The Nation Newspaper

Tag: AREGBESOLA

  • Aregbesola calls for peace, tolerance

    OSUN State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has called urged Muslims to live in peace and exhibit religious tolerance towards people of other faith.

    In a message to Muslims on this year’s Eid-el-Kabir celebration, Aregbesola said Nigeria needed peace and security of its citizens.

    In a statement by the Director, Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, the governor noted that the nation needed the cooperation of the diverse people in the country.

    He urged followers of all religions to uphold the sacredness of the human life.

    According to him, God, in the revealed scriptures, did not command or appoint anyone as a judge to take the life of another in the guise of protecting any faith.

    Aregbesola wondered why any reasonable being would kill or maim a fellow being in the name of religion.

    The governor called for good governance, purposeful leadership and prudent management of resources which the leaders must use to curb the deterioration in nearly all spheres of the nation’s life.

    He identified corruption in high places and divisive tendencies among ethnic groups as “diseases, which we must cure completely for us to get our development agenda right”.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Aregbesola decries rising cases of mental illness

    Aregbesola decries rising cases of mental illness

    Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has decried the alarming increase of mentally-challenged Nigerians.

    He said the government had a lot to do to stem the tide.

    Aregbesola spoke on Tuesday at a public lecture marking the 2013 World Mental Health Day in Osogbo, the state capital.

    He said the government must address challenges facing the less-privileged, particularly the elderly.

    Aregbesola, who was represented by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Temitope Ilori, said some senior citizens developed mental problems due to neglect and poverty.

    He said statistics showed that the treatment gap stood at about 76-86 per cent for low and middle income countries and 35-50 per cent for high income countries.

    To curb the increasing figure in Nigeria, the governor said there was much to do in area of treatment, education and advocacy for mental health.

    He said: “It simply presupposes that government at all levels, organisations, groups and individuals need to draw attention to issues experienced by older people and how to help them.

    “It is necessary to add that we have treated over 50 mentally-challenges persons. These were people, who, before their retrieval from the streets, were wasting away and considered irredeemable by the society. They have been treated and reunited with their families.

    “To make life more meaningful to the elderly in Osun, we give them N10,000 monthly, besides free access to food and quality health care. We also pay gratuity and pension promptly and the payment has increased from N250 million to N350 million monthly.”

    Identifying poverty as one of the factors contributing to mental health problems, Aregbesola said his administration’s polices were designed to eradicate poverty.

  • Protests in Osun over schools’ merger

    Protests in Osun over schools’ merger

    •Aregbesola: it’s for the best
    •APC appeals for calm

    Muslims in Esa-Oke and Christians in Iwo, Osun State, yesterday protested the state government’s merger of schools.

    As early as 6am yesterday, the protesters in Esa-Oke, Obokun Local Government Area, gathered at the market square and prevented their children from going to school.

    They said they would not allow the government to merge the Nawarudeen Primary School on Imesi road with the United Missionary School at Erijiyan Street.

    The Chief Imam of the town, Alhaji Jimoh Gbadegesin, and an indigene, Alhaji Sikiru Akintunde, said the merger would take away the name of the school.

    Around 7:30am, Christians in Iwo, a Muslim dominated town and home of the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, stormed the Baptist High School, Adeke, to protest the merger.

    They locked out pupils and teachers posted to the school under the merger policy.

    The protesters, mostly Baptist Church members, said they would not allow the school to be merged with schools where pupils wear hijab, adding that the policy would take away the missionary’s ownership of the schools.

    Some of the protesters carried Bibles and hymn books, mega phones and banners with inscriptions reading: “Baptists say no to merger of schools”; “Baptists say no to wearing of hijab in their schools.

    The protesters turned the school’s gate into a prayer ground, preventing the headteacher, pupils and workers from going in.

    They sang: “The Lord that delivered Daniel from the den of the lion, deliver us from this oppression and humiliation.”

    Pupils roamed the streets and hung around the school.

    Anti-riot policemen were stationed in strategic locations to prevent a break down of law and order.

