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Tag: OSUN

  • Osun celebrates 25th anniversary with calisthenics

    Osun celebrates 25th anniversary with calisthenics

    The 25th anniversary of Osun State was yesterday celebrated with a calisthenic display of a variety of rhythmic movements within different formations and compositions by students from various public schools in the state.

    No fewer than 4,000 of such students participated in the colorful programme.

    The celebration tagged ” Youth Oriented,” was held amidst pomp and ceremony by sons and daughters of the state, who stormed the Osogbo City Stadium.

    Two past military administrators of the state that graced the occasion were Navy Captain Anthony Udofia and Theophilus Oladapo Bamgboye but the first military administrator, Leo Aborisade, Colonel Obi and the likes of Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Chief Adebisi Akande and Chief Adetunji Adeleke, past civilian governors were absent.

    Speaking at the occasion, the state governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, assured that his administration would develop physical, mental and social capability of every individual to make them productive in the society.

    Aregbesola pledged to do all he could to make the state educational programme an outstanding and pace-setting one to distinguish it from other states.

    Also, Lagos State Governor Akinwumi Ambode described Aregbesola’s policies and programmes as people oriented, therefore charging him to maintain the tempo.

    Speaking through his representative, Kehinde Bamgbetan, the governor stated that Aregbesola’s administration had contributed immensely to the growth and development of youths.

    His counterpart from Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, who spoke through his deputy, Mrs. Yetunde Onanuga, described Aregbesola’s programme of action as thrilling and educating.

    He charged people of the state to cooperate with him to fast track the development of the state.

     

  • Success story of Osun’s feeding programme

    Success story of Osun’s feeding programme

    The free feeding and health programmes introduced by the Osun State government to encourage school enrolment, attendance and rate as well as enhance pupils’ health has not only become a model for the federal and state governments, but also a platform for agricultural development  and food production. SINA FADARE reports.

    At the onset, the primary objectives of the free school feeding programme introduced by the Osun State government was aimed at increasing school enrolment, encourage attendance as well as enhance pupils’ health in all public primary schools.

    Farmers appear to be the major beneficiaries of the programme as they embarked on massive food production as well as having ready market for their produce.

    The programme has also enhanced the income of local farmers; thus reducing poverty level as all goods are sourced locally.

    On weekly basis, no fewer than 40 herds of cattle; 10,000 crates of eggs; 20,000 chickens, over 400 metric tons of fish are needed to feed the pupils.

    About 500 unemployed youths were trained and empowered for mass fish production under Osun Fisheries Out-Growers Production Scheme (OFOPS).

    The scheme supplies well over 400 metric tons of fish regularly for the school feeding while cultivation of cocoyam through a cocoyam rebirth programme was also encouraged.

    Over 1,000 cocoyam farmers (selected across the nine federal constituencies) were trained and assisted to mass cultivate pink cocoyam for inclusion in the school feeding menu.

    Today, the number has risen to over 15,000, as more women and young adults have taken to farming; cultivating cocoyam, vegetables, tomatoes and melon.The programme, which began in 2006, has become a success story and indeed a reference model for many states and countries as pupils from kindergarten to primary four in public primary schools are fed daily with balanced foods such as fish, meat, vegetables and fruits that are rich in protein.

    The pupils are de-wormed twice a year. A comprehensive menu which, among other things, would help to develop the brain capacities of the growing children in their formative years was drawn up by stakeholders in the education sector.

    The team argued that a well-fed pupil is likely to be healthy and more attentive in class than those on empty stomach.

    Addressing delegates from all the states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on the school feeding programme, Osun State Deputy Governor, who doubles as the Commissioner for Education under whose supervision the school feeding is carried out, Mrs. Grace Titilayo Laoye-Tomori noted that the programme began in 2006 as one of the 13 pilot states (Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, inclusive).

