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Tag: Osun State

  • Understanding essence of Osun‘s new education policy

    Let me state from the outset that the Osun State Education Policy our administration is currently implementing is not a haphazard, impressionistic voyage. It is rather a comprehensive and holistic response to a scandalous educational rot, which we found, at the inception of our government, unbefitting of a state and people that were part of the first revolutionary educational policy in Nigeria; by which I mean Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his Action Group (AG) party’s free primary education policy, which started in the old Western Region in 1955.

    Our policy therefore seeks an integrative approach to the education of our children and youth. This spans:

    •Education Infrastructure in O’Schools: massive building of new school structures to replace the present dilapidated ones, within the framework of our schools reclassification system.

    •Standardised school uniforms in O’Uniform: to rebrand Osun public schools as well as create employment for designers, tailors and allied artisans, as employed by Omoluabi Garments Factory, the biggest of its type in the whole of West Africa.

    •Innovative teaching materials and learning aids, which clear showpiece is the award-winning Opon Imo, the computer tablet that captures all the textbooks in the school curriculum for high schools.

    •Good nutrition to fully develop the physical and mental readiness of our children for life-long learning: in O’Meals, the schools feeding system for the elementary cadre, in the first four years of school life, with a possible extension to the higher cadres of schooling when resources allow.

    •Co-curricular activities as integral parts of the school curriculum: in O’Calisthenics, physical education drills, since a sound mind sits pretty well in a sound body; and educational competitions in quiz and debates; games and sports; and subject co-curricular societies like the Literary and Debating Societies, Science Clubs, Geography Societies, the Omoluabi Boys and Girls Clubs, etc

    •Technical and Vocational Education: in the implementation of the Osun Life Academy Programme, which caters for training and retraining, particularly outside formal school walls, for Osun citizens not so academically gifted but that can acquire technical and vocational skills, with no age barriers, who can then set up their own micro-businesses to earn a living.

    •Entrepreneurial education: in the curriculum implementation for functional and entrepreneurial education, a crucial missing link in the Nigerian educational system as presently designed.

    The above are the major pillars of our education policy. But these cover the formal education school years from Age 6. The pre-school period, from birth to Age 6, comes with a strong stress on parent-government cooperation and collaboration. For starters, the policy does not invest in nursery and other pre-school activities because the government expects parents and guardians to contribute their own rich quotas to preparing their children for school readiness. We therefore expect parents to nurture their children in the pre-school years. The children and wards need the strong emotional platform that caring parents and guardians provide to be well and truly ready for school.

    Therefore, our education policy is tailored towards making the Osun public schools system produce the complete child, to become the complete youth and grow up to become the complete citizen, empowered in learning and in character, in the best tradition of the Yoruba Omoluabi. That way, they would be equipped, culturally and academically, anywhere they find themselves in the world, aside from becoming patriots, to take care of their state and country that had earlier taken care of them.

    It is surely apposite here, before I move into further details on the fundamentals of the policy, to go back to the genesis of it all.

    The Osun Education Policy was brewed at the Osun Education Summit, which held February 7-8, 2011, at the University Auditorium, Osun State University, Osogbo. The summit, chaired by Prof. Wole Soyinka, had the theme: “Resolving the Education Crisis in Osun State: Bridging Analysis and Implementation Gaps”. It also had sub-themes, viz: “Resolving the Education Crisis in Osun State”, “Quality Assurance and Capacity Building”, “Role of Stakeholders”, “Early Childhood and Basic Education”, “Funding Approaches”, “Curriculum Implementation for Functional and Entrepreneurial Education” and “Special Education and Language in Education”. The policy was forged from the summit’s communiqué and observations.

    The summit established the following challenges as fuelling the crisis in education that necessitated the present reforms: infrastructure neglect- basically in collapsed school structures; crowded classrooms; poor funding; teachers’ low morale; lack of instructional materials; high fees in tertiary institutions; low bursary rate and poor performances of Osun students in both internal and external examinations, among others. These serious challenges therefore inspired counter strategies, starting with a complete restructuring of educational administration, to turn around the rot.

    Restructuring of Education Administration

    Since the critical success factor for any reform is sound management and welfare, at the heart of the new education reforms is a restructured Education Administration Modality. This involves creating specialised agencies to address key components in public schools management. To this end, the old Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) has been decentralised into three Education Districts, with territorial jurisdictions covering the three senatorial districts in the State of Osun. These three Educational Districts are headed by a Tutor-General, an equivalent of a Permanent Secretary in the Osun Civil Service. These Districts are the primary drivers of the new policy, with TESCOM serving as a central clearing house, and TESCOM itself acting in concert with the Osun Ministry of Education.

