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Tag: AREGBESOLA

  • Oluwo hails Aregbesola’s govt for prudence

    Oluwo hails Aregbesola’s govt for prudence

    A first-class ruler in Osun State, the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba AbdulRasheed Adewale Akanbi, at the weekend described Governor Rauf Aregbesola as a blessing to the people.

    The Oluwo said Aregbesola had never disappointed the people of Osun State since assuming office.

    The monarch said most of the governor’s campaign promises to the people had been fulfilled to an extent.

    Oba Adewale spoke during his 50th birthday and second year anniversary on the throne.

    The monarch hailed Aregbesola’s sense of commitment to serve God and humanity by turning around the economic fortunes of Osun State, despite the challenges in the country.

    He praised the governor’s leadership style, saying he had not disappointed residents.

    Oba Adewale said the state under Aregbesola had mustered the will to rewrite the history of the state, as manifested in the progress and development the state has witnessed in the last seven years.

    He said: “I am neither a praise singer nor a sycophant. But to say the truth, the government in Osun, led by Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has not disappointed us.

    “I have been following the evolution of events in his administration since I became the Oluwo …I am convinced of  the quality of his governance because I can see his legacy projects all around the state, not only in Iwo.

    “I have assessed his government and I have seen the quality of his prudence. Aregbesola is a leader par excellence. Aregbesola is a diligent and prudent manager of public resources.

    “I have tested him and I have seen in him an extreme commitment not only to turn Osun to a must-be-visited state by anyone desirous of good things but as a state that will be economically, socially and politically sustainable and self-reliant.

    “We all knew the status of our state prior to Aregbesola’s government and we also know the pace of development we have witnessed so far through the present administration. To me, these, among other things, are the testimony of good governance brought to the state.

  • Aregbesola pushes for productivity culture

    Aregbesola pushes for productivity culture

    Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has urged the people to avoid violence, ethno-religious conflicts and any other behaviour capable of threatening the peace and unity of the country.

    He said though the country had witnessed challenges since independence, it had nevertheless made significant progress.

    Aregbesola enjoined Nigerians to continue to tow the path of peace and promote positive values.

    In a congratulatory message from his spokesman Sola Fasure, to mark the country’s 57thindependence anniversary, the Osun State governor urged Nigerians to wake up to their responsibilities and take their destinies in their hands.

    According to him, the era of over-dependency on rent economy foisted on the nation by oil is gradually winding down and, as such, Nigerians should imbibe the culture of hard work and gainful productive activities.

    Aregbesola urged federal, states and local governments to put 50 million Nigerians to work and where each earn at least N25,000 from real productive value, N1.25 trillion will be generated in the economy every month, a development capable of catapulting the country into a superpower within two decades.

    “I congratulate Nigerians and the people of Osun on this year’s independence anniversary and I call on us all to continue to work for the unity of this country.

    “Our strength lies in our unity.  We should therefore avoid anything that will destroy our unity and corporate existence.

    “I urge Nigerians to cultivate the habit of hard work and high productivity in order to create wealth, stimulate national prosperity and the growth of the economy.

    “We had experienced the best in crude oil dependency as we are currently living the worst of it. It is obvious now that a mono-economy based on crude oil can no longer sustain us and take us to where we should be as a country. Therefore, diversification and improved productivity should be the driving force to revamp our economy.

  • Aregbesola: Governance in hard times

    Aregbesola: Governance in hard times

    Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola is still focusing on the implementation of his laudable people-oriented programmes in the face of dwindling revenue to fund them. A recent appraisal conference in Osogbo, the state capital, dissected the problems confronting the seven-year old administration and the way out of the logjam. Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU reports.

    Rauf Aregbesola, engineer and governor of Osun State, had a vision. During his inauguration in 2010, he promised to re-invent the miracle of the Awolowo era. This he has attempted to do through his people-oriented policies and programmes designed to uplift the state. However, the State of the Living Springs has become a victim of economic recession, which has limited the governor’s capacity to sustain the tempo of achievement.

    In Osun, governance is not a tea party. Gone were the days of business as usual. The governor’s intervention policies has made him a model. He earned a second term in 2014, based on voters’ appreciation of his good works. He became the hero of the vulnerable class, the poverty-stricken masses, artisans and peasants. But, the governor also filled the consciousness of the elite, who marveled at the developmental efforts, despite the meagre federal allocations and infinitesimal internally generated revenue. Encomiums have been showered on Ogbeni Aregbesola for fighting the infrastructure battle. Indigenes have hailed his initiatives across the sectors. Apart from constructing and rehabilitating roads, the governor has invested heavily on education. More schools, with modern facilities, have been commissioned across the three districts, thereby creating a conducive atmosphere for teaching and learning.

