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Tag: Semiu Okanlawon

  • Discipline: Osun set to deploy 600 education marshalls

    Discipline: Osun set to deploy 600 education marshalls

    In its bid to restore sanity to the education system and enhance teaching and learning process in all the public schools across the state, the Government of the State of Osun is set to deploy 600 Education Marshalls to all public schools in the state.

    The scheme, when fully constituted, will help curb all forms of indiscipline and moral decadence among pupils and staff of public schools.

    The Bureau of Communication and Strategy in the office of the governor, in a statement on Monday, quoted the Executive Chairman, Osun Education Quality Assurance and Morality Enforcement Agency, Dr. Isiaka Owoade as saying that the state would launch the discipline team as part of efforts to eliminate the human factors that always hamper the smooth process of teaching and learning in the schools.

    The statement signed by the Director of the Bureau, Semiu Okanlawon, quoted Owoade as stating the decision was taken to ensure quality assurance for all in the education system so as to complement the huge investment made by the state in education sector.

    Owoade, who identified gross indiscipline, moral decadence and nonchalant attitude among students and teachers as factors militating against educational growth and development, said no effort would be spared to achieve high sense of discipline and bring out the best in every pupil and student of public schools in the state.

    He attributed an act of indiscipline between and among staff, pupils and students as one major factor that has been proven to affect educational outcomes negatively in the state.

    According to him, it is crystal clear that the present administration in the state has invested huge sums of money in education infrastructure, teacher recruitment and training.

    “But one major factor that has been proven to affect educational outcomes negatively is indiscipline among both the staff and students.

    Related Post: Meet new Osun education marshalls

    “So, it is however very important that the human factors that affect learning and teaching be attended to in order for the investment in education to yield positive results.

    “In order to accomplish this, our agency which is being saddled with the task of ensuring that the teachers perform maximally and that the standard of teaching is high resolved to take this decisive action to return our schools to the path of greatness.

    “We have a core of trained Education Quality Assurance officers that will see to it that the students imbibe the right kind of attitude to maximise educational accomplishment,” he stressed.

    The Chairman of the agency said the Marshals will be organised as foot patrol teams to monitor the streets to discourage truancy, loitering and other forms of anti-social behaviours by public school students when they are supposed to be in their schools.

    “The Marshals will follow up on any accosted pupils to his/her homes and/or schools. The Marshals will also patrol individual schools to assess and report on the disciplinary tone of the environment.

    “Points to monitor and report on in schools include unattended classrooms, students loitering and whether meaningful teaching and learning are taking place.

    “The overall objective of the scheme is to help government and the school authorities maintain discipline and enhance teaching and learning,” he added.

    Owoade disclosed that the Marshals would be trained with relevant sections of The Child Rights Act; basic children psychology (how to deal with difficult children), the various manifestation of indiscipline, ethical issues in dealing with children as well as how to relate with the other law enforcement agencies.

  • Osun doctors protest unpaid salaries, poor health facilities

    Members of Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Osun Chapter, on Thursday staged a peaceful protest in Osogbo over unpaid salaries and poor healthcare facilities in state-owned health institutions.

    The doctors, who carried placards, marched from the association’s secretariat on Gbogon/Ibadan Road to the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park in Osogbo, and sang anti-government songs.

    Dr Tokunbo Olajumoke, the NMA Chairman in the state, told newsmen that the state government owed doctors two years arrears of salaries.

    Olajumoke also said that government was imposing heavy task on the doctors in spite of the fact that they were not well paid.

    The NMA chairman said the doctors could no longer meet their financial obligations because of the unpaid salaries.

    Olajumoke said there were no drugs in all public hospitals in the state.

    He urged Gov. Rauf Aregbesola to ensure the payment of the arrears of their salaries without delay to avoid the wrath of doctors and its consequences.

    Reacting to the protest, Mr Semiu Okanlawon, a media aide to Aregbesola, said the state government remained committed to the welfare of workers, including doctors.

    Okanlawon said the state government had developed the most ingenious formula for satisfying the needs of its workforce within the limit of available resources.

    He said the health sector in the state had witnessed a huge improvement in the last seven years under the leadership of Aregbesola.

  • Aregbesola to set up panel to probe Adeleke’s death

    Aregbesola to set up panel to probe Adeleke’s death

    Gov. Rauf Aregbesola of Osun has said  the government would  set up a panel to probe the cause of the sudden death of Sen. Isiaka Adeleke,

    Aregbesola made this promise in a statement by Mr Semiu Okanlawon, his media aide.

    The statement sounded more like a tribute by Aregbesola to the departed senator, who also happened to be his neighbour in Ikeja, Lagos.

    He described Adeleke as a man of peace, who he said defected from the Peoples Democratic Party ahead of the August 2014 governorship poll in the state because he could not stand violence.

    According to the governor, the state government  had planned a befitting state burial for the late politician but was scuttled by some person ” crying more than the bereaved” who unleashed terror on dignitaries, who came to honour the departed soul.

    “Senator Adeleke was a man of peace. He preached peace and lived it through his life.

    “He left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) because he could not stand violence.

