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Tag: Rauf Aregbesola

  • Aregbesola felicitates with Pastor Adeboye at 75

    Aregbesola felicitates with Pastor Adeboye at 75

    The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola  has congratulated The General Overseer of The ‎Redeemed Christian Church of God, (RCCG)‎ Pastor Enoch Adeboye on the occasion of his 75th birthday.
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    Aregbesola in a statement by the Director of Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Office of the Governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon described Papa Adeboye as a truly inspiring leader who has dedicated his life to service in the vineyard of the Lord.

    The Governor also commended the General Overseer of RCCG for his spiritual and prayerful support to the nation’s leadership at all levels.

    “You have lived a truly inspiring life of dedicated service in the vineyard of the Lord. Rising above the limitations of a background of deprivation to thrive in academics before going into full time ministry, the phenomenal growth of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, all clearly testify to God’s hands upon your life and your productive leadership qualities.

    “In these critical times in Nigeria’s developmental history, we need, more than ever before, to seek the face of the Lord. Your readiness at all times to offer spiritual and prayerful support to the nation’s leadership at all levels deserves special commendation.”
    Aregbesola, who prayed for longer life for Adeboye, added,

    “On behalf of my family and the good people of Osun,  I wish you a happy birthday and many more fruitful years ahead.”

  • Osogbo: Traders protest non-completion of market

    Traders at the Orisunbare International Market in Osogbo on Wednesday, staged peaceful protest to demand for the completion of the final phase of the market.

    The traders converged at the market as early as 7 a.m. with various placards one of which read, “We want to meet peacefully with Aregbesola.’’

    They said that having audience with the governor was to notify him of their demands.

    The traders pleaded with the governor to deliver on the promise he made to them to complete the last section of the market in 2016.

    Some of the traders, who spoke with journalists, said they appreciated the governor’s intervention in other sectors of the economy of the state but called on him to shift focus on the market as well.

    The traders also pleaded with the state government to review security charges which they increased from N700 to N 2,500 for securing the stores.

    Addressing the traders on behalf of Gov. Rauf Aregbesola, the Deputy Chief of Staff, Mr Gbenga Akano, promised that the state government would address all their demands but appealed to them to be patient with the government.

     

  • Osun: Assembly passes vote of confidence on speaker

    Osun: Assembly passes vote of confidence on speaker

    Members of the Osun House of Assembly on Thursday passed vote of confidence on the Speaker, Mr Najeem Salaam, over what they described as “his quality leadership style”.

    The assembly members commended the leadership of the house when they appeared before the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation to defend the 2017 budget proposal in Osogbo.

    The N3.2 billion budget proposal was presented to the committee by the Leader of Government Business, Mr Timothy Owoeye.

    In his remarks, Mr Kamil Oyedele, the House Committee Chairman on Finance and Appropriation,  said the manner in which the Speaker had been directing the affairs of the assembly has translated to peaceful coexistence between the executive and the legislative arms of government in the state.

    Oyedele said, “No doubt, the leadership style of Mr Speaker has always propelled members to toll the line of peaceful co-existence with the executive, and this has been translating to development of the state.

    “All these names calling like “rubber stamp”, “Yesso” and the likes are enough to trigger violence in the house, but we are not bothered.

    “We can see that the collaboration with the governor is translating to the development of this state.

    “If they call us different names, we are happy that we rubbers stamp for development and stand for the development of this state.

    “So, we are passing vote of confidence on Mr Speaker and determined to toll the line of peaceful co-existence for the development of our state,” Oyelede said.

    Also speaking, Mr Rasheed Afolabi, the House Committee Chairman on Public Account, said the speaker was a man of peace.

    He also commended Gov. Rauf Aregbesola for cooperating with members of the assembly.

    He said the respect for the autonomy of the assembly was one of such cooperation in a right direction.

    Afolabi said the assembly would not relent in giving support to the governor.

    Mr Tunde Olatunji, the House Committee Chairman on Industries, Commerce, Cooperatives and Youth Empowerment, described the speaker as a man of peace, who is always catering for the interest of other members.

    Olatunji, said members of the assembly would continue to support the speaker, adding that he deserved the vote of confidence passed on him.

    Meanwhile, Mr Segun Olorunsogo, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Economic Planning, Budget and Development, presented a budget estimate of N725.9 million to the assembly.

     

  • Mega schools: APC chieftain lauds Aregbesola 

    Mega schools: APC chieftain lauds Aregbesola 

    An All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Osun State, Benedict Olugboyega Alabi, has lauded Governor Rauf Aregbesola for building mega schools across the state.

    Alabi, who is the president of Osun Ajose Foundation, said the schools have always been a source of joy.

    Alabi enjoined the people to join hands with the government to ensure adequate maintenance of the schools.

    He said: “I am convinced that Osun would have become Dubai if Governor Aregbesola has an access to funds as all and sundry can see the wonders he has been performing even with the limited fund available to his administration”

  • Aregbesola salutes Chief Akande at 78

    Aregbesola salutes Chief Akande at 78

    Gov. Rauf Aregbesola of Osun has described Chief Bisi Akande, former interim Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as an exemplary leader whose courage in public service has helped Nigeria.