    At a recent appraisal conference in Osogbo, the state capital, participants beamed a searchlight on Aregbesola’s score card, highlighting the constraints to effective performance at the twilight of the administration’s life. The theme of the conference organised by Urban Media Resources Limited was: ‘From Osun to Abuja: Investing in Social Infrastructure in a Recession.’ The lead speaker was Dr. Charles Akinola, the Director-General, Office of Economic Development and Partnership, Osun State. The moderator of the panel discussion was Prince Adekanmi Ademiluyi, a journalist. Discussants included Dr. Harry Olufunwa of the Department of English, Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, and Mr. Sanya Oni, Editorial Page Editor of The Nation Newspaper.

    Aregbesola inherited a state in despair, seven years ago. He believed that an institutionalized social protection policy was urgently required. In his manifesto tagged: ‘My pact with the people,’ the governor articulated his six-point integral action plan. The plan, which formed the philosophy of his administration, was reminiscent of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s slogan of ‘Freedom for all, life more abundant’ in the defunct Western Region. According to the document, Aregbesola set out to banish hunger, poverty and unemployment. He sought to promote a healthy living, functional education, communal peace and progress.

    Up came five cardinal programmes designed to achieved the objectives. They are Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme (o-Meals), Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (O-Yes), Programme for Women, Programme for Elderly (Agba Osun) and Programme for Destitute.

    O-Yes was established within the first 100 days of the administration. No fewer than 20,000 unemployed youths were beneficiaries. The scheme redirected energy from indolence to public works. It also halted dullness and indolence while also averting an attraction to social vices. O-yes created a bridge to employment, equipping the young men and women with positive work ethics and culture, self-sustenance, resourcefulness and respect for the environment.

    Beneficiaries received N10,000 monthly. The sum could only cover basic needs. Government has committed over N200 million to the scheme monthly. Participants cut across the 30 local councils. “Over 40,000 youths have passed through the O-yes Scheme and over 60 percent of them have been given permanent employment in various ministries in the state. In Februay 2011, it was discovered that an unacceptable acute shortfall of teachers existed in the secondary schools. The Teachers Corps in O-Yes was set up through which 5,400 graduate O-yes cadets were seconded to schools,” said Akinola.

    Explaining how the scheme has boosted rural economy, the Director-general added: “Over 300 O-yes cadets have received training and a total loan of N100 million was given to them to act as cocoyam intermediaries between cocoyam farmers and food vendors.”

    Today, many states have copied the O-Meals Scheme from Osun. It was designed to tackle hunger, improve nutrition, encourage school attendance and support local livelihoods. Many parents, who hailed the initiative, said it has enhanced enrolment and reduced absenteeism. However, the programme is not restricted to feeling. Akinola said “complementary interventions such as deworming and provision of micronutrients are also integrated.” The multiplier effect is that farmer have taken an advantage of the programme to produce more foods, owing to the growing demand. “ In November 2012, the Partnership for Child Development(PCD), the United Kingdom and Osun State Government signed the Osun Elementary School Feeding (o-Meals) Transition Strategy Plan Document to further strengthen the programme.

    Following the inclusion of primary four pupils, the beneficiaries rose to 254,000. This has led to the empowerment of 3,007 community caterers. Food vendors are mandated to work in a cooperative groups of 25. This is to enable them leverage resources and materials to maximize profit. The menu is provided in accordance with guidelines by the Nutrition Department of the Ministry of Health and local consultants. There is also an oversight function by the Ministry of Education. The scheme has attracted more children to schools. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, in its July 2013 statement, Osun has the highest population of primary school enrolment.

    Under the ‘Agba Osun’ Scheme, vulnerable elders receive N10,000 monthly from the government for their upkeep. The stipend is assist aged people who lack social support. “Those in need of urgent medical support are treated. At some point, free eye treatment was also provided in association with a group, the Oranmiyan Worldwide. A large number of the elderly received free eye galsses and free surgery,” Akinola said.

