The Nation Newspaper

Tag: AREGBESOLA

  • Aregbesola commissions job centre for unemployed youths

    Aregbesola commissions job centre for unemployed youths

    Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola yesterday commissioned a job centre for unemployed youths.

    He said the centre located along Gbongan road in Osogbo, the state capital, will support job seekers in various ways.

    At the commissioning, the governor, in his speech, reiterated the commitment of his administration to reduce the menace of unemployment to a barest minimum.

    According to him, the rationale behind the establishment of the centre, tagged Osun Job Centre, was to make job seekers more employable and better placed for possible opportunities.

    He said a job seeker will be made to understand what it takes to fit into a desired job better through requisite training and comprehensive engagement of applicants on the dynamism of labour market.

    The governor, therefore, enjoined job seekers to develop their God-given skills and not to rely on academic qualifications alone to secure jobs.

    He said the centre would be committed to training of applicants on how to perfectly package their qualifications and skills as well as connect them with different job opportunities.

    Former Commissioner for Human Resources and Capacity-Building Mrs. Mobolaji Akande, who doubles as a chief consultant to government on the project, described the idea of the centre as unprecedented.

    She explained that Osun was the first state to establish such a centre, adding that the Aregbesola administration was “initiating programmes that would outlive his administration”.

     

     

     

     

  • Aregbesola urges intending pilgrims to pray for Nigeria

    Aregbesola urges intending pilgrims to pray for Nigeria

    Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has urged intending pilgrims to this year’s Hajj in Saudi Arabia to pray for the economic revival of Nigeria during the holy pilgrimage.

    Addressing the 724 intending pilgrims from the state at a farewell programme organised for them in Osogbo, the state capital, he said the economic hardship facing the country required the prayers of all and sundry.

    He said: “Nigeria’s economic situation needs the prayers of all and sundry for us to survive this situation we are in today. I believe as you are going to the holy land, God will answer your prayers. So, I appeal to you to please remember Nigeria and Osun State in your prayers while you are in Saudi Arabia.

    “With God, all things are possible. We need to redirect our steps as a country and turn to God and be sincere as well. Nigeria can be great again. I congratulate you for being able to embark on this journey of spiritual rebirth despite the harsh economic situation the country is facing.

    “I want you to maximise every minute of your spiritual journey to the holy land and pray for yourselves and the growth of Nigeria. The holy Land of Mecca is a place where whatever you ask from God shall be granted; I implore you to make use of every minute of the period you will be spending there to seek the face of God.”

    In his goodwill message, the Southwest Commissioner of the National Hajj Commission, Imam Fua’ad Adeyemi, noted that the organisation of Hajj programmes in Osun was commendable.

    He explained that over the years, pilgrims from Osun State have always stood out with good virtues while at the holy land.

  • What Aregbesola, Ambode, Fashola, Ezekwesili, Ngige, others think of The Nation

    What Aregbesola, Ambode, Fashola, Ezekwesili, Ngige, others think of The Nation

    Rauf Aregbesola:
    The Nation has served democracy, humanity

    “The birth of The Nation with an unusually panoramic editorial spread gives Journalism in Africa a refreshingly new breath. Democracy, humanity have been meritoriously served by this newspaper.”

    Akinwunmi Ambode:
    It’s a veritable platform for informed analysis

    “In 10 years of its existence, The Nation has redefined the scope and shape of Nigeria’s media industry.

    “The newspaper has not only carved a niche for itself, it has in the past decade, been in the forefront of shaping public discourse, through its robust editorial contents, spearheading major news breaks through its exclusive reportage and controlling narratives through its array of foremost columnists.

    “Despite its emergence at a time the media industry was facing a lot of challenges, The Nation, through consistent, vibrant and pragmatic management of news and human resources, has remained steadfast to its mission and vision.

    “The Nation remains a veritable platform for political discourse, informed analysis and development of our economy.

    It is my wish that you continue to champion the progressive ideals that will foster the unity and prosperity of all Nigerians.

    “On behalf of the good people of Lagos State, I congratulate the management and staff of Vintage Press Limited, publishers of the Nation for reaching this enviable milestone.”

    Aminu Tambuwal: It has made critical interventions 

    “The people and government of Sokoto State rejoice with your organisation as you mark 10 years on the news stand.