    The new reforms have also addressed teachers’ welfare and that of other non-teaching staff. To this end, the Teachers Establishment and Pension Office (TEPO) was set up. As the name clearly implies, aside from teacher recruitment, TEPO takes charge of human capacity development in Osun public schools: teachers’ career advancement, training and retraining, teaching incentives, promotion, prompt payment of salaries and allowances. TEPO not only tackles teachers’ welfare while they are in active service; it also looks after their pension after retirement.

    The third leg of the Education management and welfare reforms is the strengthening of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB). SUBEB is the agency that collaborates with the Federal Government on the national policy of free and compulsory education for every Nigerian child in the first nine years of formal education, now captured in the national scheme of Primary (six years) and Junior Secondary (three years). Although, the national scheme has been slightly adjusted under our own School Reclassification System, the adjustment, I must say, is just administrative regrouping which by no means contrasts with the national 6-3-3-4 system.

    Needless to say, the reforms have led to a radical increase in grants and subventions for the administration of public primary and secondary schools. Indeed, total grant for the 1378 pubic primary schools in Osun jumped from N7.4 million a year to N424 million a year, a quantum leap by any account.

    Osun School Reclassification

    As stated earlier, our reforms make a slight reclassification in the national 6-3-3-4 system, with no fundamental alteration of the scheme. What we have done is tinker with the 6-3-3 grouping — the 12 years of primary and secondary education before the four years of tertiary education. In that regrouping, the last two years of the three years of junior secondary has been extracted to form a middle school cadre. We therefore came up with the following reclassification and their age brackets:

    •Elementary School: Ages 6-9 (Grades 1-4)

    •Middle School: Ages 10-14 (Grades 5-9)

    •High School: Ages 15-17 (Grades 10-12)

    These classifications are not arbitrary. They come with plausible and logical socio-cultural reasons. To start with, the Elementary School is conceived as a neighbourhood school, a walking distance from the pupils’ homes. Again, the Elementary School concept comes with high parental input, since the children, in their formative stages, are still under close watch by their parents and guardians. The Middle School, though meant for older children, would be cited no more than two to three kilometres from where the pupils live. The High School is sited further away, since the children, now in high school, have become young adults, able to cope with public transport from their homes to school and back. However, there are plans on the way to provide school buses, which fares would be discounted to make commuting to and from school even easier.

    School Feeding Scheme

    The school feeding scheme, branded O’Meal and currently being implemented in the Elementary School, with possible extension to higher cadres when resources allow, is founded on the principle of good nutrition as incentive for learning readiness. Right now, over 254, 000 school children enjoy highly nutritive daily lunch under a scheme that has been lauded home and abroad. This scheme has also greatly boosted enrolment in elementary schools by no less than 25 per cent. But an added economic advantage is the boom to farmers as the scheme greatly aids poultry, food crops and animal husbandry, by working with farmers who have served as vendors supplying the foods. O’Meal is conceived as backward integration for a renewed Osun agricultural programme, to partly serve as ready market for farmers’ produce and boost their income.

    School Infrastructure Development Programme

    Branded O’School, the Osun School Infrastructure Development Programme is a logical extension from the Osun Schools Reclassification Programme. Under O’School, there are ongoing plans to build 100 elementary school, 50 middle school and 26 high school models. But the building is not haphazard. Since many of the old schools are aged and dilapidated and the state does not have the funding to replace each and every of the run-down school buildings, the reclassification policy is structured on maximising resources. This means in the new school models, communities would have to share school facilities in consolidated schools, against the old practice of each community insisting on its own schools, even if the pupil population is sparse and there are hardly enough teachers to go round. This therefore explains the merger of schools which some critics may have clearly misunderstood. The motive is not to inconvenience communities or missions. It is rather to maximise Osun education resources, in such a way, as Jeremy Bentham said, to ensure the greatest happiness of the greatest number. That, I believe, our O’School reforms are achieving.

    Standard uniforms for Osun Public Schools

    The concept of standard uniforms for Osun public schools, branded O’Uniform, was conceived with an eye to rebrand public schools in the state as well as reflate the Osun economy to employ as many designers, tailors, local textile workers and allied artisans as possible, in the production of school uniforms. This culture-fired indigenous and standardised uniform for 750, 000 public school pupils, which the Omoluabi Garments Factory is currently implementing, has received international commendations from UNESCO. The first sets of the uniforms, I must also mention, were provided free to the pupils.

    Opon Imo

    Clearly, the most revolutionary element of the education reforms is the Opon Imo, the customised computer tablet that contains 63 textbooks covering 16 subjects, 800 minutes of virtual class lessons, and 40, 000 past questions for WAEC and tertiary education matriculation examinations, conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board. These have been provided free for all the 150, 000 high school pupils in Osun. Aside from the curriculum textbooks, Opon Imo also contains copies of the Bible, the Quran and the Ifa Divinity, to underscore the place of Osun as epicentre of Yoruba culture, as well as the multi-religious reality of the state, in the best tradition of equal opportunities.