    The special population is not neglected in Osun. Under the Osun Destitude rehabilitation Programe (O-rehab), destitute, homeless and vagrants, who could also be psychotic, and others with artificial disabilities are assisted. Lunatics are taken off the street, treated and rehabilitated. Some were reintegrated into the society when they returned to their families. Others were resettled, made to undergo apprenticeship training and assisted to establish trade.

    Aregbesola has received commendation for these feats. O-Yes was under-studied by by the World bank and recommended to the Federal Government and other states. Also, O-Meals has been adopted by the Federal Government. It is being implemented in phases in the country. Other states joining the programme have sent their personnel for training in Osun. In June, UNICEF brought representatives from some states to Osun to understudy the social welfare and protection programmes.

    However, Aregbesola may have been slowed down by dwindling resources for development. Although the recession was biting hard, he refused to terminate the social welfare programmes. Although he had planned to extend the O-Meal beyond primary four, he could not do it. Also, two batches of O-Yes, making another 40,000 cadets ought to have passed through the programme, the goal could not be accomplished. There is limitation to social engineering due to lack of funds.

    Lauding the governor for the successful implementation of the programmes, Onisaid: “You have to be a miracle workers to be a governor in a time like this.” He praised the governor for constructing the ring roads and bridges, which have reduced the long time spent on the road. Oni said the care of the vulnerable is also commendable. “Osun stands out as a template in economic administration. It is not an accident that development partners have come to partner with Osun,” he added.

    Olufunwa said: “Despite its lack of money, Osun has performed more than many states. It is wonderful that 250,000 pupils are being fed daily.”

    At the conference, Aregbesola acknowledged the constraints. Osun contrasts sharply with lagos State where he had money as Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure to provide amenities for the people. The governor acknowledged that government and governance are about economy, adding that, when there is paucity of revenue, no programme of action can be meaningfully and comprehensively executed. He cautioned against the over-dependence on petro-dollar economy, saying that it is dangerous. He said the state must restrategise, look inward, boost its productivity, and create a conducive atmosphere for more remunerative labour and industries to thrive so that it can earn taxes for development.

    According to economic experts, things are not rosy in Osun. The governor is not responsible for the turn of events. Aregbesola has tried to avert the non-payment of salaries, despite the lean resources. “95 per cent of the monthly allocation from Abuja is used to pay salaries. The population of workers is one percent of the population of the state. The one per cent takes 95 percent. How do we take care of other people? That is the dilemma,” Akinola lamented.

    In responding to the stack financial realities, Osun has embarked on a financial restructuring of sorts. It has entered a dialogue with labour unions. A standing committee headed by veteran union leader, Comrade Hassan Sumonu, has agreed on a modulated salary structure. Under the arrangement, Level 1 to Level 7 collect full salary; Level 8-12 collect 75 percent while Level 12-17, described as the fat cats, and all political office holders collect 50 percent of their salaries.

    “Those on Level1-7, who receive full salary constitute 68 percent of the workers; Level 8-12 constitute 25 per cent while Level 8 and above constitute less than 10 per cent. This implies that, even in a recession, the most vulnerable segment of workers has been given social protection,” Akinola said.

     

  • Aregbesola and armchair critics

    Everything has got its own time and season.  The season of politics in Osun State is here. Contestants are warming up.  New alignments are being forged. In other places, old ones are being resuscitated. Forces are gathering all towards the 2018 governorship election.

    Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s tenure is gradually coming to an end.  Dozens of aspirants are targeting this number one seat. All these contestants want to outdo one another in the ascendance to the throne game. One weapon they have and which they are using is propaganda.

    They will perform more than the incumbent if given the opportunity to serve. They have now turned virulent critics of the Aregbesola government.

    They brazenly alter statistics, fabricate figures which are non-existing and justify what ought not to be, all in the name of wanting to give the administration of Aregbesola a bad name in order to hang it.

    But the people of Osun do have very good memory.  They do not suffer from rampaging collective amnesia trait of these politicians. They know.  They see. They also feel what Aregbesola did and is still doing in the state.

    One of the supposed governorship aspirants recently said the state of education in Osun is in a bad shape. He noted that there was a disconnect in the provision of infrastructure and economic development, promising that he possess the magic wand to synergise the two and fix the education.

    Hear what he said: “My governorship ambition will aim at turning the state’s fortunes around, especially in ‘moment of crisis’ which its education had found itself. Osun State is in a moment of crisis as its educational sector is also in bad shape and the quality is no longer there.

