The Nation Newspaper

Tag: OSUN

  • Osun students hold confab

    Osun students hold confab

    Student leaders of Osun State-owned institutions gathered in Osogbo for a two- day stakeholders’ meeting organised by the Department of Social Mobilisation and Guidance, Ministry of Information.

    The meeting was held in Hotel-de-Charity and Local Government Commission hall, state secretariat.

    Delegates came from Osun State College of Education, Ilesa, Osun State College of Education, Ila-Orangun, Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, and Osun State College of Technology, Esa-Oke.

    Students also came from Federal Polytechnic, Ede (EDE POLY) and Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, to grace the occasion.

    On the first day, the meeting, which was moderated by Dr Abiola Soetan, deliberated on issues affecting students in all institutions in the state. The delegates considered the situation report and made recommendations on the state of infrastructure on their campuses, management and government policies.

    The delegates stated their positions – in line with the theme of the meeting.

    Some of the issues discussed included the state of infrastructure on campus, tuition fees, insecurity, epileptic power supply, state of libraries and laboratories, roads and the level of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

    Sheriff Olawale, from EDE POLY, urged the state government not to neglect students of the institution. He said: “Since we are schooling in this state, and a good percentage of the students are indigenes of this state, we should not be neglected at all by the state government.”

    On the second day, the students gathered in the hall of the Local Government Commission with Governor Rauf Aregbesola and his deputy, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori, who doubles as the Commissioner of Education.

    The delegates presented the governor with recommendations on how to revamp the state of infrastructure in the institutions and maintain the standard.

    Some of the recommendations included extension of bursary payment to all Osun students, irrespective of their school locations, improvement of schools’ library with new textbooks and upgrading of the libraries to ICT-compliant, among others.

    Aregbesola expressed disappointment at the low into which students’ unionism has been brought on campuses. He lamented the dearth of intellectualism among the present crop of students’ leaders, recalling his days as union leader at The Polytechnic, Ibadan (IBADAN POLY).

    He said students had not made the best use of the opportunity given to them to give recommendations to the government on challenges they faced. Aregbesola wondered why the delegates did not mention offering of scholarship to best students in the recommendations submitted.

    The governor said students’ leaders should always be passionate about getting scholarship from the government rather than fighting for what may not benefit them in the long run.

     

  • Osun inaugurates 50 waste disposal trucks

    Osun inaugurates 50 waste disposal trucks

    The Osun State Government yesterday inaugurated 50 waste disposal trucks under its environmental sanitation initiative tagged, O’Clean Plus.

    To sensitise the public on the importance of proper waste disposal, the trucks were driven round major roads in Osogbo, the state capital, and later to the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding, the venue of the inauguration.

    The O’Clean Plus scheme is aimed at maintaining a clean and healthy environment in the state.

    Governor Rauf Aregbsola said the successes recorded with the scheme between 2011 and now informed its re-invigoration.

    He said: “Between 2011 and now, incidents of malaria and other diseases have reduced drastically. Our assessment has helped us to measure whether our various projects and their implementation are meeting the set targets and if they have made the desired impact.

    “These have given us the opportunity to determine whether to stop the projects, rework them, keep them on course or take them to the next stage. We have reached that point with O’Clean and we have decided to scale it up to O’Clean-Plus. Our development plan is all-encompassing. Part of its health and environment component is the O’Clean. Personal cleanliness and cleanliness of one’s surroundings cut across the environment and health sectors.

    “In fact, they bring into sharp focus the close and inseparable relationship between health and the environment. Any consideration of human health that does not view man in the light of his environment cannot be an adequate perspective on healthy living.”

    Aregbesola said when he assumed office, his administration was confronted with the enormous challenge of waste disposal, as the people were used to dumping refuse indiscriminately.

    The governor said: “This to us posed immediate danger to the well-being of our people and the environment. We moved quickly to declare a 90-day state-of-emergency in environmental sanitation and we subsequently came up with the O’Clean programme.”

    Wife of the Lagos State Governor, Dame Abimbola Fashola, represented by Mrs. O. Olusoga, urged residents to take care of the environment to forestall epidemics.

    House of Assembly Speaker Najeem Salaam said the governor is “performing” and urged him not to be distracted by the criticisms of disgruntled politicians.

    Also at the event were the Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole; his Chief of Staff Mr. Patrick Obahiagbon; Senator Oluremi Tinubu; a representative of Osun State Deputy Governor; and Aregbesola’s wife, Sherifat.