    “This was after he was beaten up by some leaders of the PDP during a meeting in a hotel in Osogbo.

    “It is a profound irony and most unfortunate therefore that a few disgruntled elements purporting to protest his death desecrated his funeral with violence and attacks on innocent persons.

    “They dishonoured him and did his memory a great disservice by keeping his friends, political associates and well-wishers away from his burial.

    “The best we could do in the circumstance was to declare three days of mourning throughout the state and fly national, state and our party’s
    flags at half-staff in his honour.

    “The State Government of Osun, using the instrumentality of the law, is setting up an inquest to unravel the circumstances of this unfortunate and sad incident, in order to put the record straight on his death.

    “He is irreplaceable in our hearts.  We commiserate with his family, the good people of Ede, associates, friends, constituents and generality of our people on the passage of this patriot.

    “As we pray for the repose of his soul, we equally pray for the strength to bear this heavy loss”.

    Adeleke, who was representing Osun West Senatorial District, died on April 23.

  • Tinubu remains pathfinder of a rare breed – Aregbesola

    Tinubu remains pathfinder of a rare breed – Aregbesola

    The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, on Tuesday described former Governor of Lagos State and a national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as one rare breed of a pathfinder.

    Aregbesola, saluting Tinubu on the occasion of his 65th birthday (which comes up today Wednesday) said history has already recorded the former Governor as having found ways where there were none and created opportunities for humanity where many did not see any.

    The Osun Governor’s message signed by the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Office of the Governor, Mr Semiu Okanlawon, recognised Tinubu’s immense contributions to the political and economic growth of Nigeria and indeed Africa.

    It said that Lagos began to emerge as a truly habitable state after what he described as “Tinubu’s mega-development vision” adding that the success story of Lagos has rubbed off on South-West, Nigeria and indeed, the whole of Africa.

    Aregbesola said Tinubu’s capacity for talent hunt and leadership recruitment are unparalleled adding that his unique ability to spot the best hands for crucial assignments have elevated him to that pedestal of rare leader of men.

    “Today, we are celebrating a giant pathfinder; one whose contributions to Nigeria’s political and economic growth have provided development scholars serious models for academic studies.

    This is one Nigerian politician whose politics is known to have impacted heavily on humanity. From Lagos where God used him for the emergence of a new state, to Nigeria as a whole and indeed, the continent of Africa where his influence continues to be felt, Tinubu manifests in our lives in all ramifications,” the statement said

    The Governor prayed for a longer life for Tinubu just as he expressed the wish that his visions of a greater Nigeria and indeed, the Black race would continue to blossom.

  • Osinbajo, a selfless leader, Law reform advocate – Aregbesola

    Osinbajo, a selfless leader, Law reform advocate – Aregbesola

    • Felicitates with Acting President at 60

    Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has joined other prominent Nigerians to felicitate with the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, as he clocks 64. 

    Aregbesola, in a state statement by the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Office of the Governor, Mr Semiu Okanlawon, described Osinbajo as a judicial revolutionary whose contributions to the administration of justice have changed the face of the judiciary in Nigeria.

    He said when the accounts of law reforms in Nigeria are given, Osinbajo’s robust contributions would continue to be a source of reference.

    Describing him as one prominent promoter of selfless leadership, Aregbesola said Osinbajo’s trajectory of service to the people has seen him taking up worthy causes for no personal gains as long as they serve humanity well.

    “In public and personal lives, Prof Osinbajo has demonstrated that the most worthy service is that carried out for the good of fellow human beings even for no personal gains and comfort,” Aregbesola noted.

    Recalling his roles in the pioneering efforts of Lagos State in law reforms, the Osun Governor, who served along Osinbajo when the later was the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State, said the face of Judiciary did not remain the same after eight years of Osinbajo’s intensive reforms as the Chief Law Officer.

    “Today, it is gratifying to note that his pioneering efforts in that sector have influenced in no small dimension, similar reforms in other parts of the country. This is one crucial aspect of our national life as a people where the acting President has had a tremendous impact.  

    He said the Vice President has demonstrated that he is a man of the people, always identifying with the grassroots across the country.

    The statement read further, “On this occasion of your birthday, I join you and your immediate and political families in celebrating the abundant grace of God in your life.

    “Your life has been an eventful one dotted by numerous achievements and accomplishments.

    “Nigeria has benefited immensely from your fountain of knowledge, a wealth of experience, and leadership acumen. 

    “The remarkable impact you have made in all spheres of human endeavour remains a reference point.”

    “You are indeed a cerebral academic per excellence, a judicial revolutionary; stabilising force; a bridge-builder, an embodiment of and astute observer of the rule of law.

    “This is so that you can continue to make significant contributions to the overall development of our country, Nigeria in general.

    “On behalf of the government and the people of Osun, I congratulate you on the attainment of this age.”

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  • Do things differently, Aregbesola urges youth

    Do things differently, Aregbesola urges youth

    The Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has urged youths to do things differently in order to make their mark quickly in the society.

    Aregbesola gave the advice in a statement by his media aide, Semiu Okanlawon, made available to newsmen in Osogbo on Thursday.