    “The infrastructure and economic development will change if given the opportunity to govern the state. Osun is in a critical position; it must not be left in the hands of charlatans. If you’re a governor or aspiring to be governor and you say you have six points agenda or nine points agenda, its rubbish, I’m very sure of that”.

    Another aspirant was milder in his criticism. He opined that Aregbesola performed very well but made certain mistakes that he would correct if elected governor.

    But if a calabash isn’t broken, do we employ someone to still fix it? One of Aregbesola’s critics cited above was fortunately part of the education summit called by the governor in 2011 to fix the education sector ran a ground during the seven years of misrule of the administration before Aregbesola.

    This critic was not a governorship aspirant then and he did not see that education was in shambles. Even at that, he was privileged to serve in the summit with the Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka.

    The outcome of that brainstorming at the summit produced the template with which the government tailored its restructuring. And today, the state has witnessed tremendous improvement in all ramifications as far as education is concerned in the state.

    The criticism must have stemmed from the utter lack of knowledge of performance charts and attention to details commonly exhibited by those who do not want to see anything good attributed to the Aregbesola administration.

    Before one goes to reel out statistics on physical performance in the education such as provision of infrastructure, let us take a cursory look at the performance of the student of the high school in the state in the last three edition of the external examination,  West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

    These past records and statistics of students supplied by WAEC in the past years have shown that there is significant improvement in percentage of overall results of the student compared to the 2010 performance pre-Aregbesola era.

    To start with, a comparison between pre and post Aregbesola administrations will put nail to the coffin of mischief makers. In 2007, the state registered 36,171 candidates for WAEC examination out of which 2,483 representing 6.86 per cent had credit pass in five subjects, including English and Mathematics.

    In 2008, it was 37,715 candidates with 3,813 pass, representing 10.11 per cent. In 2009 it was 39,676 candidates, with 5,545 pass, representing 13.98 per cent. In 2010 it was 43,216 candidates, with 6,777 pass, representing 15.68 per cent. If you put these four years together, you will get an average of 15.68 per cent.

    Put side by side the above four-year performances with that of Aregbesola’s administration when government started sponsoring candidates for WAEC in 2011, one would glean the wide gulf in performances of both governments.

    That year, 2011, and the first year of test of Aregbesola’s government, the state fielded 53,293 candidates, had 11,672 pass, representing 21.98 per cent.

    In 2012, government fielded 51,463 out of which 11,431 passed, representing 22.21 per cent. In 2013, it also fielded 47,013 candidates, recorded 9,301 pass, representing 19.78 per cent.

    In 2014, government sponsored 47,672 candidates, 9,316 of them passed, representing 19.54 per cent.

    Taken together,  the average performance for Aregbesola’s first four years was 20.88 per cent. Compared with the average performance (13.26 per cent) of the three years that preceded it, the percentage improvement in performance during Aregbesola’s tenure is put at  an impressive 57.46 per cent.

    Thus, those who said Osun is declining are not being honest. The above data will show that their claims are totally unfounded. The performance of pupils has not gone down under the watch of Aregbesola.

    This significant improvement in performance was nothing other than an outstanding result brought about by careful and strategic planning by the administration. The percentage of performance has kept improving since then. One therefore was miffed by the spurious claims of critics about education being in bad shape in the state. This same education sector!

    Coming to infrastructural improvement,  it is in this same education sector where, as at last count, a total of 55 new state-of-the-art structures, comprising 20 Elementary, 22  Middle, and 13  High schools have been added to existing structures while a total of 82 school blocks, comprising 1,534 classrooms across the state have been refurbished by his administration.

    The same Aregbesola administration established the Home Grown School Feeding Programme (O’MEALS) which, apart from providing pupils in Elementary 1-4 with highly nutritious meals every school day, has also succeeded in reducing unemployment by absorbing no fewer than 3,000 food vendors?

    Another innovation of the Aregbesola administration is Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES) which, with its mopping up of more than 40,000 youths off our streets and productively engaging them, has succeeded in reducing the scourge of unemployment among our youths.

    Aregbesola has also performed creditably well in bringing government closer to the people, especially through the creation of additional 31 Local Council development Areas, 3 Area Councils and two Administrative Offices.

    On security, with the procurement of 25 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) and 100 Patrol Vehicles among others, he has greatly helped in the making Osun one of the safest states in Nigeria.

    Without security, can there be any development? Those who easily can find a disconnection between infrastructure and development in Osun must have been living in a wild jungle.