    She explained that the Aregbesola-led administration extended the beneficiaries of the school feeding programme in 2012 to primary four pupils and rechristened it Osun School Feeding and Health Programme (O-Meals).

    Mrs. Laoye-Tomori maintained that the free meals in public schools has led to sharp increase in enrolment from 155,318 to 194,253 after four weeks of its implementation, saying that currently over 252,000 pupils are being fed while they remain in school until closing time.

    She said: “According to the Federal Bureau of Statistics Report of 2013, Osun State has the highest primary school enrolment rate in the country and the lowest number of children of school age being out of school.”

    Mrs. Laoye-Tomori said that through the programme, the state was able to capture the actual figures of school pupils being fed under the programme which costs the government the sum of N18 million a week.She said a total of 3,007 food vendors were engaged, trained, kitted with uniforms and made to undergo medical screening.

    The vendors, according to her, were given loans to procure cooking utensils and organised into 124 functional co-operative investment and credit societies for effective administrative purposes.

    Mrs. Laoye-Tomori noted that the success of the programme has attracted compliments and accolades from both local and international forums.

    In 2014, the British Parliament invited the Governor Rauf Aregbesola to talk on the implementation of the school feeding programme for which the Parliament praised him.

    She explained that commendation also turned in from government of South Africa which sponsored her visit to the country.

    While praising the delegates for the visit to have a requisite insight into the dynamics of the school feeding programme, Mrs. Laoye-Tomori advised them to sit back and fashion out what will work for their respective states and people.

     

  • Osun: Tackling the menace of female genital mutilation

    Osun: Tackling the menace of female genital mutilation

    With the benefit of hindsight, there was high euphoria across the country when former President Goodluck Jonathan signed the bill outlawing Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) into law on May 5, 2015. In spite of the widespread optimism that the law will save millions of Nigerian girls and women from the myriad health implications of FGM, concerned observers insist that the age-long practice is still very much in existence.

    According to the United Nations Fund for Population (UNFPA), Osun State has the highest prevalence of FGM in the entire South-West geopolitical zone of Nigeria. Mrs Ratidzai Ndhlovu, UNFPA Country Representative in Nigeria, said this at a meeting organised by UNFPA, in collaboration with Shericare Foundation (SCARF), the pet project of the wife of Osun State governor, Mrs Sherifat Aregbesola.

    “The prevalence rate of female genital mutilation in Osun State stands at 76.6 per cent,’’ she said.

    She stressed that all hands must be on deck to eradicate the age-long practice in the state.

    Speaking on the high prevalence of FGM, Mrs Aregbesola, who is an ambassador of the anti-FGM campaign, warned perpetrators of tradition in the state to desist from the act or face the full wrath of the law.

    She vehemently decried the prevalent rate of female circumcision in the state, insisting that urgent efforts should be made to stamp out the practice.

    She moaned that Osun ranked number one on the list of the six states where FGM was most endemic in the country, adding that this compelled her to lead an intensive advocacy against FGM and sensitise the citizens of the state to the dangers of the tradition.

    Aregbesola emphasised that the reasons adduced by those engaging in the removal of external female genitalia were not tenable, adding that the perpetrators were only inflicting unwarranted lifelong trauma on the circumcised females and denying them sexual pleasure.

    “Investigations have revealed that none of the reasons adduced by perpetrators has any link to any medical objective, in which case the genitals of a female child or woman is just altered for a reason not aimed at saving her life.

    “The UNFPA, through a study, has confirmed that the practice of FGM in the endemic states in Nigeria was only anchored on various traditional beliefs and social pressures to conform to culture.

    “Documented studies have found that the health implications of FGM range from dangerous infections arising from unsanitary conditions, in which the practice is carried out, to death through severe bleeding,’’ she said.

    Aregbesola, who described FGM as a violation of fundamental human rights, said that she would ensure that the practice was completely eradicated in the state. Sharing similar sentiments, Dr Kayode Oguniyi, the Director of Primary Health Care and Disease Control, said that the government would henceforth ensure the strict enforcement of the law against FGM in the state.