    Later, some security men in uniforms and plain clothes arrived at the scene in a wine colour Volkswagen Golf car marked AE 969 JER and urged the protesters to allow pupils and workers into the school, but they refused.

    The protesters said they would not compromise the legacy of their forefathers and the missionaries.

    Presiding Minister for the 35 Baptist churches in Iwo land Rev. Dr. Bayo Ademuyiwa said: “Our forefathers and missionaries sacrificed their lives, resources and everything to establish reputable schools with morals and values. We are here to protect our schools.

    “Without any doubt, the Baptists are known for excellence, decorum and dignity. These virtues are highly cherished by the Nigerian Baptist Convention and this is the reason we are saying no to the merger of schools and the use of hijab in Baptist schools.

    “While we welcome genuine efforts to provide modern infrastructure and equipment in schools, the Baptists see the merger of schools as a step in the wrong direction, as it will rob us of our identity and bring more pains to parents and pupils.”

    The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Osun chapter said: “CAN is not against any new educational policy by either the government, but we vehemently kick against any educational programme that would obliterate mission schools and affect our faith.”

    CAN’s State Chairman Rev. Elisha Olukayode Ogundiya said: “We have maintained this stand from inception and we will continue to lawfully defend what belongs to us as Christians.

    “As a major stakeholder in the state, the leadership of CAN expects the state government to invite us to discuss this issue and other related ones without delay. We state clearly that at no time did the new leadership of CAN meet with the state government on the merger of schools. Therefore, the statement that we gave our consent to the state government on this policy is untrue.”

    The Local Government Education Authority chief in Iwo, Mrs. A. Adeoye, urged the protesters to be calm, saying the government would look into their demands.

    Governor Rauf Aregbesola said the merger was to secure the future of children.

    He urged residents to support the government and not allow themselves to be used to slow down the “speedy recovery” of the sector.

    In a statement by his media aide, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, Aregbesola said: “In this kind of scheme, apprehensions are not unexpected, knowing well that change is the most difficult thing for people to adjust to. Our people long for good education and wish it for their children. However, the hard reality is that these positive changes must involve some alterations in our current depressing system to bring about the new generation of well-educated and trained citizens, who will take our state to higher heights. It is in the light of these that we are resolute in going ahead with the best policy for the future of our children.”

    He said all interests of pupils, parents, teachers and other stateholders were adequately considered before the decision was taken.

    Aregbesola said: “The overall aim of the reforms we are carrying out is to develop the new man intellectually, socially and morally. This new man will view his development as part of and for the development of the society.

    “This is a non-parasitic and non-oppressive man, who views his existence in light of the growth of others. He views whatever he acquired to be subsumed in the overall interest of others. He is a man in himself and a man for the society.

    “This is the Omoluabi essence. Everything we have done in the school reform is for the building of this man.”

    The governor said the inconveniences that would be caused to parents and pupils by the reform were temporary and pale into insignificance when compared with the “huge” benefits of the new system, both in the short and long terms.

    He said: “As part of the reform, we decided to reorganise the school system into Elementary, Middle and High school categories. The Elementary Level comprises pupils from age six to nine, which corresponds with Primary 1 to 4 pupils under the existing system.

    “The Middle Level is from Primary 4 to Junior Secondary School 3 (JSS 111) for pupils aged between 10 to 14, now classified as Grades 5 to 9. At the High School Level, the age range will be between 15 and 17 years, corresponding with Senior Secondary School (SSS III), to be known as Grades 10-12.”

    Aregbesola assured residents that no group, organisation individual, religious or interest would suffer as a result of the reform.

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) urged the protesters to be calm.

    In a statement by its Publicity Director, Kunle Oyatomi, the party urged the parents and school authorities to be patient with the government.

    It said: “We are aware of the people’s feelings and are doing everything possible to sustain peace across the state. The government means well for the people with the reclassification of schools.

    “The Aregbesola administration has demonstrated in many ways that the state is a reference point in human development. Even the international community cites Osun as a good example of good governance.”