    The Opon Imo initiative has proved a masterstroke, both to save costs and provide qualitative learning aids by the instrumentality of ICT. Though the Education Summit recommended approaching publishers for mass production of texts in the school curriculum to lower costs, the Opon Imo initiative has proved even better than the summit’s suggestion. It has rightly been hailed by the United Nations as a revolutionary learning innovation to help Africa and the rest of the Third World improve its educational capacity.

    Co-curricular Activities

    Co-curricular activities in schools are not new. They were an integral part of schools till the 1970s and 1980s when they somewhat declined. The reforms have therefore succeeded in bringing them back to the education front-burner: schools sports, literary and debating societies, as well as subject clubs and societies. But the clear star of the reforms, in this sector, is calisthenics, under the O’Calisthenics programme, that stresses physical fitness as a prelude to mental fitness.

    Other aspects of the reforms

    Other aspects of the Osun Education reforms include the downward review of school fees in all Osun tertiary institutions; non-discriminatory school fees regime – Osun indigenes and non-indigenes pay the same fees in Osun tertiary institutions; upward review of bursary and scholarships; promotion of technical and vocational education, through the implementation of the Osun Life Academy Programme; payment of external examination fees of final year students in public high schools and the sponsorship of 92 UNIOSUN medical students to complete their clinical studies in Ukraine.

    Gains

    The reforms have had tremendous impacts on the Osun educational competitiveness. To start with, Osun, from a 34th placing among Nigeria’s 36 states in 2010, moved to 18th position in 2011 and 8th position in 2012, in performance rankings in the West African School Certificate Examinations (WASCE). Pupils from the state have also chalked up improved performances in national and international competitions, according to compilations by the Osun Ministry of Education. Also, the reforms have earned a partnership with UNESCO to build a regional teacher training institute in the state, and a fresh programme in the area of adult education.

    • Aregbesola is Osun State Governor

     

  • 70 buses for Osun drivers

    70 buses for Osun drivers

    The Osun State government has distributed 70 brand new buses to members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN).

    It is the first phase of the government-assisted mass transit initiative.

    Speaking at the handing over of the buses to the unions at the State Secretariat in Osogbo, the state capital, Governor Rauf Aregbesola hailed the unions for maintaining a healthy relationship.

    Urging the people to be peace-loving, Aregbesola said development can only thrive in a society where the security of life and property are guaranteed.

    He said it is the responsibility of the government to provide public infrastructure for the people, adding that it was one of the reasons his administration has been expending huge resources on road construction.

    Aregbesola said: “It is our intention to make movement a smooth and easy experience as well as facilitate trade and commerce to achieve rapid socio-economic development and prosperity.

    “While it may not be possible for every citizen to own his or her own vehicle, the government, however, should be in a position to provide smooth, seamless and affordable transportation of persons and goods.

    “As a complement to these, we have also gone a step further to purchase these mini-buses for transporters to be used for the mass transit of our people within, as well as to and from the state.”

    Commissioner for Commerce, Industry, Cooperatives and Empowerment Ismaila Alagbada urged artisans, traders, farmers and micro/small-scale business operators, who have not organised themselves into registered cooperative groups to do, so that they can benefit from the government’s programmes.

    Alagbada said: “Under the Quick Impact Intervention Programme (QIIP) for farmers, which is a sub-set of the global O-REAP, more than 300 farmers’ cooperative groups have been supported with more than seven thousand direct and indirect jobs already created.”

    Commissioner for Finance Dr. Wale Bolorunduro said the buses were provided through Sterling Bank with the support of the state government at an interest rate of five per cent per annum.

    He said: “The unique thing about this gesture is the interest of five per cent. It is the lowest anybody can get in the world, so also is the repayment time, which has been flexed in such a way that it is easier for beneficiaries to repay.”

  • Lawmaker lauds Aregbesola over creation of new LGs

    Lawmaker lauds Aregbesola over creation of new LGs

    THE Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, has been commended for creating 27 additional local governments in the state.

    Spokesperson of the Lagos State House of Assembly and Chairman, House Committee on Information, Strategy, Security and Publicity, Segun Olulade, who gave the commendation, said the creation of additional local government areas in Osun State is a welcome development that was long overdue.

    According to him, more local governments will bring development to the grassroots, as the people of the state, particularly those in the rural communities, will adequately feel the presence of government more.

    Olulade stressed, “I commend the Osun State government for taking such initiative; I also congratulate the people of the state who are the larger beneficiaries of the good things that would come with this initiative.”

    Olulade stressed that the achievements recorded by Lagos State in the creation of new local government areas ten years ago has encouraged other states in the country to replicate the initiative.