    He said that it was worrisome that Osun still had the highest prevalence of female genital mutilation in the South West. Oguniyi said that the law prohibiting FGM in Osun, which was signed by Gov. Rauf Aregbesola, stipulated two years imprisonment without an option of fine for anyone caught engaging in the practice.

    “Let me agree that Osun is still one of the places where this old tradition is still being practised.

    “As regards the prevalence of female genital mutilation in the South West, Osun has the highest figure with about 76 per cent.

    “We do not like it and we are working very hard to remove the tradition from our state,’’ he added.

    Oguniyi said that as part of the campaign, the agency was also training some people as anti-female genital mutilation ambassadors in the state. He said that the ambassadors carried out house-to-house campaigns to sensitise people to the ills of the harmful tradition. Medical experts, nonetheless, insist that government at all levels ought to embark on a more aggressive public awareness campaign on the health implications of FGM, while strictly enforcing the law banning the practice.

    Dr Banke Popoola, a gynaecologist, said that since there was an extant law criminalising FGM, offenders should be punished accordingly, adding that such punishments should also be publicised to serve as a deterrent to others. She said that the cruel practice of cutting the clitoris of young females should be discouraged by everyone, particularly those in the rural communities.

    Nevertheless, Dr Grace Adanri, the Research Director, Better Life Africa, called on the government to enforce all laws prohibiting violence against persons, as part of efforts to secure a better future for the Nigerian girl- child. She said that FGM, in some cases, could lead to the opening of passages between the vagina and bladder or anus, thereby triggering Vesico-Vaginal Fistula (VVF), a condition more commonly associated with obstetrics complications such as obstructed labour in teenage pregnancy.

    Besides, Adanri said that there was a possibility of the failure of the wound to heal, leading to excessive growth of scar.

    “This could also lead to hepatitis and other blood-borne diseases, reproductive tract infections, infertility, obstructive labour, painful menstruation and painful sexual intercourse, among several other health issues,’’ she said.

    Adanri said that FGM could as well lead to Recto-Vaginal Fistula (RVF) particularly when “the pelvis and birth canal of the pregnant woman are not fully developed’’. She, however, underscored the need to stage intensive awareness campaigns on the ills of FGM.

    Observers insist that since the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared FGM as a violation of human rights, government should enforce the extant laws on FGM to the letter. They insist that the kind of campaign, which was carried out during the fleeting Ebola crisis in Nigeria some years ago, should be replicated in the campaign against FGM, considering the growing number of affected females.

    “It is, therefore, not be out of place to describe FGM as a heinous crime against womanhood and humanity,’’ some of the observers say.

    • Victor Adeoti is of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

  • Aregbesola’s hidden treasure in Osun

    Everything in life starts with a promise! To the people of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola represents a new generation of leadership who believes he is accountable to the people he’s elected by providence to govern.Mentally sharp and people-focused,he saw an opportunity not only to provide leadership that inspired trust but also the need to leave an extraordinary legacy that would no doubt outlast this generation.  With his patriotic, imaginative and unselfish arrest of the socio-economic root cause of infrastructure poverty which had limited the state’s ability to create wealth, it is obvious that a revolution, which will,in the not too  distant future, change the state of the state, is in the offing and, when it blossoms forth, its glory will shine to the ends of the world.Beyond the shadow of a doubt,his modest performance has to a great degree shown that Nigeria’s politics is not dirty as people are wont to insinuate;only that we have some people in politics whose minds are dirty and that’s not unexpected!

    To start with, Nigerians will agree that the governor has excelled in the construction of mega structures in most of the schools in the state, an indication that the future of education in Osun Stateis taking shape. Though, no one can change the past, one can only advise old students who have hitherto cultivated the habit of leaving without looking back at their alma mater to have a rethink before it is too late, lest they becomes trangers to institutions that opened their ways of thinking and knowing,courtesy of Aregbesola’s mega-schools programme.