  • ‘Masses deserve more democratic dividends’

    Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has promised more dividends of democracy for the people, infulfillment of his administration’s promise to take the state to greater heights. 

    It is my great pleasure to be at the Maiden Annual lecture and book presentation of the Osun Development Agenda (ODA). I should like to most lovingly express my deep appreciation to the dogged progressives and untiring democrats who envisioned and brought to reality the idea of this organisation and its clearly defined objectives. It is with such efforts that the democratic culture is deepened and enriched. I commend you for your genuine interest in advancing the course of democracy both in the State of Osun and the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I thank you for the honour of the invitation as Special Guest.

    The debut of the ODA Annual Lecture is to my mind a development that will further illumine the mind of progressives and provide political enlightenment for our fellow compatriots. It is a platform on which a new generation of young and dynamic politicians who will work sincerely and tirelessly for the good of all will be nurtured. Depending on the quality of commitment, the tempo of which I trust the capable founders of the organization will keep high each passing day, ODA may yet be an effective furnace that will disinfect Nigeria’s democratic culture of its hugely astounding impurities. And it is my hope that the tree of revolutionary, unprecedented socio-economic and political changes firmly rooted in the soil of Osun will blossom more and more as a result of the nutrient-yielding activities of ODA.

    To this end, I would like to encourage the great minds behind this organization to ensure that its light continue to glow undiminished. Because your organization seeks to, among other lofty goals, unwaveringly promote the cause of impactful democratic governance, you must see to it that as leaders and members you maintain unity of purpose. All of your disagreements must be towards the strengthening of the organization to achieve its realizable objectives. Experiences and enlightenments from the chronicles on slavery, slave trade, civil rights movements, segregation, struggle for political and economic emancipation, demilitarization of political spaces, and even retrieval of stolen political mandates, unambiguously show that organizations and movements that seek social justice and wellbeing of a vast number of people do not progress freely without coordinated assaults and insurrectionary opposition from reactionary forces. Therefore, you will need to arm yourselves with courage, persistence, and grit. Maintain focus on your goal.

    Distinguished audience, without being immodest, I should like to observe that the riveting story of the unprecedented socio-economic changes my Administration affected in the State of Osun is the stuff of a bestseller. The Osun we met after we retrieved our brazenly stolen mandate was one that had receded deeply into the cesspool of tormenting dysfunction-ality. But when we took over, we wasted no time in activating the engine of transition. And our transition has been with evident transformation. The choking debt, which was going to keep the state comatose, was settled. Within the first 100 days of assuming office we made a titanic dent on the monster of youth unemployment by employing 20,000 youths through the Osun Youths Empowerment Scheme (O’YES). Another set of 20,000 youths are currently on the scheme. We introduced sound financial engineering. This enables us to pay salaries, gratuities and pensions promptly without any negative effect on capital projects. There is now a significant improvement in our Internally Generated Revenue. So expertly organized is our system of finance that we need not rely on Abuja before we fulfill our statutory obligations.

    We have achieved may enduring firsts in education, agriculture, health, tourism, community development, infrastructural provision, employment generation, social welfare, and security. Our public schools have benefitted richly from comprehensive restructuring. The revolution in that sector is ensuring the springing up of model schools across the state. The Elementary Free School Feeding Programme, O’MEALS, is not only quality nutritional meals for the pupils, it has also become instrumental to the increase in the enrolment of school-age children. With the recent rating of Osun as the State with the highest figure in primary school enrolment by the Bureau of National Statistics, it goes without saying that our Administration values education as the bedrock of its development agenda. Again we are the first State Government to demonstrate real concern in the way our public school pupils and students dress. Early in the year we distributed 750,000 uniforms to them free. In our quest to make learning enjoyable and get our students and teachers to tap into the vast resources of Information Communications Technology, we achieved another first by coming up with the tablet of knowledge, Opon Imo.

