Three years ago, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola took over the reins in Osun State. Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU examines the achievements of the administration, which underscore the governor’s endorsement for a second term by stakeholders.
Six years ago, a pall of gloom descended on Osun State. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had just wreaked a monumental havoc on the people. Following the governorship election. The loser, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, was declared the winner. Voters were dejected. The winner, Comrade Rauf Aregbesola, was left in the cold.
Undaunted, the former Lagos State Works and Infrastructure Commissioner approached the temple of justice for redress. For three years, the legal fireworks raged. The people could only heave a sigh of relief, following the Oyinoloa’s deposition and subsequent inauguration of Aregbesola as the third civilian governor of the State of the Living Springs.
The engineer-turned politician met a state writhing in pains. The stolen mandate had been used to the disadvantage of voters. Almost all the sectors were on their knees. Roads were bad. Schools laid prostrate. The morale of the civil service was down. Internally generated revenue was at a low ebb. Governance was reduced to a tea party.
The euphoria of victory withered immediately in the face of the challenges. Aregbesola swung into action. His first step was to plug the loopholes. For six months, he did not have an executive council. Through this measure, he succeeded on saving N30 billion. His Spartan lifestyle, disdain for opulence and aversion for primitive accumulation made Aregbesola to reduce the cost of governance. The painstaking planning and metyicu-lous execution of projects have yielded dividends.
Today, observers believe that the state is counting its blessings across the sectors. This, they argue, is in fulfillment of the promise to make the government friendly and responsive to public yearnings.
Aregbesola re-christened Osun State as “Ipinle Omoluabi”, which translates into a state of character. In his opinion, the people should return to the old value and virtue, which defined their past and made their leaders to shun vices. An ideologue, he is also a believer in the Awoist philosophy of welfarism and “Life More Abundant.”
For three years, the governor has canvassed for the practice of the federal principle and regional integration. Although he has come under fire for his federalist ideas, he is unrelented. To him, the clamour for decentralisation of power, preservation of identity and agitation for autonomy in a federal set-up is in tune with reality.
Aregbesola promised to maintain a clean break from the past. Today, the governor has turned the state into a huge construction site. Many have applauded him for constructing roads that will connect the state with the neighbouring Ogun and Kwara States.
Another key area his government has recorded transformation is the education sector. Shortly after assuming the reins, the governor organised the Osun State Education Summit. It attracted eminent Nigerians, including the Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, and other stakeholders. The public schools have become a burden to the society. Indigent students became drop-outs. The students, especially those in primary schools, were roughly dressed and malnourished. School buildings were in dilapidated state, students’ performance, both at the internal and external examinations, were abysmally poor.
There were no instructional materials and tuition fee was beyond reach of many indigenes.
From the recommendations of the summit, the government developed a blue-print. Since then, education has not been the same in the state.
One of the steps taken by the administration in sharpening the sector is the provision of two pairs of unified school uniforms to each of 750,000 pupils in the public primary and secondary schools. It was meant to boost the morale of the students and promote unity among the public schools.
The provision of free uniforms. This is apart from N800million. This is apart from N1.8billion being injected into the basic education, including the provision of examination and running grants and instructional materials for public schools.
No fewer than 3,000 tailors were contracted by the government to sew the new uniforms made of Adire batik. The material was chosen to empower the artisans and Adire makers in the state. It has become a showpiece of creativity.
The deputy governor and Edu-
cation Commissioner, Mrs. Titi
Laoye Tomori, said that N30billion has also been spent on the physical structures, especially the classrooms, to guarantee a conducive atmosphere for learning. She explained that the administration is also constructing 170 new model schools to replace the dilapidated buildings. The new classrooms will have state of the art facilities, adding that it will enhance and stimulate the teaching and learning environment.
Tomori said that 20 schools are for students in Senior Secondary Schools. When completed, she said that each is expected to conveniently accommodate 3,000 students on the basis of 40 per class. Each of the structures will have an examination hall that can comfortably seat 1,500 students and two e-libraries; one for sciences and the other for arts and social sciences would cost the N700 million, according to the government. Many of these school building have since been completed and commissioned.