     

  • Osun: Workers know their true friends

    Osun: Workers know their true friends

    After pillaging Osun State for nearly four years of its illegal occupation, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is eyeing the 2014 poll with a view to returning to power to continue the preying business. The party can’t ask for votes based on merit since while in office it posted no good performance to rest on. Nor has it, while in opposition to the Action Congress of Nigeria government of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, offered laudable shadow governance to win the sympathy of the citizenry.

    In that case, as it is with all those bereft of honour and achievement as an article of service to the people, the party must resort to the rough and tumble of politics. That is what we are witnessing in the State of Osun. Otherwise why would a state known for its eminent labour relations suddenly start simmering with calls for a strike by workers?

    To be sure, this is against the run of play as they say it in football, when suddenly the team confined to its own half of the field by the unceasing onslaught of its better opponents, scores a goal through an official sleight of the hand, as it were, protests and boos rather than applause follow such a goal.

    A labour crisis in the form of a strike by civil servants is not what Osun needs at the moment. What the state needs at the moment is to build on the steady job creation process opened up by O’ YES programme, the massive construction projects state-wide, urban and rural transformation, recruitment of teachers to match the new vision of education reform and a host of socio-industrial concepts Aregbesola and his team are churning out.

    Very early in the administration, the government found out that the greatest challenge facing the state was the dearth of jobs, a situation that plunged the state into depression and crime. The government intervened with the creation, within the first 100 days of its advent, of a whopping 20,000 jobs. It had never happened before in Africa!

    Overnight an economy that was in shambles in the preceding era of the PDP government had been reflated. Young men and women had jobs. They also recreated jobs because they had increased purchasing power that got artisans and retail traders back to their enterprises. They also made small savings that they used to set up small businesses. The government policy had a rapid impact that made the citizens to ask: where was Aregbesola all along in the years of locust that fell upon us under PDP?

    Such approbation wasn’t coming from the local scene only. It is on record that the conservative but revered World Bank also noticed what was going on in the state of Osun. It asked to understudy the execution of the job-creation policy and promptly recommended it as a model of youth engagement and mass employment for other states.

    So obviously it is impossible to have a citizenry and a labour class that have benefited immensely from government policies to turn against that same government using a so-called freedom of right to declare an industrial dispute. It isn’t in their interest to do so given the fact that they passed through bitter times in the hands of the previous anti-people government of the PDP.

    It is clear then that a small suborned clique of the labour unions has played into the hand of the political class who wants to create chaos ahead of next year’s governorship ballot. We discern this from the disarray the aborted warning strike threw the workers into. The national leadership of Joint Public Service Negotiation Council (JPSNC) has dismissed the stand of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Osun JPSNC, saying they had no right to call on workers in the state to go on a strike.

    National secretary of JPSNC Omokhuade Marcus says NLC, TUC and JPSNC have no constitutional right to order an industrial action over wage agitation. He declared: ‘The NLC, TUC and JNC have no members. The members belong to the union. So calling a workers assembly for a strike is not known to law. They do not even have the right to call workers for that assembly. Only the leadership of the respective unions has the power of attorney to mobilize their workers to attend that gathering.’

    No wonder the strike call failed! The law of the land does not support it!

    But the biggest armament against the strike is the mammoth accomplishments of the Aregbesola government. He has secured irreversible gains as the foundation upon which even more attainments will be established in the years to come. The crisis the PDP is attempting to foment through a labour unrest will remain ineffectual in the face of the government’s achievements on the ground.

    Just as PDP’s attempted exploitation of religion and publication of stolen documents failed to move the public against the government of Aregbesola, so would the antics of the party to venalize workers come to a shipwreck, because the masses know who their true friends are.

    It follows also that they know who their enemies are.

     

    • Odunmade writes from Inisha, Osun State

  • The Pharisees of Osun

    The Pharisees of Osun

    Few weeks back, the Osun chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria declared that Governor Rauf Aregbesola planned to islamise the state. I examined this matter and the farce seems something out of Soyinka’s plays.

    They claimed that the governor scheduled events for Sunday and that he had imposed hijab as school uniforms. They also caviled his school architecture. Lastly, they wept over calling Osun the state of the virtuous. St. Paul said, to the pure all things are pure, but to the corrupted is nothing pure.