    The above is just a tip of the iceberg of the development that occurred under Governor Aregbesola, which his most avowed critics could not even deny.

    The conclusion one can draw from these aspirants turned critics is that because they wanted Aregbesola’s job, then they must malign him to curry the support of the people.

    This kite will not fly any time any day again as the people of the state are abreast of what the governor has done for the state.

    No amount of lies will ever deceive and stop them from following the people’s governor.

     

    • Owolabi writes from Osogbo, Osun State.
  • Advocates of council autonomy are enemies of federalism, says Aregbesola

    Advocates of council autonomy are enemies of federalism, says Aregbesola

    Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has objected to the clamour for local government autonomy, saying that it is antithetical to true federalism.

    He said local councils are administrative units of the state, adding that their autonomy may be the end of the states.

    Aregbesola spoke at the one-day conference on the second anniversary of the Southwest in national governance held in Osogbo, the state capital. Its theme was: Southwest to Abuja: A mid-term appraisal.

    He recalled that, while settling for federalism, Nigeria’s founding fathers copied the Indian example, where the federating units are coordinate with the central government.

    The governor said: “In India, we have a state that is more than Nigeria in size and population. We also have Goa, which is not more than Lagos as a state. The large states cannot dominate smaller states. California cannot dictate to Arkansas.  The Federal Government in the United States cannot interfere in what happens in other states, unless it is invited.

    “Also, under the federal system, the Federal Government cannot interfere in the activities of the local government. Those calling for local government autonomy are agents of confusion. I know there are anomalies with the local government administration.. But, it does not mean that it should be autonomous under the state. It is against the spirit of federalism. Whenever the states cease to control the council, that will be the end of the state.”

    Aregbesola emphasized that Nigeria is not just a republic, but it is a Federal Republic of Nigeria. Also, he said the name of the central government is Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    He lent his voice to the sustenance of party supremacy, saying party supremacy, which is difficult under the presidential system, is possible under the parliamentary system.

    Aregbesola said: “Presidential system is too expensive. It may lead to doom.”

    Noting that “economy is government,” the governor said the over-dependence on the petro-dollar economy is counter-productive.

    He added: “766.5 million dolars is realised per year. It is 4.85 barrels per head o five. This means 250 dollars per head; N100,000 per years, N8.00 per month. That is the source of national poverty. But, because less than one million people share the money, that’s why it appears that the country is rich.

    “What’s the way out? If one million people works and earns N25,000 per month in Osun, the state will be able to to get taxes and it will be rich.”

    According to the communique at th conference, the decision of the Southwest progressives to participate at governance in the centre was a turning point in history. The communique reads: “Conferees deliberated on the main theme of the Conference, that is, an appraisal of the place of the Southwest in national political equation, the issues of economic development and the place of Osun State in the anchoring of development initiatives in the last six years and, the idea of federalising political parties in Nigeria.

    “The Southwest’s relative importance in the federation of Nigeria is such that it stands in a better stead in the continuance and stability of the federation and not in its disintegration. That the Southwest has nonetheless in the about the last thirty years judging by the physical development and the distribution of infrastructure from the Federal centre to the states regressed significantly from being a leading region in the country to a position less than what she occupied before the 1970s.

    “The constitutional amendment to reflect significant transfer of power from the centre especially as contained in the Second Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (As Amended) to the States, would be an antidote to the regression of the Western part of Nigeria.

    “The most significant way by which development can be more meaningful to the people of Nigeria is to transfer resources from the few and the privileged to the majority of the pole through a system of welfare and social safety nets.

    “The Government of the State of Osun has in the last six years significantly transferred public resources to the ordinary man and the majority of its citizens through its social welfare programmes such as O’Yes, O’Meal, O’Rehab, Agba Osun and Women Empowerment. An additional and effective way of transferring resources to the ordinary man would and should be through the capital budget in which resources are not spent on recurrent expenditure by paying salaries, overhead and wages alone but also on the simultaneous creation of physical infrastructure by which the majority of the people can be reached.

    “Political parties in Nigeria and the leadership thereof should reflect our federal character and that leadership should be progressive from the grassroots to the state and federal levels.

    “The political orientation is not new to the western part of Nigeria but that there is the need to avoid falling into conservative and reactionary politics into which the southwest fell during 2003-2011.