  • Lack of rule of law affecting growth, says Aregbesola

    Lack of rule of law affecting growth, says Aregbesola

    Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has said lack of the rule of law is affecting Nigeria’s growth.

    He said the nation has never been strictly governed on the basis of the law.

    Aregbesola spoke at the public presentation of the state’s Revenue Administration Law, 2012, at the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding in Osogbo, the state capital.

    He said Nigeria, with 58 billion dollars debt, compared to America’s 16 trillion dollars debt, has many latent opportunities.

    Aregbesola said: “This official presentation of the Osun Revenue Administration Law, 2012, is a legal confirmation that we are truly out to irreversibly put our state on the path of socio-economic and political development. We are intent on building a society based on justice, equity and the rule of law.”

    He said Nigeria has depended on oil for too long and needs other sources of revenue, such as manufacturing and taxation, to survive.

    Aregbesola said not governing the country strictly on the basis of law has encouraged rascality in government.

    He said: “This kind of attitude among Nigerians led to a pervasive lawless society. It is tragic that we have failed to realise the big problem this poses to our development effort. Worst still, we are failing to take serious steps to address the situation.

    “Since the inception of our administration, we have shown determination to qualitatively change the course of running the state’s affairs. We are determined to transform the previously entrenched culture of disregard for the law because we know there can be no qualitative development in a lawless environment.

    “Indeed, it is not without reason that the democratic road to development came into global reckoning and got wide acceptance as the best road to progress and development. One of the numerous reasons for this is that democracy is grounded on the rule of law and not the rule of the thumb. It is also a system and culture of running the society on the bases of accountability and transparency.

    “When we came on board, the Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR) of Osun was a paltry N300 million. We immediately took steps to block all financial leakages and the result was an instant jump of 100 per cent in our IGR to N600 million. Today, the IGR has risen to N1.6 billion. Four years down the line, the economy of our state was the smallest in Nigeria, with a GDP of N110 billion.

    “As I speak, it has risen to N738 billion. These are good indicators that the progress we have made in just three years has been by leaps and bounds.”

    Aregbesola said the Revenue Administration Law was a way of enlightening Osun people on the importance of tax payment, adding that those who do not pay tax lack the moral right to ask questions about how public funds are spent.

    Commissioner for Regional Integration and Special Duties Ajibola Basiru said the law has distinctive features, such as the establishment of the Osun Board of Internal Revenue, which will have fiscal and ancillary autonomy, thereby making it a professionally run organisation.

    He said: “The board is empowered as an agency to actualise the government’s goal of optimum revenue generation in a people-friendly manner. The law makes provision for the posting of tax officers from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The Local Government Revenue Committee is also provided for.”

  • Royal murder and arson

    Royal murder and arson

    IN a scene that seemed too gory to be true, some yet unidentified felons drove into the palace of Oba Adesina Anibijuwon of Ilashe-Ijesa, in Obokun Local Government of Osun State, strangled him, set the palace ablaze and sped off in a reported red Madza 323.

    The get-away car was also reported to have been set ablaze, after careering into the bush, as the assailants were speeding away – but not before removing the number plate to avoid trace.

    The attackers, who reportedly claimed they were members of the Odua People’s Congress (OPC), had earlier told the lone maid that lived with the Oba that they wanted to see him. When told he was sleeping, they reportedly put a gun to the maid’s head to gain access to the 81-year old Oba’s bedroom.

    The ill-fated monarch was also said to be blind, frail as an 81-year old would be, and a widower. What crime would the old man have committed to merit such gory fate? This mindless arson and murder diminishes our common humanity, aside from the criminal component, which is bad enough.

    That is why the Osun State Police Command must do everything in its power to hunt down the assailants and ensure that the dead monarch and the loved ones he left behind get justice. It is good that the police have already started investigations. But let it not be such cases that stay unresolved.

    In probing this case, the police must not leave out any angle. To start with, how come the Ilashe- Ijesa community would leave its monarch so unsecure and prone to such dastardly attack as murder, and later arson to blot out the crime?

    Is the community too poor to hire palace security, which screens every visitor before even gaining access into the compound? Was the Oba at peace with his community? If not, what was the root of such a disagreement? Could the attack have been from rivals to the throne in the past? Or could it be that the monarch was neglecting his traditional duties? In other words, the police must start their investigations by grilling the locals.

    The police should enter the investigation with an open mind. No stone should be left unturned in the bid to know the perpetrators of this crime. Whoever were responsible should be nailed in record time. That double crime was just too barbaric for any community, in the 21st century.

    While commiserating with the family of the dead Oba, his grieving community and the Osun State government, it is important to call on the government to devise ways to secure palaces, in concert with the host communities. Communities should more than ever be rallied to protect their Oba and secure palaces. That should tie neatly into creating jobs for idle youth.