    If anyone heard them, they would think the governor routinely schedules events for Sunday, whereas he did it only once in 2011 and it was a press conference over a matter that they wanted urgently to beat deadline for the Monday papers. I know that his predecessors held some events on Sundays, where was CAN then? No one has shown by evidence or policy where the governor had imposed hijab. An Islamic group is in court now trying to coerce the government to use hijab because the governor has not followed that path. The so-called Christian leaders did not address that issue.

    On the land of the virtuous, the Christian men were disingenuous. The expression “Living spring,” did not come out of a Christian concept of the state but its natural endowments of waterways. That the CAN saw it as a Christian idea for Osun meant that they wanted the state to Christianise Osun. They are guilty of their accusations. Again, they should understand processes before making high decibels of nonsensical noise. The phrase “land of the virtuous” came out of the phrase “omoluabi.” In translation, it became “virtue.” Virtue does not belong to Muslims alone. St. Peter wrote, “add to your faith, virtue…” He was not addressing non-Christians. Overwhelmed by their spirit of adversary, CAN and its fellow cohorts are denying a preeminent Christian quality. As a Christian myself, I weep.

    If the CAN is not happy with the modern schools Ogbeni is building, they must be turning CAN into institutional apostasy. The Bible says we should follow whatever things are pure and of good report. I have seen the schools and only a CAN inspired by politics rather than virtue will condemn them. Have they seen the urban renewal going on there, the strides in educational amenity, or health care, or infrastructure? If CAN would rather see ghosts of zealotry, it is tragic. They are Pharisees in Nigerian politics, “whited sepulchres” with dead men’s bones within, apologies to the Christ.

     

  • Religion and politics in Osun

    Religion and politics in Osun

    Earlier in the administration of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola in the State of Osun, the state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, felt decidedly miffed to proceed to court in defense of the governor. It was alleged that the administration planned to Islamize the state. CAN, at that point, was a friend of the administration.

    Now, flip the pages. In March 2013, the religious body has sauntered into public space with tones of generally incredible and particularly mundane allegations of islamization against the governor it earlier poignantly defended. In Osun, it is barely a year to gubernatorial election in which the governor would be seeking re-election. In our clime where elections are nothing else but a make or mar affair, old bonds of friendship are often too tenuous to stand the slightest exertions. It is time for friend to abandon friend.

    In reality, the Aregbesola administration is not a stranger in the dingy surgical theatre of spin doctors. This latest onslaught against the administration presents the imprimatur of an earlier lurid one about secession of the state allegedly plotted by the governor single-handedly without other states in the South -west in the picture. Several months after, how the masterminds or this ill-fated idle engagement expected anyone to believe them still beats logic. In quick succession came opposition PDP-backed campaign about non-constitution of the cabinet culminating in the patently devilish question mark on the state of health of the governor in which the Osun helmsman was alleged to have collapsed at every public function extending beyond two hours. Bristling with misapplied ingenuity, they manufactured the now famous but fake cancer tale against Ogbeni.

    It is, however, instructive to know that these baseless allegations came after a bigger grand plot to impeach the governor fell flat on its face. Less than a month in office of Ogbeni in 2010, the trio of Vice President Namadi Sambo, Senate President David Mark and Senator Iyiola Omisore sponsored PDP state assembly members to Abuja where the incendiary plot was hatched.

    By its sheer antecedent, ascribed and enunciated objectives, the issues put forward by a religious body of the status of CAN ought to provoke interest and sympathy. This one, however, is a little off- side. Every issue raised by the Osun CAN – from allegation of fixing state events for Sunday morning to the visit of the Sultan of Sokoto – oozes so much partisanship that the official opposition to the ACN government of the State of Osun could not have done a better job.

    Among others, CAN allege that the governor changed “the state official brand point from “the state of living spring” to the state of the virtuous” to spite the Christians who refer to Jesus Christ as living spring. By simple extension of the underpinning logic, this assertion by CAN presupposes that the state, despite its secularity in the face of its multi – religious character, has officially been packaged as a Christian enclave all along. Besides, is Omoluabi – to which “the virtuous” translates – not more elegant and edifying to a people who are outstandingly moralistic?

    The visit of the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakar ,to the state was also lampooned by CAN. The nationally respected traditional ruler was accused of being in the state, of course at the instance of Ogbeni, to prepare the ground for a Jihad “following the Sultan’s request for amnesty for Boko Haram members. It will utterly be difficult for any sensible mind to ascribe to Osun CAN any iota of nationalism with this lousy claim.