    “The solution to the current political debate on restructuring can only be resolved in favour of the continuance and growth of Nigeria and not in its dissolution but more important also, in the adjustment of both constitutional and tax powers to reflect the urgent need to devolve power to the federating units and cut the 9xcesses of federal intervention in those matters that are purely regional or local.”

  • Osun govt to aspirants: stop maligning Aregbesola

    Osun govt to aspirants: stop maligning Aregbesola

    Politicians aspiring to govern Osun State have been advised to stop peddling falsehood against Governor Rauf Aregbesola.

    In a statement, the governor’s Media Adviser Sola Fasure told aspirants, who had turned “overnight critics” because they wanted Aregbesola’s job, to know that the people were aware of the governor’s performance.

    He regretted that aspirants had been trying to outdo one another by promising to perform better than Aregbesola.

    The statement noted that “such aspirants, regrettably but brazenly, alter statistics, fabricate figures, which are non-existing, and justify what ought not to be, all in the name of wanting to give the administration of Aregbesola a bad name to hang it’’.

    Fasure said Osun residents were not forgetful, adding: “They know, see and feel what Aregbesola did and is still doing in the state.

    ”One of the supposed governorship aspirants said education in Osun is in a bad shape and that there was a disconnect in infrastructure and economic development. He said he possessed the magic wand to synergise things.

    “But if a calabash isn’t broken, do we employ someone to still fix it? This critic was, fortunately, part of the education summit called by Aregbesola in 2011 to fix the sector, which was ran aground by seven years of misrule of the administration before Aregbesola.

    ”This critic was not a governorship aspirant then and he did not see that education was in a shambles. Even at that, he was privileged to serve in the summit with the Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka.

    ”The outcome of that brainstorming at the summit produced the template with which the government tailored its restructuring. And today, the state has witnessed tremendous improvement in all ramifications as far as education is concerned.

    ”The criticism must have stemmed from the utter lack of knowledge of performance charts and attention to details exhibited by those who do not want to see anything good attributed to the Aregbesola administration.”

  • Aregbesola’s free train ride

    As expected, a few days to Eid-el-Kabir, the Osun State Government announced the schedule for its free train ride from Lagos to Osogbo, the state capital.  A statement by the Commissioner for Commerce, Industries and Cooperatives, Ismail Jayeoba-Alagbada, on August 27 explained that the arrangement was in “furtherance of Governor Rauf Aregbesola administration’s commitment to the welfare of the ordinary people who deserve this form of support from the government.”

    The statement gave details: “The first train moves from Lagos on Wednesday August 30th, 2017 at exactly 10am from the Iddo Terminus, Lagos enroute our usual Ikeja, through Ogun and Oyo State to end the journey in Osogbo. Another one leaves at the same time on Thursday August 31st, 2017 through the same route down to Osogbo. After the eid-el-kabir celebration, the train leaves Osogbo on Sunday September 3rd, 2017 for Lagos. This we have concluded as the plan for this year’s eid-el-kabir festival.”

    The commissioner added: “This is one of the social protection projects of the Aregbesola administration and since we commenced this more than six years ago, we have not looked back. Even in the face of very harsh financial constraints, we have strived to keep this offer going convinced that it has offered great opportunities for our people and helped their finances as well.”

    This free train ride, which happens during major Islamic and Christian festivals, has been a striking feature of the Aregbesola administration, and many people look forward to the ride because it enables them to connect with their roots during the significant festive periods.

    It takes a governor with an unusual sense of people-oriented governance to come up with this kind of people-oriented service. For instance, what kind of governor would choose to spend the night telling the people about his administration’s performance?  There is only one such governor in the country. It is usual to have governors talk to the people at town hall meetings at daytime; but the unusual calls to the unusual. Governor Rauf Aregbesola has been unusual in his governance style, but he has achieved results that deserve public attention.   Talking of an unusual approach to governance, an account of his latest talk-to-the-people programme in May speaks volumes for his methods. A report captured the event known as ‘Aregbe Till Day Break’: “For more than six hours, from midnight, the governor tendered his score card before the people. He was on the popularity weighing scale at the WOCDIF Event Centre, the venue of the event. He responded to probing questions with vigour and aggression. In a sense, the governor was combative. Reeling out facts and figures, he convinced the audience that governance was not a tea party in a period of national distress. Accompanied by Deputy Governor Grace Laoye Tomori and other aides, Aregbesola, after explaining some of his projects, would ask his permanent secretaries and other state officials to shed light on the people-oriented programmes, government’s constraints and prospects of early completion.”

