All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirant for the House of Representatives in the Ila/Ifedayo/Boluwaduro Federal Constituency, Hon. Adeniyi Ismail Oluwatosin has rejoiced with Muslims across his constituency on the occasion of Eid-el-Kabir.
In his message, Adeniyi called on constituents to show more care for their neighbours and extend charity to all in the spirit of Eid-el-Kabir.
He emphasised the importance of embodying the lessons of faith and sacrifice recalling the story of Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son, Ismael, in obedience to the Almighty Allah.
Adeniyi further called on the Muslim community to embrace love and peaceful coexistence among people of diverse backgrounds, including different religions, political affiliations, and ethnic groups.
He emphasised that fostering unity and harmony is crucial for the nation’s progress. Chief Adeniyi encouraged Muslims to engage in acts of cheerful giving, particularly towards the less privileged.
He noted that providing succor to those in need is not only a moral duty but also a path to receiving more blessings from the Almighty Allah.
According to him: “Eid-el-Adha is a time for reflection and a reaffirmation of our faith in Allah. As we celebrate, let us remember the lessons of sacrifice and strive to live in harmony with one another Giving to those in need is a powerful way to seek Allah’s favor and blessings.
“My message resonates with the core values of Eid-Kabir, encouraging the Muslim community to uphold the principles of faith, love, unity, and charity during this festive period and beyond.”
Three persons died yesterday in a road crash in Aagba Town, Boripe Local Government Area of Osun State.
The Nation gathered that the accident involved a private Toyota Camry with plate number AKD 810 QX and a motorcycle carrying the three deceased.
It was learnt that the incident occurred around the Palace of Alaagba of Aagba at 2:50 PM while a motorcycle which had three people on it was crushed to death by a driver who fled from the scene immediately.
An eyewitness named Shina told The Nation that “the driver of the car was overspeeding with his Camry pencil when he crushed those on the bike and they died immediately.
He ran and left the car at the scene. Before we knew it, unknown people removed the plate number of the car.”
Similarly, another accident occurred at Sekona town in Ede South Local Government Area of Osun State where an 18-seater Hummer bus with registration number— Lagos AGL- 664- BH had head-on collision with a Fiat van along Gbongan/Osogbo road.
It was gathered that the driver of the bus dozed off which caused him to veer off his lane to collide with the van.
The spokesperson of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Osun Command, Kehinde Adeleke, confirmed the accidents.
She explained: “Three people were killed in the Aagba town accident and the driver fled the scene, while 22 travellers were injured at the accident which occurred in Sekona.”
Tragedy struck in Aagba Town, Boripe Local Government area of Osun State when three died on Sunday in a road crash.
The Nation gathered the accident involved a private Toyota Camry with plate number AKD 810 QX and a motorcycle carrying the three deceased.
It was learnt the incident occurred around the Palace of Alaagba of Aagba by 2:50pm while a motorcycle by a driver who fled from the scene immediately.
An eyewitness Shina told The Nation: “The driver of the car was over speeding with his Camry pencil when he crushed those on the bike and they died immediately.
“He ran and left the car at the scene. Before we know it, unknown people removed the plate number of the car.”
Another accident occurred at Sekona town in Ede South local government area of Osun State where an 18-seater Hummer bus with registration number— Lagos AGL- 664- BH had head-on collision with a Fiat van along Gbongan/Osogbo road.
It was gathered that the driver of the bus dozed off which caused him to veer off his lane to collide with the van.
When contacted, the spokesperson of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps(NSCDC), Osun Command, Kehinde Adeleke confirmed the accidents.
She explained: “Three people were killed in the Aagba town accident and the driver fled the scene, while 22 travellers were injured at the accident which occurred in Sekona.”
A philanthropist and founder of K. B. Professor Kunle Buraimoh has supported one hundred Junior Secondary School students of Olutimehin Grammar School, Osogbo with N250,000 to cover their examination fee.
In his address at the presentation of the cheque to the school, the Chairman, Parents/Teachers Association of the school, Alhaji Sulaiman Afariogun appealed to wealthy Nigerians to support education so as to give indigent students a headstart in life and drastically reduce the growing number of out-of-school children in the country.