    “In its first decade of existence, The Nation has influenced many aspects of our social, economic and political life. From business and economy to sports, security, politics and entertainment, the newspaper has made critical interventions that have shaped public policy and influenced the actions of those in authority.

    “From its very humble beginning, The Nation has today become a tremendous force whose views are respected nationally and internationally. It not only continues, as always, to give news but also comments on them, criticizes the people and the government, deals with social, political, industrial and religious questions, reviews books and periodicals, ventilates and aggregates views and grievances of the haves and the have-nots.

    “While congratulating you, let me urge you to sustain the tempo and be among the vanguard in the defence of our liberty, diversity, freedom and democracy.”

    Babatunde Fashola: Continue the pursuit of truth

    “Truth in Defence of Freedom is the motto emblazoned on her masthead.

    “Since her arrival on Nigeria’s media stage some of the boundaries of freedom have been expanded but the dynamic and developing nature of our democracy demands that the work must continue.

    “The pursuit of the truth must remain the nation’s compass and gold standard, if she must remain a relevant competitor in the conventional media space and a force to be reckoned with in the new media space.”

    Kashim Shettima: It’s a clear leader in news

    “One of Nigeria’s leading newspapers, The Nation  Group, celebrates its tenth anniversary this week. When you debuted a decade ago, in 2006, the Nigerian media landscape was already familiar with a host of publications, that helped Nigerians come to terms with our lives. But the socio-political context was also a fluid one for a nation of a nascent democracy, that still carried the imprints of the decades of military dictatorship. The media, above all other institutions of civil society, has always been at the forefront of the democratic struggle in our country. And it was therefore no coincidence, that those who muted the idea of The Nation had a deep appreciation of the context against which the newspaper group was midwifed. These are individuals who have become synonymous with the democratic struggle and for a new social order that will be characterised by the rapid development of our country. We welcomed the emergence of The Nation because we were convinced it had a sense of mission and the array of talented journalists, writers and media administrators charged with the emergence of this paper, would help propel its growth. In the decade of its development, we have not been disappointed!

    “The newspaper has become one of the most authoritative titles in Nigeria today. It is a clear leader in news. It carries very forthright and pungent editorials and it has in its stables some of the most informed commentators and columnists of the day. And the fact that it is available all over the country as one of the earliest sources of news,views and analysis, has endeared it to the reading public. That is indeed testimony to the organisational abilities of its team of administrators, journalists and other key support personnel. For us in Borno, the fact that we could reach you early in the morning everyday, has endeared your titles to us. The Nation helps us to connect with the news, views, even the day-to-day stories of ordinary citizens in all corners of the country, creating livelihoods, forging friendships or even arguing, thus helping to shape our collective destiny as a people while underlining the inter-connectedness of our humanity.

    “Similarly, for us in Borno, we will never forget how The Nation  has stood by us during the trying years of the Boko Haram crisis. Your reporters have been objective in coverage of our anti-terror initiatives; your leading columnists have been very sympathetic to the Borno people and your editorials have helped Nigerians and the world at large to understand us better. Our government has not faced hostility from you; your journalism has tried very much to live to the letter and spirit of the Nigerian Constitution, especially where it says that the duty of the media is to hold government accountable to the people. I make bold to say that you have kept a sense of your duty to the society in your first decade of existence. I have no doubts in my mind that you will do even better in the next 10 years, and the next 10,  and so on!

    “Happy 10th anniversary to The Nation”

    Udom Emmanuel
    The Nation has redifined journalism profession

    “On behalf of the Government and the good people of Akwa Ibom State, I congratulate you on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of your newspaper – The Nation.

    “In 10 years, the newspaper has re-defined the profession of journalism and uplifted the image of its practitioners as opinion moulders and the guardians of our national trust and ethos.

    “You have been dispassionate and objective in the treatment of news and features and, have refused to use your pages to traffic in incendiary and un-sanitised reportage.

    “As you turn 10, my hope is that you will keep the standard afloat and continue to put your searchlight on issues that bind us as a nation rather than those that divide us.

    “Once again, congratulations!”

    Chris Ngige:
    The newspaper is bold, courageous, incisive, factual

    After a decade of robust journalism, there are many garlands on the mast of the titles published under The Nation. However, it is safe and gratifying to summarise that in such a short while, The Nation is competing favourably for the flagship of the  Nigerian press with others long-founded before it.