    This royal death-cum-arson is bad for everybody. That such brazen crime is still possible in today’s Nigeria should trouble all. But the police should get cracking and nab the felons. A traumatised people should at least have the cold comfort that the felons that killed Oba Anibijuwon would not go unpunished – and fast too.

     

  • Salute to service: A walk with Aregbesola

    Salute to service: A walk with Aregbesola

    GOING to Osun soon? Just a piece of travel advice: pack a pair of track suits and trainers. Reason: you may get conscripted into the monthly Walk to Live army. But, that shouldn’t be a bad idea, if you have been finding it difficult to rein in a bulgy tummy.

    This reporter got drafted last Saturday by Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, governor of the State of Osun, during a visit to Osogbo, the state capital. I got some perfect fit kits, courtesy of Special Assistant Biyi Odunlade whose job is, among others, to ensure that all is well with the monthly programme that has grown from a mere keep fit routine into a large canvass on which the administration’s philosophy- integrity, endurance, hard work, honesty and more – is etched.

    Nature was friendly last Saturday in the capital city. The skyline was a bit dull, the clouds caging in the sun as it was struggling to break loose and signal the beginning of a bright day. By the time the long convoy of vehicles ferrying the participants to the starting point got to Ikoyi, Isokan Local Government Area, it was as clear as day that it was going to be sunny.

    Then, the crowds began to gather, first in trickles and then in droves. By the time Aregbesola led in members of the state executive council, Ikoyi was already throbbing with a sea of heads, most of them in white shirts emblazoned with the Walk to Live inscription. There were dignitaries-traditional rulers, judges, civil servants and frontline politicians. There were students of higher institutions and pupils of primary and secondary schools. There were young boys and girls; old men and women. There were the physically-challenged, who trudged on in a symbolic manner that exhibited the resilience of the human spirit.

    A sea of people. Muslims. Christians. Traditional religion adherents. And atheists. No class. Rich and poor. Just people.

    The walk began slowly, like a locomotive engine humming to gather enough steam at take-off. It became intense as the crowds found space to stretch out. On guard were members of the O- Yes, the group of youths trained in paramilitary tactics to tackle many civil problems, such as crowd control at state ceremonies.

    There were signs that it was all going to end in a carnival. A group of women, backed by some youths banging away at some rugged drums, burst out in a song. As if to tell those who were yet to make up their minds to join the walk, they chorused:

    B’o ba Aregbe lo o

    B’o ba Aregebe lo o

    Iwo lo mo

    B’o ba Aregbe lo o.

    ‘It’s up to you if you don’t follow Aregbe

    It’s up to you if you don’t follow Aregbe.’

    As if by some strange connection, the crowd swelled as the women sang. Loudspeakers mounted atop a bus blared forth some Fuji music. Amid the din, there was excitement on the faces of the people who smiled and cracked jokes, even as they wiped sweat off their faces.

    Galloping beside this reporter was a physically-challenged young man. “I’ll surely finish up,” he said when asked if he could do the five kilometers. In a few seconds, he was off, slicing through the crowd onto the side of the road to gain space for better speed.

    An old man held his pair of slippers in his right hand, a skull cap that has seen days perching on his head and his off-white lace dress drenched in sweat. He walked on briskly, acknowledging greetings from fellow participants who hailed him, obviously, out of curiosity.

    “Take it easy, sir,” I said as the old man bumped into me. He was pushed by some youths who held one another by their hands apparently to have none of them missing in the crowd. Their uniform announced their identity. They were automobile mechanics.

    “Why are you walking, baba?” I asked Pa Basiru Amusa.

    “I think this is history and I won’t want anybody to tell me the story. I don’t want to be a spectator; I want to participate,” he said.

    Pa Basiru is not sure of his age. “When Nigeria got Independence, I wasn’t married, but I was a grown up man,” he said.

    “You must be well over 70,” a young fellow interjected.

    “Yes, yes; you’re right,” Pa Amusa said, his face wreathed in smiles.

    He said members of his family asked if he was, indeed, serious about joining the walk. He assured them that he was for it. They then wished him good luck. As the walk was about to begin, according to Pa Amusa, his people sent an emissary to confirm if he was doing fine. He waved them an exciting bye.

    Asked why he thought the people trooped out to join the programme, Pa Amusa said he thought it was because the governor had done well in many areas. “But, let me tell you, I think it is also spiritual. It is between him and God,” he said.

    As the long train rolled on, meandering through the long road from Ikoyi to Apomu, old women stormed out of their homes, brooms held aloft, to hail Aregbesola. Kids threw their hands in the air, screaming: “APC!”. By the time the long train rolled into ADC Grammar School, Apomu, where the walk terminated into a session of physical exercises that preceded a revelry, the sun had become a bit harsh. It was biting.