Afariogun commended the Foundation for supporting 100 students with the funds to pay for their Unified State Examination.
He noted that the Olutimehin family after which the school was named has given tremendous support to the students to ensure that they experience a conducive learning environment.
“It was Chief Jimoh Buraimoh, the father of the promoter of the K. B. Foundation, who fought for the naming of the school Olutimehin Grammar School in honour of their progenitor. Aside from this support, they are giving today, they have bought a power generator for the school before. I can only commend them so that they can do more because there is a reward before God for doing good,” he noted.
The Chairman enjoined the students to take full advantage of the kind gesture of the Foundation and is determined to see that they complete their basic education, noting that if there had been financial support like this during his own time, he would have gone far in his educational attainment.
Spokesperson of the K.B. Founder, Toyin Ajayi, described the promoter of the Foundation, who is a professor of Cyber security, as someone passionate about the development of education in the country.
The Osun State government has enrolled about 244,000 residents into the Osun Health Insurance Scheme (OHIS).
Executive Secretary of the agency, Dr Rasaq Akindele, said 13,462 enrollees are from the informal sector.
He said: “The total enrollee is 244,000. As at today, 13,462 are from the informal sector, compared to the less than 4,000 we met on ground. Osun has about five million people and our aim, in the next five years, is to enroll four million residents.”
Akindele, who highlighted benefits of health insurance, said the agency has carried out four renal surgeries on compassionate grounds.
He lamented that OHISA is the only one in the country without partners, and added that efforts are on to bring partners to assist the scheme.
He also said the agency is working to ensure People with Disabilities (PWDs), expectant mothers, among others, are enrolled. It is also compulsory for intending pilgrims to register their families before embarking on the journey, he added.
According to Akindele, enrollees from the informal sector would pay N12,066 annually under the premium package, while pensioners were enrolled for freely. For civil servants, 1.5 per cent of the fee is deducted from their salary while government pays the balance.
Osun Development Foundation celebrate founding fathers at a Lagos gala
The ‘who is who’ in Osun State and their friends recently gathered in Lagos to celebrate Osun Development Association, its founding fathers and young trailblazers and chart way forward. Gboyega Alaka reports.
It was a gathering of the crème of Osun State recently, as Osun Development Association (ODA) held a Grand Reception and Honours Event to celebrate founding members as well as inaugurate a Council of Elders and induct new members and thought leaders.
The event, which took place at the Radisson Blu Hotel, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos, was chaired by no other than Oonirisa, Oba Adeyeye Babatunde Ogunwusi (Ojaja II) who doubled as Father of the Day.
And though it took him time to arrive, having been engrossed in a seven-day seclusion ritual to, according to him, mark the Yoruba New Year Day, the Ooni, resplendent in his all white attire and royal beads, lit up the occasion with his sassy comments, rendition of Yoruba history and even presented awards and took photographs with virtually everyone.
The Chief Host was Dr. Segun Aina, who also delivered the welcome address, seized the opportunity to remind the audience that the founding fathers of Osun Development Association (ODA), namely: Prof. Olu Aina, Chief Inaolaji Aboaba, Prince Tunde Ponnle, Late Chief Benjamin Adigun and Late Prince Duro Oyinlola and Late Tunde Odetola; not excluding Lt. Gen Alani Akinrinade (Rtrd) and Engr. Mrs. Joanna Maduka, were the reason for the august gathering, while Dr. Seye Adeyeye, DG, Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN Commission) delivered a resounding keynote address on: Pioneering Progress: A Blueprint for Sustainable development in Osun State.
Otunba Lai Oriowo representing the Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Jackson Adeleke, delivered His Excellency’s address.
Be on the table and not on the menu – Adelusi-Adeluyi
Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, President, Ugbimo Ure Ekiti and a friend of the state, in a goodwill message, drew the similarities between Osun and Ekiti, citing their proximity to each other, the fact that Osun River, through which the state derived its name and upon which it has so leveraged, takes roots from Ekiti State and the fact that ODA is a replica of the Ugbimo Ure Ekiti. While appreciating the vision and works of the founding fathers of ODA, saying all those to be honoured on the night, both dead and living were deserving of it, Adelusi-Adeluyi said very few associations in Nigeria had achieved what it had achieved.