    Our farmers are better today than they have ever been at any other time prior to the time we assumed duty. So viable is our policy in this sector that great developments are continually being recorded. Road infrastructure development is unprecedented in the State of Osun. No city or town is unreached. The refrain I hear is that Osun is now a huge construction site. Our urban renewal programme will make our state organised, more liveable and fit for foreign investors.

    Moreover, great is the transformation taking place in our health sector. We are investing heavily in drugs, equipment and capacity development. The nine State Hospitals are now undergoing wide-ranging renovations. Tourism is gaining greater heights. Unemployment is continuously disappearing in Osun. All of our programmes are designed to create jobs for all categories of people. We have been rated as the state with the least unemployment index. As government, we do not make light of our responsibilities to our people.

    Thus, it is heart-warming that ODA is presenting to the public a book which memorializes the uncommon steps we have taken to enrich the quality of life since we came into office. Personally, I consider the title of the book, Work in Progress, to be apt, for it not only affirms the fact of evident exertions, it equally rightly indicates that we are not resting on our oars. All that we have done, great and substantial as the doubtlessly are, put us in constant reminder that our work is not finished. Our day has just begun. There is still much more to be done. We are equal to the task. With the support of God and the dependable people of Osun, we will continue to give our best.

    There is ample room for improvement. Contrary to the opinion that second term is a time to rest and luxuriate in wanton waste of money, the renewal of mandate we seek is to continue on the path of responsible governance. The firm foundation of good works requires a befitting lasting edifice of abundant socio-economic dividends. Until that edifice comes, with the foundation in place it is still work in progress.

    I salute the leadership of ODA for their encouraging efforts in chronicling our increasing commitment to democratic governance in the State of Osun. The book is another colourful screen that will give wider visibility to the unparalleled changes our Administration is unalterably affecting in all the vital sectors of the State’s economy. With progressives like you standing with us, we will continue to provide beneficial democratic governances.

    I thank you all for your cordial audience.

     

    Governor Rauf Aregbesola delivered this speech as special guest at the maiden annual lecture and book presentation organised by Osun Development Agenda, held at conference hall, National Centre for Technology Management, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

  • Abibatu Mogaji, an unforgettable amazon, says Aregbesola

    Abibatu Mogaji, an unforgettable amazon, says Aregbesola

    Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has described the late President-General, Association of Nigerian Market Women and Men, Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, an unforgettable amazon.

    Aregbesola spoke yesterday at the 90-day Fidau and public lecture in honour of Alhaja Mogaji at the All Progressives Congress (APC) Secretariat, Ogba, Lagos.

    The event, organised by the APC Conference of Ward Chairmen in Lagos State, had in attendance party leaders at the state level.

    Aregbesola, who was represented by Chairman, Ejigbo Local Council Development Area, Hon Kehinde Bamigbetan, also described Mama as a colossus.

    He said: “She was a leader among leaders; a woman of substance; a committed Awoist; a quintessential activist; a formidable business woman; a philanthropist; an exceptional mother; a role model; an inspiration to womenfolk; and ultimately, a devoted servant of God.

    “Until her death, Mama was also the Chairman of the Lagos State Market Development Board. It is amazing that despite the turbulence that usually characterises leadership of organisations in our clime, Mama had the rare distinction of leading this association of men and women for well over five decades. Nothing else could have attested to her vision, sense of duty, organisational acumen, tact, diplomacy and towering influence among our market men and women.

    “Expectedly, as a result of the respect and admiration that Mama commanded among that critical segment of our society, she was courted by the high and mighty, both during the military and civilian eras. In her dealings, Mama was consistent in upholding the truth and justice; she was also committed to the service of the common people. For this, her opinions counted among women leaders, while she was respected by friends and foes alike. Over time, she became virtually an institution in her own right.

    “Mama Mogaji was a quintessential grassroots politician. This was her forte. In matters of grassroots politics, she was a master. Her capacity for mass political mobilisation of grassroots people was akin to the savvy capacity of a wily general to rally his troops for victory in battle. Indeed, her grassroots political influence extended well beyond the borders of Lagos State. This is not surprising because the common people were her primary constituency, and to them, she remained committed and faithful throughout her life. She was well connected to the people whose difficulties and challenges she identified with, while she embodied their hopes and aspirations.”

