser of the Partnership for Child Development, Imperial College, London lauded Governor Aregbesola for successfully implementing the O’MEALS despite the challenging financial situation of his state.
Describing the Osun model of school feeding programme as worthy of emulation by all African countries, Professor Donald Bundy of the World Bank observed that the scheme had become the safety net to ensure that food gets to the poorest children in many countries of the world if the community based implementation strategies of Governor Aregbesola were adopted.
Speaking in the same vein, Mr. Peter Rodrigues of the World Food Programme noted that then State of Osun had shown practical ways to achieve the best result as the cost per child, per day and per annum demonstrated by Governor Aregbesola clearly explained the fact that Home Grown School feeding programme saves money and guarantees food security.
Promising that WFP would in the next six months come out with evidence to back this assertion, Rodrigues assured that Home grown school feeding model of the State of Osun had shown that it not only saves “a lot of money. It is very complex and we all need to get the local governments to buy into it and change the mindset of the host govt”.
They then urged the Federal Government and other state governments in Nigeria and across the African continent to adopt the O’MEALS model of Governor Aregbesola to tackle the challenges of food security, youth development, nutritional values of food for youthful population, health and educational administration as well as food security needs of their societies.
The Governor recalled that from April 30, 2012 when the programme was rebranded as O’MEALS to December 31, 2013 making a total of 330 school days, enrolment at Elementary schools jumped from 203,858 to 252,793 pupils representing an increase of 24 per cent.
According to him, his administration had committed N3,813,700,000.00 to the implementation of the school feeding programme that covered pupils from primary one to four.
Aregbesola stated further that “the cost per child per year was N15,100.00 or £57.60p while the cost per child per day was N45.70 or £0.17p. In the same breath, 3,100 women were appointed and re-trained as community-based food vendors while 462 out-growers of fish were successfully empowered for massive fish production to cater for the needs of the programme locally”.
The governor stressed further that in line with his promise two years ago to introduce the highly nutritious cocoyam to the nutrition timetable of the pupils, “our administration mobilized a professor from the state university to undertake the training of 1,000 farmers including 90 women in the pink cocoyam rebirth scheme”.
Governor Aregbesola who expressed the hope that other states of Nigeria and the Federal Government would adopt the Osun model of the school feeding programme called on technical/development partners and international donors to support the State of Osun in the task of capacity building to achieve biometric registration and digitization of beneficiaries of O’MEALS to guarantee transparency and sustainability.
The Governor, who linked effective learning with healthy student population also called on the international donors and advocacy groups to mount sustained pressures on national governments to adopt the Osun Model of O’MEALS in all their nations’ primary schools while extending it to the first nine years of schooling.
As a result of the successful implementation of O’MEALS in the State of Osun, Governor Aregbesola stated that virtually all-out-of-school children have now been taken into the school system pleading that he would like the Nigerian government “not only to adopt the O’MEALS model in all the nation’s primary schools but most importantly extend it to the first nine years of school in Nigeria”.
His words: “We require more support from our technical partners in the area of capacity building to achieve biometric registration and digitization of beneficiaries O’MEALS programme to guarantee transparency and efficient resource management”.