    To the participants and the massive crowd of spectators that had massed on the school’s soccer pitch, the burning sensation of the sun’s rays was no demotivation. The session was as entertaining as it was instructive.

    A group of movie stars staged a drama sketch to advise the people on how to choose their leaders. A politician with a protruding tummy urged the people to vote for him because, according to him, a vote for him would end their poverty. His tummy, which he kept on slapping menacingly, he said, was full of cash. “What are you going to do that our governor has not done?”

    The ‘politician’ replied: “Look at the sky. It’s dark. We will repaint it, change the colour and make everybody happy.”

    “What are you going to do for women?” he was asked. “My deputy will handle that,” the big man with a big tummy replied.

    Said the deputy: “My people, don’t worry; just vote for us. Women will have a nice time, enjoying the good life.”

    “How about our mothers in the market?”

    “Hmmm…it’s okay for them to be selling vegetables now. What else do they want?”

    “How about students?”

    “Students? They should just stay on their campuses o, peacefully.”

    Apparently confused that the duo could do them no good, the people chased them away and resolved to stay with their leader who had done a lot for them in education, commerce, agriculture and others.

    The crowd roared in salute of a great parody of our contemporary politics and its unreliable players to whom the people’s interest means nothing and their selfish interest is everything. The Nollywood group was led by Toyin Adegbola (Asewo to re Mecca, who introduced herself as Aweso to ni NAFDAC number.

    A group of pupils- boys and girls -drew a loud ovation for their gymnastics. Their agility amazed the audience who sighed and clapped at the same time. So impressed was Aregbesola that he stood up to shake hands with the youngsters.

    Another group enthralled the audience with their acrobatic displays. In the background, bata drums sounded as the audience kept screaming.

    In the cheering audience were Deputy Governor Otunba Titi Laoye-Tomori, Secretary to the State Government, Moshood Adeoti and Chief Judge, Justice Oyebola Adepele Ojo.

    The Chief of Staff, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, was represented by his wife, Alhaja Kafayat. There were also party chiefs Elders Lowo Adebiyi and Peter Babalola.

    By the time Aregbesola mounted the podium, the party had hit a feverish pitch. He was all smiles as the crowd hailed him on. But, Ogbeni would not be in a hurry; he would like to dance onto the podium. The Oranmiyan Band dished out his favourites. As he raised his hands, swaying from side to side, his wife Alhaja Sherifat sprang up to her feet, throwing her hands sideways and rolling her waist. The crowd, in salute of a First Family’s grand performance, rose to sing and dance.

    Aregbesola spoke about the importance of the walk to health, saying a healthy body and a sound mind are necessary for development. He spoke of his achievements and told the people that they had a great future in the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    By the time it was all over, the crowd that was leaving ADC Grammar School was so thick I could not find Pa Amusa whom I last saw at the school’s gate. How did he feel? Did he walk home? Did he mount a commercial motorcycle?

  • Osun to empower 18,000 women

    Osun to empower 18,000 women

    The Osun State  government said it would empower 18,000 women from 30 local government areas with N600 million before December.

    The Special Adviser to the Governor on Water Resources, Rural Development and Community Affairs, Mr Kunle Ige, said this at the disbursement of Grant-In-Aids to Community Development Association (CDA), in Ile-Ife Osun State.

    He said the administration had concluded arrangements with  Grooming Micro-Finance, Lagos, to offer a loan of N400 million and that the state would add the balance.

    Ige said 600 women would access the loans from the local government, enjoining the associations to organise their women into cooperatives to enable them to benefit from the facility.

    The aide said this would confirm the commitment of the administration both at the local and the state levels toward an overall development of the state.

    He said their local grant would increase from N3 million to N5 million next year, urging the beneficiaries to make the best use of the fund.

  • Two feared killed in Osun clash over ownership of MKO Airport

    Two feared killed in Osun clash over ownership of MKO Airport

    At least two persons were feared killed and about 15 others critically injured in a bloody clash on Saturday between Ede and Ido-Osun communities in Egbedore Local Government Area of Osun State.

    It was gathered that trouble started in the early hours of yesterday when the people of Ido-Osun community woke up to discover the erection of a signpost allegedly by some Ede indigenes which reads “this land belong to Ede” in the area where the ongoing construction of the multi-billion naira MKO Abiola International Airport at Ido-Osun is sited.

    The people of Ido-Osun were said to have mobilised some youths to the site and removed the signpost which eventually led to a violent clash between the two communities.

    The people of Ido-Osun were said to have been caught unawares by the youths of Ede, who allegedly macheted many people before the intervention of the police.