He drew attention to the fact that “the most respect traditional ruler in Yoruba-land, leading professionals, some of the wealthiest, even some big people in Lagos, it is the Osun in them that is driving them.”
He pointed out that both Osun and Ekiti are being under-marketed and called for more concerted efforts, including that both should develop leaders and “ensure that we are on the table and not be on the menu”.
Governor Adeleke in his speech, acknowledged the efforts of associations like the ODA, noting that “non-governmental groups are important partners whose expertise, resources and networking strengths are required to back up state institutions in health, education, economic growth, digital economy and several other areas. We are therefore open to partnership to deliver on our five point agenda as a state government.”
He reeled out the states Five-point agenda as- “workers’ welfare, financial inclusion, localisation, people centered infra upgrade, social sector upliftment and agro-industrialisation.”
He stated that his administration’s programmes are predicated on strict need assessment across the three Senatorial District, while demonstrating high degree of transparency and accountability.
“I ensure our contractors have no kickbacks to pay and they work with an eye to deliver the public good. The zero tolerance for corruption is combined with an ambitious infra agenda that is accompanied with a soft infra focus so that as we are building the roads, we are also building the people,” the Governor stated.
Delivering the keynote address, Dr Oyeleye, who did not forget to mention how he was conscripted into the herculean task by Dr Tunji Olugbodi, said the list of honorees on the night was a testimony that Osun State is blessed “with a rich list of high achievers – people who rose to greatness on the launching pad of integrity, commitment, foresight and hard work;” and therefore challenged the “group to make it a priority to nurture and mentor indigent indigenes of Osun State to become other high achievers like their esteemed members.”
He stated that the title of his address was chosen as “a call to action – a challenge to chart a new course, to move beyond mere rhetoric, and to harness the immense potential that Osun State holds for growth and prosperity.”
Osun at a Glance
Reviewing Osun State at a glance, Oyeleye said the current debt per capital was N33,266, while the state’s IGR per capita stood at N5,185, which meant that the state had limited ability to raise its own revenue and reduce dependence on federal allocations.
He further stated that “The capital expenditure (capex) per capita is relatively low at ₦5,700, which implies that the state may be struggling to invest adequately in infrastructure and development projects.”
The implication of this, he said is that “of a state that is incapable of investing in its own future, in critical infrastructure and development projects that are essential for long-term growth.”
He proceeded to analyse the revenue sources of the state, which showed that the state relied more on external funding, which he said underlined the reason the states infrastructure such as health and education were in parlous state.
Oyeleye therefore challenged the esteemed audience: “My dear elders of Osun State, we must ask ourselves: “How can we, as a collective of non-partisan elders, thought leaders, technocrats, and top professionals, drive the transformative change that our beloved state so desperately needs? This is why I titled my speech “pioneering progress”. We must challenge ourselves to lay the foundation for the sustainable development of Osun State, irrespective of which political party is in power.”
The event also witnessed the recognition of young trailblazers like Foluso Gbadamosi, a digital transformation consultant and Kola Aina, a venture capitalist and founding partner at Ventures Platform.
Former chairman, Iwo West Local Council Development Area in Osun State, Tajudeen Babatunde, and five others were yesterday sentenced to four years‘ imprisonment for destroying a farmland.
Babatunde was sentenced alongside an an octogenarian, Kasumu Arohunfesu, Sunday Ajoko, Kohonu Deboye, Adeoye Alabi and Jonas John yesterday by an Osun State Magistrate Court sitting in Osogbo.
The prosecutor from Ministry of Justice, Mikaheel Idris, who represented the complainant, the Oosa Olaniyi family in Iwo, said the convicts conspired with others, now at large, on or before February 16, 2019, at Ayigbiri Orupekere Farm, Iwo, to commit a felony; to wit, damage, thereby committed an offence contrary to the law.
He said they destroyed 400 palm trees and other economic trees valued at N10 million and burnt the farm.
While delivering the judgment yesterday, the presiding Magistrate, Abimbola Famuyide, convicted the defendants, noting that the case against them has been proved beyond reasonable doubt.
Meanwhile, the counsel to the convicts, Laide Yekini, urged the court to temper justice with mercy on his clients by giving them an option of a fine.