    Also worth mentioning is the school feeding programme,now knownas Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme (O-MEALS),initiated by his government, which has become a template forthe Federal Government’s Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF) programme. Added to the list are two libraries he commissionedrecently in Ila-Oragun and Ode-Omu which, again, is a demonstration of his unrivalled passion for the development of education sector in the state. Well, though the results of his inputs intothe sector may not be fast in coming as expected, one can be rest assured that Osun State in the next four to eight years will be a state that everybody will be proud of. After all, success in an examination is a product of many factors!

    Another important area of Aregbesola’s intervention worth mentioning is the appointment of Yusuff Ali as chairman of the Governing Council of Osun State University. In my considered opinion, this thoughtfullyplanned and skilfullyprocessed step is aimed at replicating what AfeBabalolaand Wole Olanipekun did as chairmen of the Governing Councils of University of Lagos and University of Ibadan respectively. No doubt a man of means and contacts, theSenior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) is expected touse his wealth of experience and influence to add value to the citadel of learning with a view to upgrading it to a world class institution inline with the dreams and aspirations of its founding fathers. Of course, this is an innovative departure from the old, somewhat-traditional-yet-unproductive ‘job for the boys’arrangementwhich had oftentimes ended up in appointees needlessly drawing from the institution’s avoidably-lean purse.

    In a similar fashion, the approval nod recently given to the state by theTransmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) forthe proposed construction of a power transmission substation to be located at Dagbolu in Osun Stateis yet another in the series of the administration’s many efforts at strategically repositioning the state as another commercial hub in the South-west while the procurement of security hardware, which has led to a sharpreduction  in crime rate recorded in the state since his inaugurationwas an initiative  which benefitsshould not be overlooked.As a matter of fact, I doubt if the near-completion state of theBisiAkande Trumpet Bridgeat Gbongan wouldn’t have by now shamed cynics.

    Personally, I see Aregbesola as an achieving and engaging governor who is always in touch with his people. His intervention   in the agriculture sector is not only geared towards repositioning the state as the food hub of the South-west, it is also aimed at cushioning any bitter or biting effects of the economic recession currently unleashed on Nigeria, thanks to the global economic meltdown. In the same vein, the new lease of life given to the hitherto moribund Cocoa Products Industry in Ede can be viewed as being in line with his election promise of creating employment opportunities as well as attracting investors to the state. The Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES), through which thousands of youth have been engaged, was another way of helping the people’s lives connect to a cause while the presentation of N1.8bn retirement bond certificates to 266 pensioners in the state was a demonstration of the depth of his love for the state’s civil servants.

    Contrary to some erroneous beliefs, great nations are where they are today because their leaders were prepared to go above and beyond the call of duty to confront situations that at one time or the other attempted to break, threaten or suffocate their countries’ existence.For instance, United States of America’s debt is, as we speak, on the other side of $19tr. Still, America is world’s largest economy and greatest nation. InJune, $10bn of Chicago’s municipal debt  was downgraded by Fitch to ‘one level above junk’about the same time China’s debt had become so “fatal” that experts feared it could destroy the country  if some “timely fashion” actions were not taken to remedy the situation. Notwithstanding, China retains her enviable position as world’s second largest economy while  the Windy Cityis,  at this very moment,America’s  third largest city, with the third largest gross metropolitan product andthe most balanced economy in the United States.

    Coming back to Africa, South Africans were two years ago ranked world’s biggest borrowers. Today, South Africa has beaten Nigeria into second place as Africa’s largest economy.Apparently, had Aregbesola not taken loans at the prevailing interest rates  at the time in question  to turn the fortunes of Osun from a blight of wrongs into a progressive and trailblazing state, I doubt if the situation  wouldn’t have been worse!