    The two warring communities, it was gathered, are claiming ownership of the site of the new airport which is being financed by the state government.

    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Osun State, Mrs. Folasade Odoro, said a number of arrests have been made but however failed to mention the exact figure.

    She disclosed that a detachment of anti-riot police have been stationed in the area on the orders of the state Commissioner of Police, Mrs. Dorothy Gimba, to restore peace, law and order.

  • Three years after, parents still mourn 42 pupils killed in crash

    Three years after, parents still mourn 42 pupils killed in crash

    School remains closed

    Their mission was to further enrich their knowledge by going on excursion to different places in Ondo State, including the hilly town of Idanre to catch a glimpse of the natural endowment, which has put the town among the top tourists’ destinations in Nigeria.

    But the 42 pupils of Aricent Nursery and Primary School in Olupitan area of Ore in Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo, who were part of the group that set out for the excursion on March 11, 2011 never returned home to their parents.

    They, together with some of their teachers and the school proprietor, were crushed to death on their journey back home when their vehicle collided with a trailer. It was a terrible accident. That fateful day will, undoubtedly, remain a day of anguish, mourning and distress, in the history of the state.

    The shock of the tragedy was compounded the day after when it was discovered that the private school was not even registered by the state Ministry of Education. It was an illegal school, the parents later learnt.

    Like every other person, the pupils were excited that the excursion was a life time opportunity to visit the ancient town of Idanre.

    Originally, the management of the school was planning for an inter-house sports, but the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) kicked against the move and opted for an excursion to a tourist centre.

    On that memorable day, the pupils accompanied by their teachers and school proprietor visited so many places of interest in the state. Their first port of call was the local airport in Akure before they proceeded to Idanre.

    They were on their way home when the unexpected happened. Most of them died on the spot while the others died later at the hospital due to poor medical attention.

    Three-and-half years after the unfortunate incident, residents of Olupitan are still mourning the death of the pupils, teachers and their proprietor. The school has since remained closed.

    Some of the parents, who lost their wards in the accident, are still in shock and disbelief. One of them is the Chairman of the PTA of the school, Mudasiru Abdulsalam.

    Abdulsalam, a native of Obaagun in Boripe Local Government of Osun State, lost his seven-year-old son, Yusuf. He had planned to go with the pupils on the excursion to Idanre for sight-seeing of the hills, but was saved by a nine-day -prayers, which he had embarked upon.

    He had been having nightmares where he was always seeing himself in the pool of blood. This made him to engage in the marathon prayer session to avert the  tragedy God has revealed to him through the dream.

    According to him, “I was supposed to be part of the team that was to escort the pupils to Idanre. As the Chairman of the Parent-Teacher Association, I was to be the leader of the team.

    “We had to shift the day earlier fixed for the excursion because it fell on the day the pupils were writing  their examination. But a few days to the day, we were supposed to go for the excursion, I started having bad dreams which forced me to change my plan.”

    Six days after Abdulsalam had started his prayers, the unfortunate incident happened. The bus hired by the school collided with a trailer and some of the pupils died instantly while others, who sustained serious injuries, were moved to Ore General Hospital.

    His words: ”I received a call around 7.pm from the proprietor of the school that they were in Ondo Town that they had a stopover to offer prayers to Almighty Allah. He also called me after they left Ondo to tell me that they are on their way to Ore.

    “I was, however, shocked that several hours after the last call I received from the proprietor, the pupils had not yet returned. It was at this point I discovered something was wrong.

    “I could no longer do anything when they did not return on time. I had to pick my prayer mat and rosary and started another round of prayer to Almighty Allah to bring them back home safely.

    “I was afraid and worried because the school proprietor could not be reached on phone, I had to continue with my prayer when  there was no response from his phone.’’

    However, when he finally got the wind of what happened, some pupils had already died. His son, Yusuf who was his fourth child, was among those who died instantly.

    He said: “I cried when I saw my son in the pool of blood. Yusuf was a brilliant boy, who was loved by many people in the area, because of his attitude to people. The poor boy was just too friendly.”

    He described the death of his son who was also known as “Yaro’, as a very big loss to the family, stressing that his fond memories still lingered on in the family over three years after his death.

    One strange thing is that Abdulsalam has continued to see his son in his dreams. He said there is no month that the poor boy would not appear in his dream.

    He said: “There is no month that I don’t see Yaro my boy in my dream since March 17, 2010. He always appeared to me. I have done many prayers, but the dream wouldn’t stop.

    “They told me that the boy was appearing to me because of the love he had for me. No other member of the family sees him except me.”

    He said it was painful that some of the pupils who survived in the accident died later because of absence of good treatment at the Ore General Hospital.

    According to him, the kind of treatment those injured in the accident received was nothing to write home about, adding: “They were not given quick medical attention at all. This was responsible for the increase in the death toll.”