    This is contained in a 78th birthday congratulatory message signed by Mr Semiu Okanlawon, the media aide to the governor, in Osogbo on Monday.

    Aregbesola said Nigeria’s political history would be incomplete without adequate mention of the eminent roles played by Akande.

    He said that Akande’s tenure as governor in the state was remarkable, with his selfless service to the people and transparency in governance.

    “Chief Bisi Akande is a democrat of no small status when the history of democratic struggles in Nigeria is written.

    “He was one of those who fought to ensure that the military retreated back to the barracks and he never looked back while the struggle lasted.

    “His emergence as the Governor of Osun in 1999 proved to be one of the best things to have happened to our state.

    “In saluting the courage of this eminent elder statesman, we must not fail to recognise his roles in the conception and actual formation of our party, the APC.

    “Chief Akande demonstrated an uncommon agility and vigour in all the activities leading to the successful birth of our party.

    “Today, Nigerians can heave a sigh of relief from the 16 years of misrule that the PDP represented,’’ Aregbesola said.

    The governor, while praying for a longer life for the politician, said his experience was still much required for the task of building a virile Nigeria.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Akande, a former governor of the state between1999 and 2003, was born on Jan. 16, 1939 in Ila-Orangun.

  • Osun welcomes Buhari, demand ‘Omoluabi’ ethos of indigene

    Osun welcomes Buhari, demand ‘Omoluabi’ ethos of indigene

    The State Government of Osun has urged the people of the state to demonstrate the Omoluabi (virtuous) ethos they have been known for, as President Muhammad Buhari arrives the state on Thursday on a day working visit.
    This is contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy in the Office of the Governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon.
    According to the statement, the President will commission the newly built 3,000 students capacity Osogbo Government High School, Osogbo during the visit.
    It reads in part: “President Buhari’s visit to Osun will be a testimony to the landmark achievements in the almost six years of Governor Rauf Aregbesola as well as the good working relationship between Osun and the Federal Government.
    “From our own corner of this great country, we are poised to set examples on how to solve many of the national social economic and political complications confronting us.
    “The magnificent  Osogbo Government High School President Muhammadu Buhari will be commissioning on Thursday is illustrative of the magnitude of our ideas and interventions in the education sector. We remain unrelenting as we continue our assault on delayed infrastructure in our education sector and all other sectors.
    “We urge the good people of the state to maintain the peace that the state is noted for during and after the President’s visit. We ask them to give a rousing welcome to our amiable President.‎
    ‎“We call on our people particularly the people of Osogbo and it’s environs, to come out in their great numbers and give our President a befitting welcome during his visit to our state.‎
    “Mr. President’s visit is historic because it marks the first official Presidential visit to the state since we assumed office as the Governor of this great state.”
  • EFCC grills petitioners against Aregbesola

    EFCC grills petitioners against Aregbesola

    The Ibadan zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Wednesday grilled members the Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEOS), over the group’s petition against Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, on alleged diversion of federal allocation to local governments in the state.

    The Chairman of the group, Mr. Sulaiman Adeniyi, was grilled by operatives of the commission in Ibadan on Tuesday.

    It was learnt that Adeniyi and his colleagues were invited to clarify some grey areas in the petition.

    The human rights group, in its petition to President Muhammadu Buhari and the EFCC, had alleged that Aregbesola and his aides diverted federal allocation meant for the 30 local governments in the state. It also alleged that most of the projects embarked upon by the governor on behalf of the councils did not exist.

    Based on the petition, the EFCC, through a letter signed by the Zonal Head, Ibadan, Akaninyene Ezima, invited CSCEOS to Ibadan to clarify some areas in the petition against the governor.

    After his meeting with the EFCC officials in Ibadan, Adeniyi commended the anti-graft agency for its ‘credible and unbiased investigation into the alleged council funds diversion by Aregbesola from November 2010 to March 2016’.

    Adeniyi said that the group was told by an official of the anti-graft body, Mr. Richard Adejumo, that the invitation was necessary to know the authenticity of the petition in the cause of their investigation.

    His words: “I urge the anti-graft commission to invite all the affected state and local government officials listed. They include the immediate past Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Kolapo Alimi; Commissioner for Finance and Economic Planning, Mr. Wale Bolorunduro; their permanent secretaries; the then executive secretaries and heads of local government administration; directors of finance and directors of works. No section of the amended 1999 Constitution gives leeway to any governor to divert the allocations accrued to the local governments from the Federation Account through joint account system.

     

  • Osun: EFCC invitation will stop frivolous petitions

    Osun: EFCC invitation will stop frivolous petitions

    The Osun State Government on Monday described as frivolous a petition before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on alleged diversion of local government funds by the Rauf Aregbesola administration.

    The EFCC had last week invited the Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun to its Ibadan office to explain the rationale behind the petition.