    All things considered, even if his actions are sometimes bound to be misconstrued and misinterpreted, this is not to say that the governor might not have made mistakes in the course of discharging his duties. After all, he is human, with all the emotions, weaknesses and failingscharacteristic of the human nature! Seemingly, his major mistakes are default in payment of workers’ salaries and late delivery on projects.Others are neither here nor there!  But these can be excused in that they have assumed a national outlook as a result of current realities. All the same, that Aregbesola has, in spite of his human frailty, remained focused and progressive in his practices, attitudes and approaches is commendable.

    To be fair to good governance,the change we voted for in Osun Statewas a divine platform for the radical transformation of the state from the sleepers and the shadows of the past into the present filled with joy and happiness and a future of hope and fulfilment.

    In the words of Napoleon Hill, “the starting point of all achievement is desire.” According to him, “weak desire” leads to”weak results.” The late President John Kennedy corroborated Hill’s views when he averred that economic growth without social progress is a magic formula for poverty.  Aregbesola’s stridesbring to memoryObafemi Awolowo’s introduction of Free Primary Education schemein Western Region in the 1950s. Controversial and at a considerable cost, Awolowo was initially derided for what would eventually turn out to be an indelible imprint in the annals of education as well as the focal definition of governance in Nigeria and beyond.

    So, for us in Osun State, the journey to socio-economic recovery has just begun and how far the Aregbesola-led administration can go is a different matter entirely. Again, whether or not the governor acts Moses or Joshua on this all-important journey, it needs to be noted that he came at a time the state’s political space was engulfed inthe horrible and deadly danger of  indescribable grief   and  paralyzed potentials.

     

    • Komolafe writes in from Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State.

  • Osogbo is Osun capital, not Ede

    SIR: On August 11, a news story in The Punch newspaper was titled ‘Don’t pit us against Osogbo people, Ede warns Aregbesola’. It contained a press conference held at the palace of Timi of Ede where an indigent group alleged that Ede’s land was being annexed to Osogbo. The group, Federation Council of Ede Descendants Union, through its leader, Chief Moshood Adeleke, alleged that Governor Rauf Aregbesola directed the General Manager of the Osun State Capital Development Authority to rename all government establishments, settlements and communities within the capital territory as belonging to Osogbo.

    To begin with, there is no way any government establishment can be said to belong to Osogbo. If it belongs to government, then, it cannot belong to Osogbo. It is one thing for someone to make a claim, it is another matter for a respected newspaper to slam it on its pages. Happily, other newspapers, including The Nation, did not report it from this adversarial and malicious angle.

    This editorial gaffe notwithstanding, there has been dispute over boundary between Osogbo and Ede, dating back to the precolonial era. When Osun was created in 1991, this rivalry was renewed when Osogbo became the capital.

    The dispute was accentuated when the then governor, now Senator Isiaka Adeleke, who is from Ede, built the state secretariat and the office of the governor in Abeere. This small community is one of the disputed land with Osogbo but which has acquired Ede identity. This gesture gave the people of Ede the false notion that since the seat of government is on Ede land, therefore, Ede is the de facto capital of Osun and should be referred to as being in Ede. They want the seat of government to be referred to as being in Ede and not Osogbo.

    However, this is a constitutional matter. Osogbo is the capital of Osun, it cannot be taken to Ede by a sleight of hand.

    Then came the state capital development authority which by law designated an area as capital territory. This area covers parts of eight Local Governments of Osogbo, Olorunda, Boripe, Ifelodun, Obokun, Atakumosa West, Ede North and Egbedore.

    Apart from the secretariat, other government institutions or government supported projects like Omoluabi Garment Factory have been established in the Ede part of the Capital Territory but the concern of some atavistic elements in Ede is the location name.

    For crying out loud, these elements should be reined in by the Timi of Ede who is a very peaceful man and certainly cannot give his royal blessing to the false accusation against Governor Aregbesola. Our royal father should tell these agitators to stop contending with the law. The state capital is Osogbo and eight local governments are in the capital territory, not Ede alone. The others are happy and praying that development projects will be sited in their land.