    What happened to some of the enthusiastic people who wanted to take advantage of the Eid-el-Kabir free train ride showed how good ideas, good intentions and good planning could be messed up by circumstances beyond the control of those who meant well.

    A report presented a picture of the August 31 movement: “Hundreds of Osun-bound passengers, who had massed at the Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC, Iddo Terminal in Lagos for the free train ride provided by Osun Government for Eid-el-Kabir, were on Thursday stranded. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the huge number of passengers who turned out for the ride outstripped the available coaches…Some of the stranded passengers, who spoke to NAN correspondent, were pained for not making the trip, but they commended the governor’s gesture. They pleaded with the government to provide more coaches or extend the days allotted for the exercise to enable intending travellers to enjoy the free ride.”

    The report continued: “Saliu Ademola, an artisan, told NAN: “I was shocked when I got to the terminal to see the crowd. The NRC should increase the number of coaches to enable the passengers to enjoy the train services.” A disappointed Taibat Lawal said in spite of her early arrival at the terminal in the morning, she was not lucky to be on board… NAN also reports that the normal fare per passenger for Lagos-Osogbo trip by train is N1, 500.”

    The situation that arose simply showed how popular the free train ride had become among the people. There is no question that the free train ride is based on the age-old political philosophy that government should exist to serve the people. In A Fragment on Government, Jeremy Bentham observes: “It is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong.”

    Interestingly, Aregbesola’s free train ride draws attention to the country’s rail transport system, which needs to be reimagined.  It is good news that the proposed concession of the railway to General Electric (GE) is on course, according to the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) Managing Director, Mr. Fidet Okhiria. An August 29 report said: “Okhiria, who chaired a meeting with members of the transaction advisers in his office, said there was no doubt that the concessionaire would move in before year end. The NRC helmsman was represented at the meeting by the Director of Operations, Mr. Niyi Alli, who said the meeting was to fine-tune the gray areas of the entire transaction in order to ensure that it ends up being beneficial to both parties.”

    Further information: “The Nation’s checks revealed that three components are contained in the GE concession terms. “The GE contract terms have three components – with a separate firm –Transnet- handling the track maintenance, APTML, a terminal operator, handling the cargo element and GE itself,” a top official, who would not want his name mentioned, said. According to him, the GE will supervise the three components, and pay royalties to the Corporation, which retains the entire workforce. “The terms of the agreement is to have the GE work on the railway at least for the first 12 months, after which the agreement may be renewed,” the source added.”

    Hopefully, the country’s rail transport system will improve and attain modern standards in the not too distant future.

  • Aregbesola reinstates 46 sacked college workers

    Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has reinstated 46 sacked workers of the state’s College of Education at Ila-Orangun.

    The workers were sent packing in 2015.

    The college Provost, Prof. Isaac Oyewole, said the five workers were reinstated this month (August).

    According to him, 41 had earlier been reinstated by the governor.

    In a statement by the college spokesman Niyi Kolawole, the provost noted that with “this last reinstatement, the total figure of those recalled stands at 46 out of the 72 disengaged workers”.

    The provost, who hailed Aregbesola for approving their reinstatement, charged the affected staff to be dutiful and resume work immediately.

    Prof. Oyewole SAID 13 workers of the college have also been recommended to pursue higher degrees overseas in a bid to upgrade the college’s standard.

  • Let’s return to agric, says Aregbesola

    Let’s return to agric, says Aregbesola

    Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has said Nigeria should go back to farming to sustain its population.

    The governor noted that a time will come when the nation will be left with no other option than agriculture.

    Aregbesola spoke at the inspection of 40 acres of farmland belonging to the state at Ilesha.

    Similar farmlands have been created in the 24 local government areas.

    The governor said governments must take steps to boost food production in the country.

    He said: “As we all know, food and shelter are too essential for the survival of humanity. No serious government will trivialise the need to encourage agriculture, particularly at a time the value of crude oil is progressively sliding into zero.

    “It has been brought into public knowledge that in the next 20 years, it will be practically impossible to import food, not because there won’t be money to do so but there won’t be food to import.

    “So, to prevent this unforeseen circumstantial uncertainty, it is time to go into massive food production capable of making us self-sufficient and as well encourage surplus for export.

    “Our major economic product, crude oil, will soon become unpopular as it is evident that in the next 25 years, there will no longer be a serious automobile company that will be producing petroleum-powered vehicles.”