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It was a historic moment for Nigeria and Africa yesterday as the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) in the British House of Commons, London, commended Osun State’s the Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF) programme, tagged O’Meals, as a successful model to be copied worldwide.
Governor Rauf Aregbesola received a loud applause as he made an eloquent and statistical presentation to the British parliament at Committee Room 9.
He suggested the biometric registration of beneficiaries of the programme wherever it is replicated to guarantee transparency.
To guarantee a sustainable future for Nigeria, the governor called for the replication of the programme in all states, with appropriate legislative backing extending it to the first nine years of schooling.
At the meeting presided over by Lord Cameron of Dillington, Aregbesola said technology was the best way to address the concern of development partners and international donors on.
Regretting that project funds were lost to corruption in the past, the governor said once beneficiaries are registered biometrically, banks linked with the programme funding would rely on the data to process payment.
He said: “Technology remains the only effective way to remove corruption from the implementation of the HGSF programme. Once biometric registration is introduced to beneficiaries, the data will be linked to banks and vendors would be paid. Beneficiaries are then able to register their biometric features through the Point of Sales (PoS) terminals to guarantee a transparent, corruption-free and efficient HGSF system worldwide.”
The Lead Health and Education Specialist of the World Bank, Prof. Donald Bundy; the Chief of School Feeding and Chronic Hunger Unit of the World Food Programme (WFP), Peter Rodrigues; Ms. Boitshepo Bibi Giyose of the New Economic Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) and the Senior Technical Adviser of the Partnership for Child Development, Imperial College, London, Prof. Josephine Kiamba, praised Aregbesola for successfully implementing the O’Meals despite the state’s limited finances.
Describing the programme as worthy of emulation by all African countries, Bundy said the scheme would be a safety net for feeding the poorest children in many countries, if Aregbesola’s community-based implementation strategies are adopted.
Rodrigues said Osun had shown practical ways to achieve the best result as the cost per child, per day and per annum demonstrated by Aregbesola clearly showed that the HGSF programme saves money and guarantees food security.
Promising that WFP would, in six months, provide evidence to back this assertion, Rodrigues said: “The programme is very complex. We need to get the local governments to buy into it and change the mindset of the host government.”
Aregbesola said from April 30, 2012, when the programme was rebranded as O’Meals, to December 31, 2013 (330 school days), enrolment in elementary schools increased from 203,858 to 252,793 representing 24 per cent increase.
He said his administration had spent N3,813,700,000 on the programme, which covers pupils from primary one to four.
Aregbesola said: “The cost per child per year is N15,100 (£57.60) and the cost per child per day is N45.70 (£0.17). In the same breath, 3,100 women were appointed and re-trained as community-based food vendors, while 462 out-growers of fish were successfully empowered for massive fish production to cater for the programme.
“In line with our promise two years ago to introduce the highly nutritious cocoyam to the food timetable, our administration mobilised a professor from the state university to train 1,000 farmers, including 90 women, in the Pink Cocoyam Rebirth Scheme.”
Aregbesola expressed hope that other states in Nigeria and the Federal Government would adopt the Osun model of the programme.
He said: “We require more support from our technical partners in capacity building to achieve biometric registration and digitisation of O’Meals to guarantee transparency and efficient resource management.”
THE NATION

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Aregbesola: Redefining governance in Osun

Aregbesola: Redefining governance in Osun
Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has urged his colleagues to be committed to implementation of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) programmes.
He said this would improve the quality of primary education and give children access to basic education.
Aregbesola was represented by his deputy, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori, at the 11th quarterly meeting of the UBEC management with chairmen of the State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEB) in Osogbo.
He urged governors to embrace UBEC’s Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF) programme, which has been rebranded as O-Meals in Osun.
Aregbesola said the programme improved enrolment in primary schools from 155,318 in May, 2012, to over 380,000 this year.
He urged the Federal Government to assist states through UBEC by increasing funds for the meal from N98 million, saying it costs his administration N3.6 billion annually.
Aregbesola, in his speech, titled: “Assuring and sustaining quality basic education delivery in Nigeria”, said UBEC programmes should be reviewed and implemented religiously.
He said basic education should not be handled with levity, going by its role as the first exposure children get.
Suggesting ways to improve primary education, Aregbesola called for the recruitment of professional teachers.
Minister of Education Ezenwo Nyesom Wike urged SUBEB to work with UBEC to improve education.
He urged governors to pay their counterpart funds and use funds provided by UBEC for primary school development.
UBEC Executive Secretary Dr. Dikko Suleiman said the meeting would enable UBEC to improve primary education.
SUBEB Executive Chairman in Osun State Prince Felix Awofisayo listed some gains of the administration in Education as the recruitment of teachers, increase and prompt payment of running grants, prompt payment of teachers’ salary and building of fully equipped schools.
THE NATION

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FEATURE: State Of Osun 2014 Budget

RAUFThe budget is being creatively used as the engine room for Ogbeni Aregbesola’s Six-Point- Integral Action Plan. This in itself shows that a roadmap is in place and that the budget will be used to implement it.

Presenting the budget the Ogbeni emphasized that “The budget is about growth enhancement and development. It clearly shows the ratio that is of best international practices, in terms of recurrent and capital expenditure. That is why our capital expenditure is far higher than the recurrent expenditure.

“Part of our agenda is to drive the IGR more critically in the 2014 fiscal year. We have to use innovative financing with adequate measure to provide necessary financial structure for most of our developmental project. We will focus clearly on Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiatives, which is the practice going round all over the world now.”

That this year’s budget is lower in size than that of last year’s is not the Ogbeni’s fault or that of his government. It is another fall-out, arising from Nigeria’s defective quasi-federalism. The 2014 budget is slimmer because of the reduction in the oil benchmark from $79 barrel to $77.5 per barrel as well as of course the numerous cases of oil theft with its attendant reduction in remittance to the federation account by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and which has also sadly led to drastic reduction in allocations to states.

This is a damning condemnation of the government at the center. It also shows the difference between the two approaches. For example, the central government is just prepared to as it were swim along with the tide. Whereas in contradistinction the government of the state of Osun really wants to make a concerted effort to break out of the vicious circle of boom and bust. Here the difference in approach is clear.