    According to the Osun State Governor, Mama studiously imbibed the lesson in the observation of Tip O’Neil (a former Speaker of the US House), that “all politics is local”.

    He hailed the Conference of ACN Ward Chairmen, Lagos State and all members of the APC political family for honouring Mama “who, in the true sense of the word, was a trail-blazer, pioneer and a role model.”

  • Aregbesola inaugurates Middle School

    Aregbesola inaugurates Middle School

    The Osun State government yesterday inaugurated the Salvation Army Middle School in Osogbo, the state capital.

    The school is one of the 100 elementary, 50 middle and 20 high schools being built under the O’School initiative.

    Parents and pupils defied the rain to witness the event.

    Governor Rauf Aregbesola said the inauguration was a reaffirmation that Osun’s education policy is “a train engineered for a one-way trip to success”.

    He said O’School was conceived at the education summit organised by his administration when he assumed office to address infrastructural decay in public schools.

    Aregbesola said: “The summit was to address the decay we met in public schools, which we found unacceptable. The summit, attended by eminent Nigerians like the Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, came up with a reform blueprint to overhaul the public education sector.

    “We have since been working assiduously to implement the reforms. The inauguration of this school is evidence that all is going as planned with our reform. As part of the reform, we decided to reorganise the school system into Elementary, Middle and High School categories.

    “The Elementary Level, comprising pupils aged 6 to 9 corresponds with primary 1 to 4 in the existing system. The Middle Level is from primary 4 to Junior Secondary School (JSS III) for pupils aged 10 to 14, now classified as Grades 5 to 9. The High School Level covers ages 15 to 17 and corresponds with the Senior Secondary School III (SS III), known as Grades 10-12.”

    Aregbesola said the Elementary and Middle Schools would each accommodate 900 pupils, while the High School is to accommodate 3,000 pupils.

    He said the High Schools had a mega structure, comprising three schools with facilities for all subjects, including state-of-the-art laboratories, as well as recreation centres and a food court.

    The governor said: “The overall aim of the reforms we are carrying out is to develop the new man intellectually, socially and morally. This new man is placed in the centre of the society where he views his development as part of and for the development of the society.

    “This is a non-parasitic and non-oppressive man, who views his existence in the light of the growth of others. He views whatever he acquires to be subsumed in the overall interest of others. He is a man in himself and a man for society. This is the Omoluabi essence.”

    Aregbesola urged parents to support the government by preparing their wards for the new system and dressing them up in the new uniform.

    He said the government’s investment in education was already paying off with the improved performance of pupils in examinations.

    The governor said besides the distribution of the Opon Imo (tablet of knowledge) and the school feeding programme, the economic ramification of the education reform was colossal.

    He said: “Some 3,000 women have been employed for the Elementary feeding programme. This is in addition to the gains it has brought to the production capacity of farmers, who supply farm produce, poultry and beef for the food.”

    Deputy Governor Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori, who doubles as the Commissioner for Education, said although the project did not come cheap, it was the crowning glory of the administration’s revolutionary agenda in the education sector.

    Mrs. Laoye-Tomori said: “I feel like break-dancing, even at my age. I am excited and feel fulfilled. I thank God that I am alive to see the coming to fruition of a vision conceptualised and deployed by my indefatigable governor.”

    Vice-Chairman of the Senate’s Committee on Education Sola Adeyeye said any nation that did not invest in the education of its youths would fail.

    Adeyeye, who represents Osun Central Senatorial District, hailed the governor’s commitment in revamping education.

    The professor of Molecular Biology said while many states have not accessed the UBEC funds because they could not contribute their counterpart fund, Osun had accessed it because it did not wait for the Federal Government to contribute its counterpart fund.

    O’School Chairman Otunba Lai Oyeduntan said the state of education in the state was embarrassing before Aregbesola assumed office.

    Oyeduntan said by the end of the year, 15 Middle, 13 Elementary and 10 High schools would be ready.