  • ‘Aregbesola, ex-aides didn’t get N50m each as severance allowances’

    There is no truth in a claim credited to the forum of 2011/2012 Pensioners that Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has paid himself and ex-political office holders N50 million each as severance allowance, the state government has said.

    The association of retirees, led by Mr Omoniyi Ilesanmi, according to the governor’s media adviser, Mr Sola Fasure, got its facts wrong and misled the public.

    The media adviser described as unfortunate that the group has become a willing tool in the hands of agents provocateur. He warned purveyos of information, especially the media to refrain, do proper checks to avoid being used as vehicles of lies.

    In a statement by Fasure titled: Re: Pensioners allege Aregbesola pays self, ex-office holders N50m each severance allowance! you can’t be serious

    “We read with dismay a report in The Punch of Wednesday August 16, 2017, in which one of the associations of retirees, the Forum of 2011/2012 Pensioners, led by one Mr Omoniyi Ilesanmi falsely alleged that the State Government of Osun paid political office holders who served between November 2010 and November 2014 the sum of N50 million each as severance allowance.

    “This allegation is preposterous, malicious and false in its entirety. It is absolutely unreasonable and ludicrous for anyone to suggest that a state government will give each political office holder a N50 million severance allowance at this period when every available kobo is being mopped to pay salaries and pensions, provide infrastructure and social services and run a modest government. It is even totally reckless and irresponsible for any newspaper to have published such bunkum. It is a new low for journalism.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, the severance allowance of political office holders has been set in accordance with the State of Osun Public/Political Office Holders and Revised Remuneration Package Law 2007, section 4 (1) and (2) schedule (B) which recommends 300 per cent of basic salary as severance allowance. This recommendation was also taken on advisement from the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) which recommends 300 per cent of basic salaries.

    “However, the State of Osun law referenced above has a proviso of beneficiaries having successfully completed a full term or on pro rata basis, after a minimum of two year period of tenure.

    “With this arrangement, only the governor and his deputy are entitled to N6.6 million and N6.3 million respectively. However, the governor returned his cheque to the treasury, having waved his right to earn salary since he assumed office. Two principal officers qualified for N4 million each, 15 political office holders received N3 million each, and while 18 others received N2.8 million each. This was over a year ago.

    “Governor Aregbesola demonstrated sensitivity to the financial situation in the state when he did not constitute a cabinet for more than two years. When he eventually did, he put ALL political office holders on half salary. How then could he have paid N50 million to each to political office holders as severance allowance?

    “Mr Ilesanmi and his ilk have embarked on a campaign of calumny against the government, hiding under the plight of pensioners, telling barefaced and egregious lies, making outrageous claim and inciting the people against the government.

    “He moves around with a motley crowd and they parade themselves as representing the whole company of dignified and respectable retirees in the state.

    “He has constituted himself into an insidious political opposition, riding on the sentiment of the sympathy and respect the larger society has for retirees and senior citizens.

    “Mr Ilesanmi and his group openly campaigned for the opposition party candidate in the 2014 governorship election in the state, hiding under the cloak of retirees. He used the same platform to openly campaign for the candidate of the same opposition party in the last senatorial election in the state, curiously only in the cities where election held.

    “This is an abuse of privilege and he should desist from this less than honourable path. As a private citizen, he is at liberty to join any political party and exercise his freedom of association and political participation as he deems fit. He should however not drag the respectable, decent and cultured Omoluabi retirees into his filthy political waters.

    “If he has any evidence that the State Government paid any sum beyond what is quoted above, he should bring it up for the benefit of the public.

    “It is most regrettable that a national newspaper would willingly lend its platform to be used for propagating falsehood and deception. The hallmark of journalism is investigation. There would be a thousand and one claims as there are claimants, each with his or her own motive and sinister agenda.

    “It is the professional duty of a newspaper (that clearly impinges on its integrity) to investigate a claim and establish its truth before publishing, if it wants to serve the cause of truth and justice. It is a cardinal principle in journalism that while comments are free, facts are sacred. A newspaper that publishes a false claim assaults the sensibilities of its readers, betrays public trust and is an enemy of the open society.

    “The media are therefore enjoined to first investigate and verify any claim made by any group or individual before publishing in order not to drag its integrity in the mud.

    “The media and members of the public can always approach the Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Office of the Governor; Ministry of Information and especially the Ministry of Finance and Office of the Accountant General for clarification and relevant information on any (financial) matter.