    The derelict state of most infrastructures in public schools, whether in the state of Osun or elsewhere, is well known to everyone. The obvious transformative agenda of the governor in demolishing and replacing these archaic relics is the butt of vitriolic attack by CAN in the state. In the self-righteous view of the religious group, this government gesture is a prelude to changing the schools into madrasas or fortress of Islamic evangelism. Instead, the collapsing buildings – complete with all their health hazards and aesthetic debasement – should have been left in memory of the lofty legacies of alien missionaries of yesteryears.

    The plot of this drama of the absurd in Osun similarly incorporated other scenes including allegation of imposition of hijab dress code on female students in the state as well as declaration of a strange holiday which the government termed Hijra holiday to mark the commencement of Islamic calendar. It does not matter to this set of CAN leadership in the state of Osun that the now globally accepted Gregorian calendar is Christianity – based without anyone raising a divisive hell in a country that is populated by Christians, Muslims and traditionalists in almost equal proportion.

    The prodigious reality of the hijab brouhaha must have breathtakingly been lost on CAN. Otherwise the organization should have come to terms with the presumptuousness of its endeavor considering the fact that it is the Muslims themselves in the state who, incidentally, dragged Ogbeni administration to court, seeking enforcement of their fundamental human rights to wear hijab .The case is still pending in the state high court of justice. A particularly interesting aspect of CAN’s problem with Ogbeni consists in the allegation that he, in the heat of the campaign for the 2007 election in Iwo, distributed hijab to students in the town. What really is the worth of a serious politician who, confronted with the grim task of soliciting for vote in a catholic enclave, fails to seize the moment to distributed rosaries and images of Virgin Mary! Indeed, fathoming partisanship in all these is not rocket science. For one, the inglorious exercise is nothing more than an attempt to put the whammy on the salient life – changing strides being wrought by Ogbeni administration.

    Landmark economic and infrastructural transformation is alien to the state until Aregbesola came along. In one fell swoop 20, 000 youths got employed. Close to 400 roads spread across the state are getting face-lift. The elderly, the young and the invalid have never had it so good. Educational rebirth, espoused through capacity building of teachers, infrastructural renewal and reclassification of educational segments sits pretty well with the people of the state.

    As the Christian religious body in the state launched its attack on the governor over alleged islamization on one hand, it, on the other, accused the Ogbeni administration of promoting traditional religion “bothering on idolatry and sorcery “. In the account of CAN, the state government refused to officially inaugurate the state chapter of National Inter Religious Council (NIREC) because of the refusal of both Muslims and Christian’s leaders to incorporate traditional religionists into the membership of the body.

    Pray what manner of Islamization would promote traditional religion? Not a few people would attest to the fact that Osun of the Aregbesola era is about the only state in the country where traditional religionists are officially recognized at public functions where they have their prayer slot like the Muslims and the Christians. It is imperative therefore to implore CAN to take steps to promote the subsisting religious harmony in the state rather than stoke embers of faith-based conflagration. The nation already has its hands full.

    • Lawal is Publicity Secretary, Action Congress of Nigeria, Ogun State.

  • FG completes 250,000 tonnes capacity silos in Osun

    FG completes 250,000 tonnes capacity silos in Osun

    The Federal Government on Wednesday said it had completed the construction of 250,000 tonnes capacity silos at Ilesa in Osun.

    Mr Simeon Ajibode, the State Director of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, announced this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Osogbo.

    According to Ajibode, the silos will be used to store excess grains bought from farmers to be released to the public at cheaper price in time of need.

    He added that both farmers and the general public would benefit from the facility and end the fear of grains wastage.

    He urged farmers to use the opportunity to embark on massive cultivation of grains this season, assuring them of ready made market.

    Ajibode said that Federal Government made adequate provision and timely distribution of fertilisers to farmers in the current farming season.

    On loan accessibility, the director said that government had subsidised agriculture loan by eight per cent.

    “ Commercial banks give loan at 16 per cent interest but government will subsidise the loan by eight per cent, which means that farmers will get loan at eight per cent interest.“ he said.

    He said that about two million high yield cocoa seedlings would be distributed to farmers in Osun this year.

    He added that the state Ministry of Agriculture and some private agriculture centres had been financed to produce the seedlings which could bear fruits under two and half years.

    He said about 46,000 farmers registered in the ongoing farmers’ registration in the state, adding that the figure would be doubled at the end of the two weeks period.

  • ‘PDP National Secretary must be from Osun’

    A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain in Osun State, Prince Bola Oyebowale, has said the party’s National Secretary must be picked from the state.