    “The Nation has borne true testimony to its motto: Truth in Defence of Freedom. It has penned the truth; it has also defended freedom. It is bold, courageous, incisive, factual, responsible, balanced and objective.  Every medium they say has its own audience. For The Nation, the readership is truly nationwide. All these one can attribute to a very in-depth, articulate and broad minded persons that populate the editorial team.

    “I therefore wish to say bravo and wish you many more years of vigorous and excellent journalism.“

    Adeleke Adeyemo:
    Big congratulations!

    “I am joining the league of our well-wishers to say a big congratulations.

    “There is no doubt that at 10, we (The Nation family) have made tremendous contributions to the growth of intellectual discourse as well as progressive ideas and thus positively influenced direction of the course of Nigeria as a nation.

    “We stand and raise our heads for Truth in Defence of Freedom.

    “We will forever be grateful to God Almighty for the staff and management who have been exuding doggedness in the face of numerous hostile environmental, commercial, political and economic challenges within which we have been operating.

    “What remains for us is to continue to agree as we always do that looking ahead, there is room for improvement. I want to believe that giving the human resource potential that avails The Nation the best is yet to come.

    “May the Lord Almighty continue to lift The Nation.

    “Congratulations.”

    Oby Ezekwesili: The Nation has achieved a strong journalistic pedigree

    “Ten years after The Nation made a grand entry, it has successfully achieved a strong journalistic pedigree by assembling and retaining some of the best minds of their profession. Today, The Nation can arguably be regarded as one of the foremost purveyors of public policy and debate in the Nigerian media space. Nigeria’s democracy can only mature when more of our media joins in that crucial role of the media in agenda setting, influencing policy choices and demanding democratic accountability.

    “Nothing explains this strong performance better than the paper’s adroitness in offering readers the best of two worlds in 21st century journalism. While still being the quintessential traditional news medium, The Nation has evolved into an internet savvy platform that keeps the public informed with ease and speed.”

    James Faleke: A milestone worth celebrating

    The 10 years of the existence of The Nation are  10 years of unmatched robust journalism.

    The Nation brought some refreshing air to  journalism in the country.

    “The Nation came just when the country was in dire need of a refreshing voice in the Fourth Estate of the Realm. It came with a bang, dominating all the major aspects of newspaper reporting, ranging from politics, sports, business and informed commentaries among others. I congratulate The Nation family on this milestone and pray that they continue to soar to many more years of robust journalism ahead.

    “I also urge managers of the newspaper not to rest on their oars. The Nation is going places”

    Congratulations!

     

  • Buhari, Aregbesola, Ambode, others hail The Nation at 10

    Buhari, Aregbesola, Ambode, others hail The Nation at 10

    President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday led the way in wishing The Nation well at 10. The Nation, Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper, clocked 10 yesterday.

    “Ten years is a milestone in the life of any organisation”, the President said in his message.

    There will be a service today at the firm’s corporate office in Matori, Lagos, to mark the milestone.

    Governors Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Kashim Shettima (Borno), Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom) and former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola also sent goodwill messages.

    Fashola urged the newspaper to continue the “pursuit of the truth” and remain the nation’s compass and gold standard “if she must remain a relevant competitor in the conventional media space and a force to be reckoned with”.

    To Ambode, The Nation has redefined the scope and shape of Nigeria’s media industry.

    He said: “The newspaper has not only carved a niche for itself, it has in the past decade, been in the forefront of shaping public discourse, through its robust editorial contents, spearheading major news breaks through its exclusive reportage and controlling narratives through its array of foremost columnists.

    “Despite its emergence at a time the media industry was facing a lot of challenges, The Nation Newspaper through consistent, vibrant and pragmatic management of news and human resources, has remained steadfast to its mission and vision.”

    Aregbesola said The Nation gave journalism “a refreshingly new breath”.

    “The birth of The Nation with an unusually panoramic editorial spread gives Journalism in Africa a refreshingly new breath. Democracy, humanity have been meritoriously served by this newspaper,” he said.

    Tambuwal said The Nation in its first decade of existence has “influenced many aspects of our social, economic and political life. From business and economy to sports, security, politics and entertainment, the newspaper has made critical interventions that have shaped public policy and influenced the actions of those in authority”.