    On why the school has remained under lock and key, Abdulsalam said since the proprietor of the school died in the accident, there was nobody to take over.”

  • Osun woos US investors for tourism growth

    Osun woos US investors for tourism growth

    The Osun State attracted 20 US-based investors to its trade, investment and culuture conference last week, reports Assistant Editor Arts OZOLUA UHAKHEME.

    It was a rare gathering of experts and investors from the United States (US) who converged on Osogbo, the Osun State capital last week for bilateral talks on the promotion of trade, investment and culture in the state.

    The one-week conference held at the Centre For Black Culture and International Understanding, Osogbo attracted experts from the African and Caribbean Business Council (ACBC) of Philadelphia, the Christian Evangelical Economic Development, Inc. (CEED) of Pittsburgh, and the WURA Arts Services & Productions, LLC (WURA) of New York City.

    The conference was aimed at creating opportunities for stakeholders to interact in order to create sustainable partnerships that will enrich the lives of the people. The conference peaked at the weekend with the hosting of the yearly Osun Osogbo festiva.

    Governor Rauf Aregbesola, who described the forum as a business to business interaction, said it would also be business to government where the government would have to come in on matters beyond private organisations.

    “In our development drive, we have focussed mainly on four key areas. These are culture and tourism, agriculture, information technology, and solid minerals. The State of Osun is indisputably a custodian of the cultural heritage of the Yoruba people, who are mainly domiciled in and originated from South-West Nigeria. Ile-Ife, which is here in the State and just about 30 minutes’ drive from this podium, is the cradle of Yoruba culture and civilisation. It is also the spiritual capital of the Yoruba race.

    Osun occupies a central place in Nigeria’s cultural tourism map. Besides Ife, there are numerous other centres of cultural and tourism significance across the state. There are more than 60 of such in the state. The Osun Grove is already globally renowned as a UNESCO World Heritage Site,” he said.

    Besides culture and tourism, the governor said agriculture is a core concern of economic development agenda of the state. He noted that the state is especially endowed with fertile land and favourable weather and that the goal is to provide food for the South West and especially capture a sizable chunk of the N3 billion daily food market in Lagos.

    “Our desire for development is not just a word of mouth. We are working stridently to match it with action. In the two and half years we have been in office, we have committed huge human and material resources to providing the enabling environment for business. We have reformed the transportation sector with huge commitment to the railways. We have practically revived the railways as the preferred mode of transporting goods. We have equally committed a lot of resources to improving the road networks in the state,” Governor Aregbesola added.

    According to him, the state is working towards making this interactive platform a continuous exercise to ‘demonstrate the seriousness of our commitment to the path we have taken.”

    Osun State Commissioner for Commerce, Co-operatives and Empowerment, Ismaila Jayeola-Alagbada, said the forum would provide exposure to local business men as foreign investors’ inputs and ideas would improve productivity as well as open up export opportunities.

    “This will expand foreign exchange earning of the state. Only through organised private sector that employment can be generated. Government cannot employ may people. And the best mechanism is to link the investors directly to the parties. We only provide guide and enabling environment. Some foreign investors have good sources of funds and the meeting of the two will be sustained,” he said.

    According to Alagbada, who identified the small and medium scale enterprise and the agro-based firms as primary target of the forum, said the state is sourcing for partners that will operate its free trade zone.

    Director General of Office of Economic Development and Partnerships, Dr. Charles Diji Akinola, said the decision to hold the round table format of business conferencing is to avoid unproductive nature of big investment forum that is fad nowadays. “We focus on roundtables with 20 investors from US. We also narrow their interest to the ministry, departments and agencies. And we have a programme to keep the conversation going on. We also monitor the progress made,” Akinola said.

    He noted that Governor Aregbesola has promised to globalised the tourism, and sustain the interface of culture, tourism and economy. “Visitors to the Osun Osogbo festival will spend money that will impact on the people’s economy. We hope to expand the art exhibition next year with more exhibitors coming to the show,” he added.

    Chairman of the State Tourism Board, Mr. Abimbola Daniyan, said the board recognises that fact that tourism is the main economy of Osun, adding that with information technology, marketing of tourism products and services has become much easier and shorter to achieve. He stressed that the state would mechanise the processing, provide quality template and assurance standard for the growth of the sector.

    The conference featured interactive sessions with cultural icons such as Nike Okundaye, Jimoh Buraimoh, Muraino Oyelami, Kasali Akande-Ogun, Chief Ifayemi Elebuibon, Peter Badejo and Dr. Adeola Faleye. It also featured art exhibition coordinated by Oladele Olaopa and papers presented by Mrs Femi Olayebi, Dr. Sheriden Booker, Ojoma Ochia, Aremo Tope Babayemi.