    House of Assembly Speaker Najeem Salam said the administration’s policies had revived the education sector.

  • Aregbesola inaugurates Middle School

    Aregbesola inaugurates Middle School

    The Osun State government yesterday inaugurated the Salvation Army Middle School in Osogbo, the state capital.

    The school is one of the 100 elementary, 50 middle and 20 high schools being built under the O’School initiative.

    Parents and pupils defied the rain to witness the event.

    Governor Rauf Aregbesola said the inauguration was a reaffirmation that Osun’s education policy is “a train engineered for a one-way trip to success”.

    He said O’School was conceived at the education summit organised by his administration when he assumed office to address infrastructural decay in public schools.

    Aregbesola said: “The summit was to address the decay we met in public schools, which we found unacceptable. The summit, attended by eminent Nigerians like the Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, came up with a reform blueprint to overhaul the public education sector.

    “We have since been working assiduously to implement the reforms. The inauguration of this school is evidence that all is going as planned with our reform. As part of the reform, we decided to reorganise the school system into Elementary, Middle and High School categories.

    “The Elementary Level, comprising pupils aged 6 to 9 corresponds with primary 1 to 4 in the existing system. The Middle Level is from primary 4 to Junior Secondary School (JSS III) for pupils aged 10 to 14, now classified as Grades 5 to 9. The High School Level covers ages 15 to 17 and corresponds with the Senior Secondary School III (SS III), known as Grades 10-12.”

    Aregbesola said the Elementary and Middle Schools would each accommodate 900 pupils, while the High School is to accommodate 3,000 pupils.

    He said the High Schools had a mega structure, comprising three schools with facilities for all subjects, including state-of-the-art laboratories, as well as recreation centres and a food court.

    The governor said: “The overall aim of the reforms we are carrying out is to develop the new man intellectually, socially and morally. This new man is placed in the centre of the society where he views his development as part of and for the development of the society.

    “This is a non-parasitic and non-oppressive man, who views his existence in the light of the growth of others. He views whatever he acquires to be subsumed in the overall interest of others. He is a man in himself and a man for society. This is the Omoluabi essence.”

    Aregbesola urged parents to support the government by preparing their wards for the new system and dressing them up in the new uniform.

    He said the government’s investment in education was already paying off with the improved performance of pupils in examinations.

    The governor said besides the distribution of the Opon Imo (tablet of knowledge) and the school feeding programme, the economic ramification of the education reform was colossal.

    He said: “Some 3,000 women have been employed for the Elementary feeding programme. This is in addition to the gains it has brought to the production capacity of farmers, who supply farm produce, poultry and beef for the food.”

    Deputy Governor Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori, who doubles as the Commissioner for Education, said although the project did not come cheap, it was the crowning glory of the administration’s revolutionary agenda in the education sector.

    Mrs. Laoye-Tomori said: “I feel like break-dancing, even at my age. I am excited and feel fulfilled. I thank God that I am alive to see the coming to fruition of a vision conceptualised and deployed by my indefatigable governor.”

    Vice-Chairman of the Senate’s Committee on Education Sola Adeyeye said any nation that did not invest in the education of its youths would fail.

    Adeyeye, who represents Osun Central Senatorial District, hailed the governor’s commitment in revamping education.

    The professor of Molecular Biology said while many states have not accessed the UBEC funds because they could not contribute their counterpart fund, Osun had accessed it because it did not wait for the Federal Government to contribute its counterpart fund.

    O’School Chairman Otunba Lai Oyeduntan said the state of education in the state was embarrassing before Aregbesola assumed office.

    Oyeduntan said by the end of the year, 15 Middle, 13 Elementary and 10 High schools would be ready.

    House of Assembly Speaker Najeem Salam said the administration’s policies had revived the education sector.

  • Aregbesola advises reflection on state of nation

    Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has advised Nigerians to reflect on the state of the nation.

    In his congratulatory message on today’s 53rd Independence anniversary, the governor said: “The Nigerian project is a bold experiment in nation-building. It is an experiment that has proved to be a challenging undertaking.”