    Shettima said The Nation was welcomed because of its “array of talented journalists, writers and media administrators”.

    The newspaper, he said, has not disappointed him.

    “It is a clear leader in news; it carries very forthright and pungent editorials and it has in its stable some of the most informed commentators and columnists of the day. And the fact that it is available all over the country as one of the earliest sources of news, views and analyses, has endeared it to the Nigerian reading public. That is indeed a testimony to the organisational abilities of its entire team of administrators, journalists and other key support personnel. For us in Borno, the fact that we could reach you early in the morning everyday, has endeared your titles to us. The Nation newspapers help us to connect with the news, views, even the day-to-day stories of ordinary citizens in all corners of Nigeria, creating livelihoods, forging friendships or even arguing, thus helping to shape our collective destiny as a people while underlining the inter connectedness of our humanity,” Shettima said.

    Emmanuel said The Nation “has re-defined journalism and uplifted the image of its practitioners as opinion moulders and the guardians of our national trust and ethos”.

    He said the newspaper has been dispassionate and objective in its treatment of news and features and, has refused “to use your pages to traffic in incendiary and un-sanitised reportage”.

    The governor urged the newspaper to maintain the standard and continue to beam the searchlight on issues that “bind us as a nation rather than those that divide us”.

  • Aregbesola to open job centre for Osun indigenes

    Aregbesola to open job centre for Osun indigenes

    AS part of efforts to respond to mounting unemployment and inability of job seekers to get job offers in the labour market, the Osun State government is set to open a job centre to address some of the challenges.

    Osun Job Centre, a free employment support services programme that will be inaugurated soon, is expected to also to address lack of employability skills among job seekers, who are indigenes of the state.

    Speaking at a news conference in Lagos, the Lead Consultant of Osun Job Centre and former Commissioner for Human Resources and Capacity-building, Ms Mobolaji Akande, said the creation of the centre was born out of the need to change the perception of job seekers that there were no jobs in the country.

  • Aregbesola delivers lecture in Ghana

    Aregbesola delivers lecture in Ghana

    Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola will deliver the 2016 Emancipation Day lecture in Cape Coast, Ghana on Friday.

    The lecture: “Emancipation: Our strength, Our Heritage”, is part of the three-day Emancipation Day celebration in Accra and Cape Coast, Ghana.

    According to the organisers, Aregbesola was chosen to deliver the lecture for his ‘doggedness as a pan-Africanist, outstanding political leader and promoter of the African culture.

    The 2016 Emancipation Day programme celebrates and honors efforts of great pan-Africanists and abolitionists, who worked for the emancipation of the black race.

    Distinguished Africans, eminent personalities, women as well as youth leaders, businessmen, policy makers and tourists would witness the event.

  • Sukuk and Aregbesola’s education story

    Osun State raised a sukuk bond worth N10 billion (some $62 million) from the capital market to fund educational development – the first of such by Africa’s biggest economy. Governor Aregbesola is aware that Islamic financial instruments such as sukuk have been used to finance infrastructure projects in countries like Malaysia and Indonesia, and in the Middle East, and could attract investors from such countries. The governor knows that Islamic finance requires a clear link with real economic activity and transactions have to relate to a tangible, identifiable asset, which comes in handy in the case of infrastructure financing.

    After the recent trend of Eurobond issuance by African countries, the Osun’s offering was sowing the seeds for more African sukuk.  Prior to Osun, only Gambia and Sudan had issued local-currency short-term domestic notes (Sudan sold local currency sukuk worth $160 million in 2012).

    Aregbesola had worked hard to introduce a sustainable framework, including training quality staff destined for Islamic finance industry. “The huge demand for Islamic finance products had prompted the Osun government to introduce new bond laws with provisions to establish Sharia-compliant bonds. Aregbesola believes that the potential of Islamic finance can also attract investors, operating in Middle East market to come and invest in Osun. By introducing Islamic bonds in finance market, Osun will be favorably positioned to become a hub of resilient and robust Islamic finance in Africa.