    “We are focusing on youths in this state; we engage them and discuss regularly on things that affect them.

    “No government will neglect people of this age bracket because they are very central and critical to the society.

    “That is why we provide for them to participate in one way or another in our programmes and policies.

    “Youths are crucial to governance because of the huge deposit of potential they have to actualise things easily.

    “All I want to advise them to do is to be creative and innovative in whatever they engage in.

    “It is by doing things differently that they can quickly make their marks in the society,“ he said.

    Aregbesola said his administration had provided different avenues for youth engagement in governance.

    According to him, such avenues include the creation of Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES) and Youth Empowerment Scheme –Technology (OYESTECH).

    He said his administration had also established the Osun Job Centre, as a way of creating a database of unemployed youths across the state, so as to train them to be employers of labour.

    The governor urged youths in the state to take advantage of the opportunities to develop themselves.

  • 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.”
  • 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.”

  • Easter: Reminder to Nigerians for rebirth – Aregbesola

    The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has said that only a total rebirth in national consciousness and values would deliver Nigeria from its many challenges.

    On the occasion of Easter celebration, Aregbesola said renewal, a crucial theme in the celebration of Easter, should make Nigerians rediscover themselves for the purpose of their creation in the first place.

    The Governor, in a statement by the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, also called on all, especially Christians ‎to use the period to supplicate to God on behalf of the country so that Nigeria will be able to come out of the present economic challenges.

    Aregbesola, who described Easter as a period of sober reflection, enjoined Nigerians to live in peace and harmony at all times despite the present economic hardship.

    According to him, religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence among humans were necessary elements in the sustenance of development.

    “It gives me great joy to felicitate with Christians on this Easter celebration. As we rejoice in the glory of God, we must not lose sight of the teachings of the period.

    “Jesus Christ’s life was a demonstration of absolute love. We, as creations of God, must learn to live in love and peace. We must learn to live exemplary life.

    “We should all at this time pray for the sustenance of peace and also pray that the present economic situation must come an immediate end. But we need that renewal as a people and that must come with new values.

    “The lesson of Easter is that we too can live a life of sacrifice for our country especially at this time when Nigeria appears to be at the crossroads in terms of the economic and security challenges besetting her. Beyond the eating and drinking in the course of the celebration, we should go to God in prayer to solicit His intervention,” he noted.

  • Osun’ll return to golden era, says Aregbesola

    Osun’ll return to golden era, says Aregbesola

    Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has said the state will return to the golden era.

    He said his administration was working to diversify the economy to make it self-suuficient.

    A statement from the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Semiu Okanlawon, said: “From the outset, the Aregbesola administration had set out to ensure that it diversified the economy in such a way that proceeds from  economic activities and taxes would drive the economy and not reliance on federal allocations.

    “The attempt to wean the state off Federal Allocation was behind the haste with which the Aregbesola administration embarked on key economic programmes.”

    The statement added:  “The government’s approach to agriculture, industrialisation , tourism and massive infrastructure provision was driven by the clear possibility that the sole reliance on the Federal Government for survival would one day throw the country into an economic quagmire of immense proportion.

    Okanlawon said: “The dream has not gone awry and it is a clear vision that Osun must be on its feet, self-reliant and be a reference point in Nigeria.

    “The race to ensure development during Aregbesola’s first term informed the fear of what is happening now.

    “Aregbesola wanted a self-reliant Osun. That Osun, almost two decades after its creation, could not boast of tax-paying companies speaks volume about the magnitude of the work that awaited the Aregbesola administration.

    “But the governor did not shy away from this task. During his first term, his government caused investors to bring up companies, such as the Omoluabi Garment Factory, Osogbo and Adulawo/RLG Technology Company in Ilesa.

    “Just last month, a leading telecommunications firm, Airtel, came to partner with the Adulawo/RLG company.

    “These are aside the various agro-allied companies, which have benefited from the administration’s growth schemes.

    “The government also begun aggressive drive for the development of the solid mineral sector with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with an Australian mining firm, Andalusian Mining Industry.

    “It was in the same vein that the idea of an airport for aircraft maintenance was conceived.”

    “To accept that our state must continue to survive on the meagre inflow through what goes to the civil servants alone is to accept that we would continue to depend on external forces for our survival.

    “We must work hard to give our people many choices. If you want to work in the civil service, it must be the choice that our people make on their own volition and not that there are no other choices, regardless of their education, qualifications and expertise.”

    The statement cited the instance of Lagos which today can pay its workers timely and still continue its development works.

    “People must not forget that Lagos, in 1999 when former Governor Bola Tinubu took over, was generating a paltry sum.

    “It was the ingenious interventions and immediate provisions of infrastructure that lured investors in to create various opportunities for the people and made tax administration much easier for what is now today’s Lagos. This feat can be repeated in Osun and other parts of Nigeria.”

    The statement added the governor has come clean on the state‘s finances  to ensure that nothing is hidden and to assure the people that despite the precarious situation, he is determined to restore the state to the era where his government paid salaries on the 25th of every month.

    “Before June 30, workers would be paid their salaries, Okanlawon said.