     

    • Mike Ogundele,

    Osogbo, Osun State.

  • Osun community alleges plan to annex land

    •It’s not true, says OSCTDA

    The people of Ede in Osun State have alleged a plan by Governor Rauf Aregbesola to annex parts of their land.

    The people, under the aegis of the Federation Council of Ede Descendants, alleged that parts of their community in Ede North and Egbedore Local Governments have been annexed to Osogbo.

    Speaking through their president, Mr. Niyi Adebayo, at a news conference, the community said they would resist “any attempt to encroach on our land in the name of expanding the land of Osogbo, the state capital, through the Osun State Capital Territory Development Authority (OSCTDA)”.

    They urged the governor to have a re-think over the matter, which they warned could lead to violence between the people of Ede and Osogbo communities.

    They said: “Governor Aregbesola has recently directed the General Manager of OSCTDA to rename all government establishments, settlements and communities in areas within the capital territory as belonging to Osogbo.

    “We are calling the attention of the public to the decision of Osun State government to ignite the suppressed tension in the state through its obnoxious and biased decision to annex a large part of Ede North Local Government to Osogbo in disregard of consequence of such volatile policy.

    “Therefore, Ede community views the directive as a slap on our collective integrity and an attempt to personally cause confusion and tension in the state.

    “More so, such a draconian directive has never been implemented since 1991 when Osun was created. It does more harm than good.”

    But the General Manager of OSCTDA and Senior Special Assistant to the Governor, Dr. Asani Morufu Afolabi, said it was not true that Aregbesola mandated his agency to rename any government institution in the capital territory after Osogbo.

    He said what some people failed to understand was that there “is a difference between Osogbo as a capital city and other parts of the state recognised by law as capital territory”.

    According to him, there are parts of eight council areas – Osogbo, Olorunda, Boripe, Ifelodun, Obokun, Atakumosa West, Ede North and Egbedore local governments – designated as the capital territory.

    He added that the territory was not limited to parts of only Ede community, assuring that the operation of the OSCTDA was to ensure that people comply with the development principles of the government to avoid future conflict among communities.

  • Osun monarchs urge sustained tight security

    Monarchs under the aegis of the Osun Divisional Conference of Obas have urged the government and law enforcement agencies to strengthen intelligence gathering with a view to sustain the state’s record of very low crime rate.

    They said recent cases of kidnaping of monarchs should be dealt with decisively by the police to put an end to it.

    The traditional rulers spoke in a communique signed by its secretary, the Aragbiji of Iragbiji, Oba Abdul-Rasheed Olabomi, at the end of their meeting at the Palace of the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun.

    The monarchs urged the police to intensify efforts in securing the country.

    They lauded the effort of the Aregbesola-led administration in providing logistics and equipment to combat crime in the state .

    The obas urged the government not to relent in ensuring that crime rate that had been hitherto low did  not increase.

    The Aregbesola government had in 2012 and 2014 released 20 modern Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), over 100 patrol vans and bikes for the use of the police.

    “Conference appreciates the developmental efforts of Aregbesola . Obas call on the government and law enforcement agencies to  step up intelligence with a view to making the state inhabitable for criminals.

    “Intelligence gathering and community policing should be adopted to reduce crime in Osun and Nigeria as a whole,” the monarchs emphasised.

  • Monarch hails Grand Oak for supporting Osun Osogbo Festival

    Monarch hails Grand Oak for supporting Osun Osogbo Festival

    The Ataoja of Osogbo, the Osun State capital, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun, has hailed a major sponsor of Osun Osogbp Festival, Grand Oak Limited, for its continued support for the festival.

    At the presentation of the company’s products, including Seaman Schnapps, Regal and Lord’s Dry Gins at his palace, Oba Olanipekun also expressed happiness at his Appeal Court victory in Akure, the Ondo State capital, on July 22.