    Looking back, Aregbesola recalled that at independence in 1960, Nigeria was a country full of high hopes and good prospects with its diverse people filled with aspirations.

    “Somewhere along the line, we got it fundamentally wrong, with the consequences that today, 53 years on, we are still struggling to get the basics right,” he said.

    The governor regretted that the country was faced with sundry difficulties and dangers on various fronts.

    Aregbesola said: “Our efforts at nation-building are being affronted by manifold crises of under-development – bad governance, poor planning, industrial collapse, decay of basic infrastructure, socio-economic backwardness, political instability, insecurity, widespread poverty, social, ethnic and religious tension, high incidence of crime and criminality and terrorism, among many other woes.

    “These are undeniably serious setbacks to our development march. But they do not amount to any permanent incapacity for us not to move forward. Indeed, setbacks are necessary but temporary impediments along the path to progress.

    “Therefore, I am at one with American entrepreneur, Les Brown, who counselled that: ‘Anytime you suffer a setback or disappointment, put your head down and plow ahead’. Hence, I remain convinced that the Nigerian project is a viable one.”

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • ICT critical to growth, says Aregbesola

    It was a weekend of multiple laurels for Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola as he clinched three awards for his innovation in Information Communication Technology (ICT), education and governance.

    On Saturday, Osun was awarded the Best ICT State for 2013.

    The Opon Imo (tablet of knowledge) introduced by the Aregbesola administration, was awarded Africa’s Most Innovative Telecoms Product of the Year by the Nigerian Telecoms Development at the Incubator Events Centre.

    Aregbesola and his Katsina State counterpart, Alhaji Shehu Shema, got the Social Responsibility awards of The SERAs at its Seventh Annual Award, held at the Shell Hall of the Muson Centre in Onikan, Lagos.

    In his acceptance speech, Aregbesola said without ICT, it would have been difficult for his administration to provide text books for the over 150, 000 pupils in public schools.

    He said it would cost N4.5 billion annually to provide three text books for 150,000 pupils.

    Aregbesola said the Opon Imo, which contains textbooks on all subjects, cost the government N250 million for the 150,000 pupils.

    The governor said ICT is the future of today’s world and people must begin to make the best use of it, adding that young people should be exposed to the infinite potentials of ICT.

    He said: “I have always tried not to miss an opportunity to apply it wherever and whenever I can to improve my situation and that of the people around me. Since I became governor in 2010, I gave an important place to ICT in the way government is run.

    “One of the first areas of ICT deployment was revenue reform. Our administration discarded the old payment system and tax administration, which were fraught with leakages and loopholes that were exploited to divert revenue from the state’s coffers.

    “The result was instant and stunning. Our monthly Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR) jumped by 100 per cent from N300 million to N600million in less than one year.

    “We have consolidated on our public finance reforms by deploying an ICT-driven revenue and taxation management system – The Osun State Government Electronic Banking System of Revenue Cycle Management (OSSG-EBS-RCM). This system allows for online Direct Bank Lodgment System (DBLS) of revenue.”

  • Aregbesola deserves second term –APC chieftain

    Aregbesola deserves second term –APC chieftain

    FOR his commitment to the transformation its efforts in transforming Osun State within the last two and half years, the present administration in the state under the leadership of Governor Rauf Aregbesola has been commended. A Chieftain of All Progressives Congress [APC] in Ondo State, Prince Solagbade Amodeni, has commended Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State over his administration’s commitment to the delivery of dividends of democracy to the people. Amodeni, who spoke to reporters in Akure, yesterday, expressed delight with the various visible projects initiated by the Aregbesola-led government in Osun State. He listed the development of infrastructures, dualisation of major roads, creation of employment opportunities, security and provision of qualitative education among others as the major achievements of the Osun governor since he assumed office. According to him, with the pace of development in the state, it would soon become a pace-setter in terms of visible development, and urged the people to make that the governor is giving a second term in order for him to complete all the developmental projects.