For Junior Schools, from Primary 5 to Junior Secondary School 3 (JSS3), 50 of them would be constructed, each accommodating 1,250 students while the elementary schools, Primary One to Four, which would be 100 pieces, would accommodate 900 pupils.
To further stimulate the interest of students to learning, the government has invented computer tablets. The equipment, designed in form of an iPod called “Opon Imo,” contains the entire senior school syllabus, 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 in the software design for the system.
Besides, in a bid to encourage the enrolment of children in public schools, government has rejuvenated the school feeding programme, tagged ‘O’MEAL’. The programme has increased the enrolment figure in public primary schools by 40 per cent in the last session. Determined to ensure the sustainability of the programme, government also said it was committing N3 billion annually for its implementation.
Besides, the government, which also increased the running and examination grants per student in public secondary schools to N150 and N400, making a total of N550 against the N150 made available by the last administration, and N400 per pupil in primary schools, has now decided to invest N500 million annually, for the scheme.
The state-owned tertiary institu-
tions are also funded ad-
equately. School fees have been reduced. For those at the polytechnic and College of Technology, the fee was reduced from N42,000 to N25,000, while those in the state university was slashed from N205,000 for Law and Medical Students to N100,000. Sciences was reduced from N155,000 to N75,000 while Social Sciences and Art now pay N75,000, instead of N130,000.
Another milestone in the educational sector under the current administration was the scholarship offered to all the 98 medical students of Osun State University (UNIOSUN) for their clinical courses to complete their medical programme in Ukraine.
The intervention gulped N146 million at the rate of $7,000 each, comprising the cost of training, accommodation and other sundry matters while their parents were supposed for care of their feeding only.
Security
Aregbesola is presiding over a peaceful state. Security experts are of the opinion that the state has the lowest crime rates. “Aregbesola’s government places high premium on security of lives and properties.
This stems from the belief that peace and security engender growth and development. On the contrary, insecurity poses direct threat to direct investment both local and foreign as no investor would risk investing in an atmosphere of violence and insecurity”, said his media aide, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon. He added: “Against this backdrop, apart from the regular police manning the state, government set up dedicated crime response team nicknamed Swift Action Squad (SAS), who are now visible in strategic areas in the state as well as identified troubled sports.
“Government also equipped this special squared with five Armoured personnel Cars (APCs) and 25 patrol vans for surveillance. Government also constructed two state-of-the-art police stations and multi-force security control centre.
“Additional 100 patrol vans were also to be provided for the SAS and seven more police state to be built. Currently, a state –wide distress management system, which would allow security agency to respond within 40 minutes, is being developed so as to guarantee effective and efficient crime, detection, crime prevention and crime control”.
The community policing network is evolving to boost security network across the country. Thus, the government recently purchased a helicopter for SAS for area surveillance. The goal is to make the state a “no-go-area for criminals” and “a no-crime-area”.
As a humanist, Aregbesola is an exponent of poverty alleviation.
About 90 percent of the Nigeria’s over 150 million people are said to have been living below poverty line. An average Nigerian lives on less than a Dollar per day. The rising unemployment has compounded the poverty rate. The Aregbesola government’s response to this is a structural empowerment programme, a social security trust, for vulnerable indigenes. It is tagged “Agba Osun”. Under this programme, 1, 600 people are placed on monthly stipend of N10, 000 for their upkeep.
The governor is also committed to youth empowerment. No fewer than 20, 000 youths were employed in Aregbesola’s first 100 days in office. The Youth Empowerment Program-me is tagged “OYES”. Beneficiaries are young volunteers who render community service. They are placed under a monthly stipend of N10, 000. Also, about 5000 youths have been trained to acquire special ICT skills through the “OYESTECH”. Last month, they had good tales to tell during their graduation ceremony. Some of them were employed by private organisations. Some received soft loans from government to start their business.
Under the “OREAP Programme”, 600 youths were trained in the government’s Agricultural Enterprise Academy. Also, 50 youths were sent to Germany to acquire advanced farming skills.
The administration has also recuited over 6000 qualified youths as teachers in the public schools. The school feeding scheme (O’MEAL) for the elementary school also employed about 3000 caterers, who cook delicious meals for the children.