The emphasis placed on growing the state’s internally generated revenue (IGR) is important. It is a very sensible way out of breaking out of the dependency syndrome and unhealthy reliance on the centre. As the Ogbeni stated innovative financing is essential to provide the necessary financial structure for most of the state’s developmental projects. This is a commendable example of the Ogbeni’s capacity to think outside of the box.

Think outside of the box, this contrarian has actually done. Notably for example in being able to use new emerging financial instruments such as the sukuk. A key element here is that the Ogbeni appreciates the need for the use of ‘social capital’. Social capital is more than important at this stage of development. It fulfills the need to direct long-term capital and finance as a way of developing the state’s social and physical infrastructural base. It is only a co-habitation of the state and the private sector through Public Private Partnerships (PPP) that can achieve this.

This the Ogbeni realizes. This means that co-partnerships in this direction will be intensified in the years ahead. The enhancement of prudent management of meager resources and the emphasis on social capital will certainly help to deepen the state’s developmental base. Furthermore it will lead to social cohesion and social solidarity. This has already manifested itself. Osun state has demonstrably known peace for the first time in a long while.

Gone for example are the days of blood and thunder under Oyinlola ancient regime. This is as a result of the ongoing socio-economic transformation. Employment generation for example is absorbing a lot of hitherto restless unemployed youth. A future is now being created for them. This means that there is less canon- fodder for people like the discredited Iyiola Omisore to use and subsequently dump.

We commend the symbol of our aspirations in the state of Osun for the policy thrusts in this budget. Through it the foundation for the construction of a new era in Osun state is being laid. A glorious future awaits a much denied populace. The expected overwhelming endorsement of the Ogbeni through re-election this year will further consolidate this. In the state of Osun, we are on our way to ‘life more abundant.’ And about time too.

OSUN DEFENDER

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COURTESY VISIT TO THE GOVERNOR OSUN BY RLG CHAIRMAN 2

The RLG ICT Concept Team paid a courtesy visit to the Governor at Government House Osogbo, State of Osun, at the weekend

Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola in hand shake with the Chairman of RLG Communication, Mr. Roland Agambire, Director ICT State of Osun, Mr. Adebambo Bashorun (2 right) and Prince Adefioye Ade (2nd Left), during a visit to the Governor at Government House Osogbo, State of Osun, at the weekend

Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola in hand shake with the
Chairman of RLG Communication, Mr. Roland Agambire, Director ICT State of
Osun, Mr. Adebambo Bashorun (2 right) and Prince Adefioye Ade (2nd
Left), during a visit to the Governor at Government House Osogbo,
State of Osun, at the weekend

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The Osun House of Assembly is not a  ‘rubber stamp’  of the state government, Mr Ajibola Akinloye, the Chairman, House Committee on Information and Strategy, has said.
Akinloye said this in Osogbo on Tuesday in an interview with the News Agency of  Nigeria.
He explained that the cordial relationship between the executive and lawmakers  had made some people to believe in such speculation.
NAN reports that the 26 lawmakers in the assembly belong to the All Progressives Party.
He said, “Whenever we notice  lapses, we call the governor to make amends and he responds immediately.
”Those who say we are rubber stamp are far from the truth and their opinion is myopic in nature.
”Without the existing good relationship between the executive and the members of the assembly, the development and transformation we are experiencing in the state will not have been possible.”
Akinloye added that there was  no bill presented to the Assembly and passed into law that was not in the best interest of the people.
He said the Assembly would continue to work with the executive in the best interest of the state.
The Chairman, House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Mr Kamil Oyedele, said the Assembly was not a rubber stamp.
THE PUNCH

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Aregbesola Cautions Osun People Against Double Voter’s Registration

Governor, State of Osun,  Mr. Rauf Aregbesola has advised people of the state against double registration when The Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) begins the registration of voters so as not to be disenfranchised.
Speaking in Ilobu near Osogbo, the state capital, Aregbesola described 2014 as a crucial year for the state because of the election and explained that the state cannot afford the decay and lack of infrastructure it has witnessed before the advent of his administration.
He also charged the people of the state not allow desperate politicians to manipulate or deceive them by trying to buy their voters card from them. According to him, “the year 2014 is a crucial year for our state as we cannot afford to go back to the Dark Age in the state where there was no infrastructural development”. “I will like to call on those of us who will be registering for the first time to avoid double registration when INEC begins the registration of voters so as not to be disenfranchised.”
 
The governor reiterated the commitment of his administration to the development of infrastructures, He added that the sole aim of the administration is to make the state an envy of other states in the country in terms of infrastructures.
DAILY TRUST

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