Famuyide thereby sentenced each of the convicts to four years on counts one and four, and two years each on counts two and three.
She considered the age of Arohunfesu and gave him an option of fine of N80,000 to avoid going to prison. She directed the complainant to approach the court of competent jurisdiction for compensation, restitution or appeal.
A former chairman of Iwo West Local Council Development Area in Osun state, Tajudeen Babatunde and five others have been sentenced to four years imprisonment over the destruction of farmland.
Babatunde was sentenced with an octogenarian man, Kasumu Arohunfesu, Sunday Ajoko, Kohonu Deboye, Adeoye Alabi and Jonas John on Thursday by an Osun State Magistrate Court sitting in Osogbo.
The prosecutor from the Ministry of Justice, Mikaheel Idris represented the complainant, the Oosa Olaniyi family in Iwo, during the arraignment, said the convicts were said to have conspired with others, now at large, on or before the 16th day of February 2019, at Ayigbiri Orupekere farm, Iwo, to commit a felony; to wit damage and committed an offence contrary to the law.
He said they destroyed 400 palm trees and other economic trees valued at N10 million before burning the farm.
While delivering the judgement on Thursday, the presiding Magistrate, Abimbola Famuyide, convicted the defendants, noting that the case against them has been proved beyond any reasonable doubt.
The counsel to the convicts, Laide Yekini, urged the court to temper justice with mercy on his clients by giving them an option of a fine.
Famuyide sentenced each of the convicts to four years on counts one and four, and two years each on counts two and three.
She considered the age of Arohunfesu and gave him an option of N80,000 to avoid going to prison. She also directed the complainant to approach the court of competent jurisdiction for compensation, restitution or appeal.
The Executive Secretary of the Osun State Agency for the Control of AIDS (O’SACA), Dr. Adeniyi Oginni, has disclosed that no fewer than 50,000 people are living with HIV in the state.
This is just as the agency commenced distribution of preventive tools to the stakeholders in Osogbo on Tuesday, June 4.
Ogini appealed to the people living with HIV to come out for tests.
He explained that the distribution of the commodities to all the 31 Local Agency for the Control of AIDS (Laca Managers), Network of People Living with AIDS (NEPWHAN), Implementing partners, CBOs working on HIV, Civil Society working on HIV/AIDS (CiSHAN) and some ART clinics in the state, was part of efforts of Governor Ademola Adeleke to stop further spread of the disease.
He said: “About 50,000 people are still living with HIV in Osun with 28,000 of them already receiving treatment. Available statistics show that the prevalence of HIV in Osun state is 0.9%. With an estimated population of 5.2 million people, this translates to about 50,000 persons living with the virus in the state.
“28,000 of them are already on treatment for HIV. There are still so many that have not come out to be tested. What we are saying is to let people come out to be tested. If you know your status, you will start treatment immediately and you will get to a level where you are no longer a threat to yourself or the community.”
Authored by a prominent Nigerian columnist, Olakunle Abimbola, the book chronicles the administration of the former Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, and the ideological inclinations that directed his approach to governance.
Abimbola has written under his weekly column “Republican Ripples” in The Nation Newspapers since 2007.
The sub-title of the 466-page book: “An African Guide to Grassroot Politics and Development.”
Published by Safari Books, with the Foreword written by Prof. Wale Adebanwi, the book is a two-part publication: Part One, Oranmiyan; and Part 2: Renaissance.
“Since Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his Action Group (AG) government of the Western Region (1952-1959), no government, federal of state, has done what Goverenor Rauf Aregbesola did, during his eight-year tenure in Osun, South-West Nigeria. It was a total and comprehensive development, across different Osun demographics,” the Blurb says.
The book details Aregbesola’s incursion into the Osun politics; his government’s acclaimed development policies and programmes; and its many controversies.
Regrettably, the Blurb rues: “…by a conspiracy of peer envy and bad politics, most of these policies and programmes were pared down, if not outright abandoned. For that, Aregbesola’s All Progressive Congress (APC) paid a hefty price in subsequent electoral losses, though bitter partisans, still even more bitterly, argue about who was responsible for that debacle, including Aregbesola’s own role in it all.”
A date will be announced in due course when the book will be presented to the public.