Equally, through the school uniform programme, government has empowered 3000 tailors, who were sourced locally to sew over 750,000 pieces of school uniforms for elementary, middle and high school children. All these schemes have reduced poverty and crime.
Many experts have lauded the
urban renewal efforts of the
Aregbesola Administration. To improve the physical condition of urban areas,the aadministration has provided N100m counterpart fund to the UN-Habitat initiative.
The partnership, which will explore the state’s urban renewal potential, will also focus on rural-urban developmental potential. The partnership is sequel to the collaboration of the state government with the UN-Habitat for the preparation of structured plans for nine cities.
The cities, which include Osogbo, Ife, Ilesa, Ejigbo and Ikire, have been earmarked for urban renewal by the government. The partnership agreement was concluded at the UN-Habitat Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, during the 24th Governing Council meeting of the agency. These programmes are aimed at preparing and implementing the structural plan project currently going on in nine cities in the state.
The state’s N100m contribution to UN-Habitat was fully paid last year by the state government. In consonance with these preparations, the UN-Habitat has agreed to give technical support in the area of effective deployment of these tools.
The training programme will address the unsuitable urban growth, problems affecting the environment and growing inequalities between the rich and the poor, and serious distortion in the form and functions of cities.
Health is wealth. Thus, health care-delivery is a priority in Osun State.
The government has planned the location of the facilities in such a way that the sighting of the hospitals, referral hospitals and healthcare clinics fall within reasonable radius to one another across the state.
For example, a Primary
Healthcare Clinic is sited within
10 kilometers radius of every Osun town, with special attention to the needs of the children, women and elderly. Also, a functional General Hospital is sited within 20 kilometres radius of human habitation and referral hospitals within 30 kilometres radius of human settlement. The nine state-owned hospitals and 12 comprehensive healthcare centres have been rehabilitated for optimal functionality, easy access and quick service delivery
In three years, government has also built 74 additional primary health centres. It has carried out six medical and surgical missions to offer free treatment and surgeries to several thousand citizens. Provisions have been made for over N300m worth of drug to state hospitals and primary health centres.
Apart from physical development, government also focused on human capacity building in the health sector by empowering about 400 youths as paramedics to join Osun Ambulance Service Authority.
Aregbesola believes that the health sector has not been uplifted to an optimum standard. Thus, it has shifted his attention now to training and upgrading of cadres of health sector. Oddly, this has not been done in the history of the state since its creation twenty years ago.
The idea behind this retraining is for the medical personnel to be exposed to latest medical technologies and techniques in various fields of medical practices. Hence, the State of Osun Government has committed N18 million for sponsorship of six medical personnel to the University of Magdenburg Teaching Hospital, Germany.
Aregbesola is of the opinion that no nation or state can thrive in an atmosphere of violence and insecurity. Peace and security are the major developmental ingredients without which any investor, local or international, can be attracted.
Statistically, Osun is said to have one of the list crime rate in the country. The security of lives and properties ably guaranteed in the state is a veritable carrot the state dangles to investors and they followed.
Dagbolu as a commercial hub is a mid regional market for the entire South West. Less than five kilometer outside Osogbo, it is expected to be a logistic village where various warehouses would be specifically built for relevant investors and manufacturers so that their goods would be sold to the people of the state at the exact prices they are being sold at Oke Arin in Lagos, for instance and other major markets in Lagos.
There are also international markets for ready-made products. Currently, Ayegbaju International Market, located at the old governor’s office and Aje International Market, sited at the state Trade Fair Complex, Osogbo.
Osun State is a tourist state. One of its major towns, Ile-Ife, is the cradle of Yoruba. The tourist centres in the state is being re-activated. “It is the priority of this administration to generate revenue through tourism and that is why we are developing the tourist sites”, said Sikiru Adetona, the Commissioner for Tourism.
Recently, the government hosted the traditional rulers from the old Yoruba Empire, stretching to Togo and Republic of Benin. At the ceremony, the governor stressed the need for cultural renewal and unity among the members of the race.
Aregbesola is very passionate about Southwest integration. He is one of the governors, whose commmitment to the regional vision has inspired the re-chanelling of creative ideas towards the drive for self-reliance in the region.