    The Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy in the Office of the Governor, Semiu Okanlawon, in a statement, said: “the self-appointed civil society group is a group that had been making bogus claims against Governor Aregbesola and his government without producing evidence to substantiate any of the allegations.

    “For instance, this was the group that accused Governor Aregbesola of embezzling the N34.988bn bailout loan obtained last year as part of Federal Government’s intervention to assist states meet their salary obligations.

    “The same group had accused Governor Aregbesola of borrowing over N750 billion on projects that have not impacted on the socio-economic lives of the people of Osun. The government had also been accused of planning a mass sack of civil servants in the state especially in the wake of the challenges to meet salary obligations by the state. It is instructive that none of these allegations and others from this same group has been proved to be true.”

    The state government described the group as a “dubious two-man contraption masquerading as a pro-people organization.”

    The statement added: “We must remind Nigerians lest they take this group serious at all that Mr. Sulaiman Adeniyi who claims to be the leader of the group and Seun Adeoye, have been no more than two hired hands of the Peoples Democratic Party in Osun and its allied opposition elements.

    “It is pertinent to state that the so-called civil society group is a contraption hurriedly put together by Adeniyi and Adeoye to push the dubious agenda of their sponsors, the humiliated governorship candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Senator Iyiola Omisore and Mr. Segun Akinwusi respectively to blackmail Governor Aregbesola and his government.

    “When all their antics against the Aregbesola government failed, Nigerians must recall how these characters procured the services of a High Court Judge to write a petition with all forms of spurious allegations which they equally failed to defend.”

  • Osun urges Soyinka not to resign as Centre chairman

    Osun urges Soyinka not to resign as Centre chairman

    The Osun State Government has urged Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka to rescind his decision to resign as the Chairman of the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding (CBCIU), Osogbo.

    In a response personally signed by Governor Rauf Aregbesola, the government stated that in the interest of the public and the culture of the people of the state to which Soyinka is passionately committed, he must continue in his capacity as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Centre.

    “Yes, Wole Soyinka has resigned but he himself has conceded the fact that the Governor must accept it.

    “We cannot accept the resignation even though we hold him in the highest of esteem, because of the responsibilities attached to his chairmanship of the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding which is beyond him and even beyond us,” the governor stated.

    “It has to do with the culture and tradition of our race which we believe that the CBCIU is meant to preserve and promote.

    “We call on all people of goodwill to prevail on Prof. Wole Soyinka an international personage of Culture, in the interest of our race, not to go ahead with his decision to resign.”

    The government stated that though the former chairman of the Centre had the vision to build the centre in his capacity then as the Governor of the state, he cannot be the chairman of the Centre in perpetuity as stipulated by the Law establishing the Centre.

  • Osun financial crisis: ‎Aregbesola, lawmakers hold conference

    Osun financial crisis: ‎Aregbesola, lawmakers hold conference

    Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola and the state and national assembly lawmakers are set to meet to proffer an enduring solution to the financial challenges facing the state.

    At a press briefing during the weekend in Osogbo, Osun state capital, a lawmaker, representing Ayedade/Isokan/Irewole federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Mrs. Ayo Omidiran, disclosed that meeting tagged Osun Stakeholders Conference‎ is scheduled to hold Monday.

    Omidiran in company of other lawmakers, including Hon. Ajibola Famurewa, representing Ile East/West and Atakumosa East/West federal constituency, Hon, Mojeed Alabi, repenting Iwo/Ola-Oluwa/Ejigbo federal constituency, and Hon. Bosun Oyintiloye, representing Obokun state, constituency, ‎disclosed that not less than 1000 stakeholders from the state will attend the conference.

    According to her, technocrats, former governors of the state and their deputies, formers speakers of both the national and state House of Assemblies, traditional rulers, labour unions, NGOs, religious leaders, elder statesmen, leaders of the opposition party (PDP), market women among others have been invited to the conference.

    She noted that the National Assembly members under the aegis of Osun Legislators Forum initiated the meeting.

    Omidiran said the conference was necessary following the financial crisis facing the stat over the months as result of incessant industrial actions over non-payment of salaries as well as abandonment of the gigantic projects that the governor has embarked upon to actualise the mega city vision in the state.

    She said: “We realised that the times are very hard for our people in the state. Whatever we are doing in Abuja, if our people are not happy, we too cannot be happy. It then means that the laws we are making won’t make sense. We want to let our people know that we are committed to their wellbeing.

    “The conference will present an opportunity for all stakeholders to hear from the horse’s mouth on how we got to this sorry pass. Governor Rauf Aregbesola will explain in clear terms during his submission the what, when, why and how. He will answer all our questions and lay all his cards on the table.

    “Stakeholders are expected to contribute intellectually through submissions based on facts and experiences so that at the end of the submit, we shall, together, and by the grace of God, proffer lasting solutions to the myriads of problems confronting our dear state.”

    Omidiran also disclosed that the recommendations from the summit would be submitted to the government which has the prerogative for implementation.