    In March 2013, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved new guidelines for the issuance of sukuk bonds to Osun State only months after new guidelines were also approved for the operation of takaful (Islamic insurance). A local credit ratings agency, Agusto and Co, was given the note – to be listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange – an A rating. The seven-year bond was issued through “a book-building process,” which would earn returns for sukuk holders through a semi-annually paid rent structure called the Ijara.

    The funds were used to finance construction of education projects, among other development initiatives with which Governor Aregbesola hopes to lay a solid foundation for the future of the state. Eleven High Schools with a total of 720 classrooms are at various stages of completion across the state. Two other High Schools are proposed for construction in Osogbo to accommodate the total population of high school students in Osogbo metropolis. There are 11 schools in all to be financed by the sukuk bond.  The bond is exclusively for high school development.

    The High Schools are: Wole Soyinka High School, Ejigbo, Ataoja High School, Osogbo, Fakunle Unity High School, Osogbo, Oduduwa High School, Ile Ife, Ila High School, Ila-Orangun, Adventist High School, Ede, Iwo High School, Iwo, Akinorun High School, Ikirun and  Ayedaade High School, Ikire.

    The planned seven-year paper would be the first sukuk bond to be issued by Africa’s largest economy. Aregbesola’s story is that Osun State was pioneering the alternative and less burdensome financial service in Nigeria. Ìcun State’s planned multibillion naira sukuk fund for education represents Nigeria’s most innovative and ambitious attempt thus far to promote Islamic finance. The move came within the context of ongoing efforts to attract Middle East investors and consolidate Nigeria’s latest foray into alternative financial services. It is a very commendable step in our drive to buy into alternative financial services, which will in turn attract investors from the Islamic world and Asia.

    Aregbesola believes that globally, the sukuk market has experienced tremendous growth. Though sukuk market issuances declined in 2008 as a result of global market turmoil, long-term prospects for the sukuk market remain strong.  Global sukuk outstanding rose to more than USD231.4 billion at the end-2012.

    This decade has witnessed the accelerated development of the global sukuk market. The global sukuk market which has now reached USD$270 billion outstanding is evolving to become a distinct platform for fostering greater international economic and financial linkages. The success of the sukuk market reflects its ability to meet the changing and differentiated demands of the modern economy, to develop innovative and cutting edge structures and products, and to achieve such issuances at competitive pricing.

    Aregbesola has exposed Nigeria to the sukuk market which has drawn increasing interest from sovereigns, multilateral institutions, multinational and national corporations both from developed and emerging economies to finance investments in a wide range of economic activities and development projects. The geographical reach of the sukuk market has also become more extensive, with the global sukuk outstanding now being domiciled in more than 20 countries, while the investor base that spans from Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

    There is clear indication of the growing relevance and importance of the sukuk market in Osun State, with the growing interest from both emerging and developed jurisdictions and the strategic approaches taken to diversify the funding sources through the sukuk market by Governor Rauf Aregbesola.  The overall direction and potential of the global sukuk market are certainly well recognised, particularly in its role in contributing towards greater economic development of Osun State. There is significant potential for the sukuk, in particular to fund infrastructure projects. This is particularly relevant for the Osun State and African region given the infrastructure needs going forward. This would contribute towards building deeper and more liquid, efficient and effective global sukuk market. The dynamism of the sukuk market also contributes towards strengthening financial stability and in facilitating the expansion of inter-regional investment flows. As we move towards increasing this internationalisation of Islamic finance, and thus towards greater global financial integration, it will contribute towards a global growth process and financial stability that will be mutually reinforcing.

    When Governor Aregbesola adopted Sukuk, an Islamic bond to help the state execute it projects, his critics were calling for his head. Many said it was part of his ploy to islamize Osun. Not quite long, the government of United Kingdom also stated its resolve to obtain Islamic bond, Sukuk to execute government projects.

    With this calibre of governments following suit to obtain Sukuk, it is now crystal clear that Aregbesola is not just a leader, but a leader that set positive pace globally.

     

    • Donald, a public affairs analyst writes from Benin City.

  • Opposition, media and Aregbesola’s legacy

    Editorials and news analysis are meant to promote critical thinking, drive consciousness, influence public opinion and sometimes compel people to take action. It is generally an expression of a well thought-out position of news publications on pertinent issues of public good.