    The monarch said this year’s festival, which began at the weekend, would be celebrated with funfair.

    He blessed the company, which he described as a true partner in progress.

    Oba Olanipekun said: “I am extremely happy for this day. This is my first outing after my victory at the Appeal Court in Akure on July 22. The victory, no doubt, will make this year’s Osun festival remarkable in all ways. My victory has made it clear to everyone that it is only God Who enthrones and dethrones.”

    Grand Oak’s Category Manager Olayinka Amuwo said the company valued traditions and cultures, adding that it would continue to feature prominently in major festivals across the country.

    The manager noted that Grand Oak had been partnering the organisers of Osun Osogbo festival, which he said had put Nigeria on the world tourism map.

    Also, the festival’s consultant Ayo Olumoko said this year’s festival would be unique, despite the economic crunch and technical recession.

    He said many of the corporate organisations were supporting the event in many ways.

    Olumoko said the main aim of the event was to celebrate and project the distinct African value and culture to other African countries and beyond.

    The consultant said Osun Osogbo Festival would today organise a symbolic ritual for cleansing the town, called “Iwopopo”.

    According to him, the organisers will ensure the safety of life and property before, during and after the event.

  • Osun gets TCN’s approval to build power station

    Osun gets TCN’s approval to build power station

    OSUN State’s efforts at industrialisation has received a boost as the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) approved its plan to construct a power transmission substation.

    The transmission company gave the approval in a letter addressed to the government, titled: ‘Re: Request for Permit to Construct Transmission Line and Substation at Proposed Dagbolu International Market, Dagbolu, Osun’.

    It  approved that the power transmission infrastructure be located in Dagbolu to catalyse industrial growth similar to Ikeja and Oluyole industrial parks of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo era.

    The letter, dated April 11, 2016 and signed by the General Manager (Design and Standard) TCN, Mr. Ademola Afolabi, said with the approval, the state would be in strategic economic position as another commercial hub in the Southwest.

    The approval came without a cost to the state.

    TCN noted that the Bill of Engineering Measurement and Evaluation (BEME) document submitted by the state was found to be in conformity with TCN’s standard bidding document, which facilitated the subsequent approval.

    The letter stated that the location of national grid in Osogbo and the approval of new power transmission would attract investors to the state.

    He noted that industries with huge energy consumptions would prefer a state like Osun with constant power supplies.

    TCN stated that citing such industries in the state would create huge job opportunities.

    The company added that the nearness of the state’s commercial hub to railway line would foster economic activities and reduce cost of transportation in the production chain.

    The approval letter reads in part: “With this and lucky presence of the only national grid in Osogbo, the state can attract industries, especially heavy industries such as steel, chemical, paints, etc.

    “The beauty of such heavy industries’ localisation is that they are heavy employers of labour and high contributors to the internally generated revenue of the state.

    “The Dagbolu, Osun hub is adjacent to the rail line and such location, therefore, reduces the cost of production associated with energy and transportation.”

     

  • Osun sues 18 banks over environmental charges

    Osun sues 18 banks over environmental charges

    Eighteen commercial banks have been sued by Osun State before the law court over refusal to pay their environmental developmental charges.

    Waste Management Board General Manager Alhaji Ganiyu Oyeladun, who made this known at a news conference in Osogbo, the state capital, warned residents against dumping refuse on the main roads.

    He warned that the government would arrest whosoever caught violating the order and would be prosecuted accordingly.

    Oyeladun, who said it was an offence for residents to dump refuse on the main road, explained that the government took the decision to let the roads be free of garbage and refuse.

    He warned people living by river banks against dumping refuse in the river to avoid heavy flooding that could lead to disaster.

    He added that the agency had made available 61 refuse trucks and divided the state into cluster areas for effective dumping of refuse.

    The general manager added that local government areas have their dumping sites, urging people to do their best to make the state and their environment regularly clean.