    Speaking with reporters in Osogbo, the state capital, Oyebowale said the post must remain in Osun because the former National Secretary, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, was removed from office.

    He said the state party is blessed with capable leaders, who can fill the vacant position.

    Oyebowale said: “The PDP National leadership should realise that in the Southwest, Osun PDP is the only one that is not factionalised. Osun has many qualified and brilliant party loyalists that can fill the position.

    “It would be unwise for the party to pick the national secretary from another state in the Southwest.”

  • Osun workers suspend strike

    The four-day warning strike ordered by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Joint Negotiating Council (NJC) in Osun State was yesterday suspended.

    The workers suspended the strike around 5pm after an emergency congress at Fakunle Comprehensive High School, Osogbo, which lasted several hours.

    NJC Chairman Mr. Bayo Adejumo said the suspension was to allow negotiation with the state government.

    TUC Chairman Mr. Francis Adetunji urged workers to be patient with the labour leaders, adding that they would continue to demand the full implementation of the minimum wage across board.

    Activities in government establishments were paralysed yesterday, which was the first day of the strike.

    The few workers that reported at their duty posts left when they heard that their colleagues at the congress were coming to chase them out of their offices.

    Many offices in the state secretariat in Osogbo were closed.

    Public primary and secondary school teachers shunned work and pupils had to return home.

    The state government is about to set up a negotiating team to dialogue with labour.

    In its reply to the labour leaders’ letter on March 27, the government, through the Ministry of Human Resources and Capacity Building, said negotiation would begin on April 15.

    The Permanent Secretary, Mr. L.O. Oyeniran, said the team would meet at the Exco chambers by 11am.

    Labour’s representatives on the negotiating team are: Adejumo; Adetunji; NLC Chairman Saka Adesiyan; JNC Secretary R.A. Adeyemi; NLC Secretary G.A. Bolarinwa; the Secretary of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Mr. Segun Netufo; Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service, Technical and Recreation Service Employees (AUPCTRE) Secretary M.A. Adediji and Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) Secretary, Mr. S.O. Koleoso.

     

  • Aregbesola warns against religious violence in Osun

    Aregbesola warns against religious violence in Osun

    Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has warned fundamentalists against using religion to cause confusion and destabilise the state.

    Speaking at the swearing-in of the executive secretaries of the 30 local government areas and one area office in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, he said religion is too sensitive an instrument to use for sectarian violence.

    He said the Yoruba people respect all religions and do not fight over religious affiliations.

    Aregbesola noted that disgruntled elements are sponsoring crisis as well as promoting hatred and division among the people.

    The governor said: “We don’t fight over religion in Yoruba land. Religion is a very sensitive instrument which must not be used to cause chaos and disharmony.

    “Yoruba people respect all religions. They have not and will never fight over religion. Our people will never be influenced by their dastardly act.

    “In all the religions, salvation is personal. It is not collective. Those who want to use religion to destabilise the state will meet their waterloo.”

    Aregbesola pointed out Osun people have seen the difference between the former administration and the current government, which is focused primarily on welfare of citizens.

    He commended the local government secretaries for their performance, organisation and clear thinking.

    He stated that the renewal of the local government bosses’ mandate was informed by the initiation of an unprecedented rural and community developments in collaborations with the councils about eight weeks ago.

     

  • Osun awards N14.7b East bye-pass road contract

    Osun awards N14.7b East bye-pass road contract

    The Osun State Government has awarded the N14.7 billion contract for the construction of the East Bye-pass dual carriage way in Osogbo, the state capital, to Slava Yeditepe Projects Ltd.

    The Special Adviser to Governor Rauf Aregbesola on Works, Mr. Oladepo Amuda, yesterday signed an agreement with the firm on behalf of the government.

    Amuda said the contract covers 18 kilometres, three river bridges ansd traffic signs.

    The road will start from a round about on Iwo road and terminate at another round about near Osogbo Township Stadium.

    The project is to be completed in 12 months.

    Amuda said: “There will be no question of abandonment, as 40 per cent of the contract sum will be paid to the contractor to facilitate speedy and good work.

    “There will be no delay in releasing funds to the firm to avoid a shoddy job. People living on the axis have been compensated and measures have been put in place to preserve underground water and electric cables as well as pipelines.”

    A representative of the firm, Mr. Tony Aihie, assured the government that the work would be delivered promptly and according to specification.