    Over the years, editorials have informed and shaped public policies in a manner that has greatly influenced the course human history. With published editorials, reputations have been earned and lost. The currency, depth and content of such publications had conferred authority on a sizable number of media organizations across the world, with Nigeria certainly being no exception.

    It has however since become a powerful tool that cannot be left in the hands of the non-retrospective person that will lend himself readily for hatchet jobs.

    However, like all news reportage and analysis, it is basic that all sides to an issue and shades of opinions are accommodated before any position is rolled out in print. And indeed a lot more is required for the editorial as it is the voice of the media institution.

    It is against this background that one finds it difficult to understand the motivations behind the recurring reports and media commentaries that have been making mountains out of molehills in an attempt to reduce the entirety of Osun State and the outstanding accomplishments of the incumbent governor, Rauf Aregbesola to a singular event in one corner of the state.

    In a recent pronouncement, an Osun State High Court precluded the state from hindering public school students from expressing their religious preferences as indicted the use of hijab in a school in Iwo, one of the many towns in the state. The sensational treatment given to the reactions to this verdict suggest that some sections of the media readily lent themselves as a tool in the hands of those seeking political capital from the issue. According to some of them, this untoward development has now become the legacy of Aregbesola in Osun State.

    It is rather unfortunate that institutions that have a responsibility to drive development will relegate apparent positive index to the background and play up the opposite. This only amounts to taking the easy route to drawing conclusions despite the men and facilities at their disposal to do a more thorough job.

    Two things are however pertinent here. The first is to put the events surrounding the controversy in proper perspectives, and the other is to highlight the accomplishments of Aregbesola that earned him a second term in a hotly contested election and has continued to endear him to the people of the state despite the harsh economic conditions confronting most states across the federation.

    In his irrepressible manner, Aregbesola does not hide the fact that he is a Muslim. He has however conducted his public and private lives in a way that openly embraces people of all faiths that even the long-sidelined traditional worshipers are accorded official recognition only in Osun State.

    That the governor has made the future of the state the main focus of his administration by investing massively in education and infrastructural development does not deserve any notice or commendation. It will not serve their narrow, selfish agenda.

    To provide conducive learning environment for students in public primary and secondary schools, the governor has at today delivered 170 modern schools across the state in a work in progress mode aimed at touching every school in all nooks and crannies of the state.

    He has also elevated the quality of learning by providing students with digital text books known commonly as Opon Imo. The device, a tablet contains the entire Senior Secondary School Ssyllabus, including Yoruba traditions, past questions of the West African Examination Council (WAEC), National Examination Council (NECO) and Joint Administration and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for 10 years.

    Today, in Osun, school children are being provided free school uniforms to promote unity and uniformity in the state. No fewer than 3,000 tailors and craftsmen are engagedlocally for the sewing of new school uniforms and the batik imprint.

    In the same vein, the state is also the unique reference for the school children feeding programme that has just been adopted for nationwide implementation by the Federal Government. The O’MEAL initiative, aside from providing much needed nutrition for children, inputs are generated locally boosting the economy and indigenous people are provided gainful employment as caterers.

    The 20, 000 young school leavers which included university graduates engaged through the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OÝES) as an intervention to mitigate the high unemployment in the state will forever appreciate the ingenuity. Same applies to students in all the five state-owned tertiary institutions in Osun State whose tuition fees were slashed by 50 per cent so that the children of the poor will not be left behind.

    With a befitting facelift, Osogbo today appropriately wears the look of a state capital with Aregbesola as the first in the history of the 25-year old state to construct and reconstruct 28 roads in the metropolis within a period four years. It is also remarkable that no part of the state is excluded from the massive infrastructural renewal.

    With 61 township roads covering over 128km and inter-city roads and about 294km that have been completely rehabilitated in the ancient cities of Ilesa, Ile-Ife, Modakeke, Moro, Ashipa, Ipetumodu, Osogbo, Ikirun etc, produce from remote farm locations can now access commercial centres in good time providing fresh food in the cities and yielding timely good returns for farmers.

    The Omoluabi Garment Factory (OGF) attracted to the state by the administration has significantly helped to boost Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and contributed significantly to the reduction of unemployment.

    The remodelled Ede waterworks has been rehabilitated to double existing production capacity and increase the supply of potable water to the city of Ede and adjourning communities.

    The Osun State that Aregbesola inherited was just putting up with the bare tools available to the Nigeria Police Force, but today, police commands in Osun are better equipped withfleet of patrol vehicles, kits  and other gadgets complemented for the first time in the history of the state, by 10 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC),a helicopter for security surveillance, rapid responseand aerial  cover for crime fighting in the state.

    In the healthcare sector, 74 new primary healthcare centres built by Aregbesola are also out there providing services most especially women and children in the various communities in the largely rural Osun State and he has ensured no critical sector is left behind in delivering services to the people.

    Driving through Ilesa earlier this week, one cannot but marvel at the quantum of ongoing works on the extensive Ita-Balogun-Wesley-Hospital-Bolorunduro- Ilesa/Akure Expressway.

    I make bold to assert that under Aregbesola, Osun State has never had it so good. This is a verifiable claim that any newsman desirous of raising the stakes and other interested parties can unravel by undertaking an independent tour of the State of the Living Spring.

     

    • Adeyemo writes from Alimosho, Lagos.
  • Shinkafi a patriot, says Aregbesola

    Shinkafi a patriot, says Aregbesola

    Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola said yesterday that the death of former boss of the defunct National Security Organisation (NSO), Alhaji Umaru Shinkafi, was another monumental loss of one of the nation’s patriots and politicians.

    The governor, who spoke through a statement by the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, said Shinkafi’s death has once again dealt a devastating blow to the nation, especially the political terrain.

    He said the late politician served the country in many capacities and gave his best while in active service.

    He added that as the pioneer of the nation’s indigenous security service, he presided over a solid service and gave it a track record as the intelligence service under him was one of the most vibrant branches of the police force then.

    He said: “Death diminishes. Alhaji Shinkafi was a Nigerian patriot. He served Nigeria fervently with all he had from conventional police to the security intelligence arm and finally as a politician of note.

    “He was a politician of high repute and immense clout. His political horizon spread across the country.

    “Though a conservative, he did not shy away from grouping with the progressive camp in 1999 when he teamed up with Chief Olu Falae on the joint ticket of Alliance for Democracy.

    “He was a good officer, a listening politician and intelligence officer of a first class hue.”

  • Obasanjo hails Aregbesola for dousing tension on hijab

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, at the weekend, hailed Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola for being neutral in matters relating to religion.

    The former president said the religious unrest that greeted the court ruling permitting the use of female head scarf (hijab) in Osun public schools was one good example.

    Obasanjo spoke as the chairman of the occasion at the handover ceremony of a multi-purpose hall and a library donated by Senator Yinka Omilani to Ode-Omu community.

    He stated that the utterances of Aregbesola on the court verdict doused tension in the state.

    Aregbesola had at the wake of the controversy that trailed the order of court said he had at no time ordered the use of hijab in schools.

    He noted that since he could not order his wife and daughter on the use of hijab, he could not have done that with Osun.

    The former president, who was represented by Gbaabile of Egbaland, Dr. Femi Majekodunmi, said the statement from the governor confirmed his neutrality in the conflict.

    He said: “He (Obasanjo) is in China now. He said the governor (Aregbesola) said something which confirmed his neutrality in the matter; that word went a long way in dousing the tension which recently heightened in the state.”

    Obasanjo described the donor, Senator Omilani, a former Vice Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in the Southwest, as a great philanthropist, noting that his contribution to his community, Osun State and Nigeria at large can never be overlooked.

    He urged the community to make the judicious use of the facilities, which he described as a significant legacy.

    Aregbesola reaffirmed his administration’s determination on provision of infrastructures in nooks and crannies of the state regardless of the present economic situation.

    He announced that the ongoing construction of Gbongan/Ode-Omu dual-carriageway would be completed before the end of the year.

    The governor attributed the slow-pace of work at various construction sites and projects by his administration to the effect of fall in the revenue accruing to the state.

    He assured that all the ongoing projects would be completed before the end of his tenure.

    The donor of the library attributed the construction of the ultra-modern library and multi-purpose hall as part of his compassion and commitment towards the growth of education and Ode-Omu community.

    Omilani said the provision of supplementary readers in schools and public libraries was one sure way of expanding the horizon of knowledge and acquisition of life-long skill, saying the act will save the teeming youths from idleness and juvenile delinquency.