DIVERSIFICATION; AN INSIGHTFUL TECHNIQUE ADOPTED BY AREGBESOLA.

BY; AFOLABI ABDULMALIK OMOGBOLAHAN

From a chronological perspective, it is quite irrefutable to state that the state of osun has become a full-fledged adult. This is evidenced by her evolutionary history: From the 1991 to 2018, Osun is twenty seven  years old.

Conversely,a twenty-seven-year old Nigerian is deemed an elderly and a seemingly experienced person.

The big question however is, in view of Osun's evolutionary history (1991 - 2018) and her complex ethnographic composition, can we regard Osun as an achiever?  The only answer to this question is an emphatic “Yes!."

This is due largely to the incessant  developmental projects which have been embarked upon by the amiable Governor of the state — Ogbeni Abdulrauf Adesoji Aregbesola.

It is in this background  that this article looks foward to commending ways which the State of osun's  economy has been diversified which has  quicken its recovery and  repositioned the state toward its development.

With a vision “to make Osun the food basket of the South West”, Governor of the State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has so far achieved a lot in the vision he laid out six years ago when he took mantle of power on November 27, 2010.

A holistic agricultural policy taken by the government has placed the state on the green map of the South West in a space of 6 years; making it one of the major suppliers of agricultural produce to markets in Lagos and other South Western states.

Ogbeni Aregbesola also led an official government delegation to Germany in search of new insights on modern agriculture in order to further realise the dream of making Osun the food basket of the South West. Germany has in the past four years trained over 40 young people from Osun in modern agriculture techniques such as ‘40days Goat Fattening’ etc.

There are numerous  facts on the agricultural sector in Osun, which include, but not limited to: Over 50,000 tonnes of cocoa exported annually, Over 16,000 jobs created for the indigenes of State of osun, Over 700km of rural roads built to reduce cost of transportation for farmers and increase access to markets, 30 bridges constructed, with access given to areas cut-off from civilization,  Over 2.8 billion naira given to farmers as loans., Over 11,000 farmers have been supported with direct cash transfers, 5,000 farmers’ co-operatives registered, Over 71,000 farmers have benefitted from the Governments interventions.

Furthermore, talking about  education sector, Aregbesola's effort in developing Osun's educational sector is second to none in the whole country.

Things seemed to have been hard for private schools in Osun as some of the schools proprietors and proprietress lamented over the sharp decline in the ‎enrollment intake into the private schools in the state.

The decline which was described as artificial was said to have been the positive effects of education revolution of the present government in the state.

As it is, facts have emerged that the administration of Governor Rauf Aregbesola had not only taken the bull by the horn at revamping education sector, but has also refocused the people’s attention and interest to quality, qualitative and functional education through his various interventions that have attracted residents, particularly parents to resolve taking their children to public schools.

The Osun public school sector that had almost collapsed and failed prior Aregbesola’s government are now at the central point of reference in enrollment strength, leaving private schools at enrollment low ebb.

It was gathered that private schools in the state are gradually loosing students to public schools due to facilities which Aregbesola’s administration had put in place to advance public education.

Aregbesola is very famous with  his O-symbol, several policies and people oriented have been rolled out and are still rolling daily. In the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme O’YES, various interventions to gainfully engage the Youths after their 2-year period were instituted in collaboration with other government programmes like O'YES, O’REAP, OYESTECH, O'HUB, to mention, but few.

The award winning Tablet of Knowledge, OPON-IMO, O’Calisthenics, O’Uniform, O’MEAL that has fed over 350,000 elementary school pupils for the past seven years which the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has also adopted into its own Social Investment programme and many more that is earning the state accolades nationwide and internationally.

The government through its passion and great zeal for excellence in all fields and ramifications ensured that 65 medical students of the Osun State University(Uniosun) who were hampered to continue with their clinical studies in the university due to accreditation issues completed their medical education in Ukraine with thorough and adequate intervention.

In the Health Sector, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola upgraded the nine state hospitals in the state with the state hospital, Asubiaro in Osogbo, he  refined it to the status of a specialist hospital. Numerous interventions have been done in the realm of Free Eye Surgeries, Provision of Basic Drugs in health facilities, giving health grants, containing the break out of epidemics and the rest despite the daunting finances.

One of the areas where the present administration has received so much accolades is in Road Construction, one which has earned the Governor the name, 'ONA BABA ONA', which connotes the Extraordinary Architect of Road Construction. In the last seven years, major roads have been built with the government rehabilitating, reconstructing and putting in place new ones. The efforts on Road Construction has been felt so much more with over 300 kilometers of township roads cutting across all the 30 local governments, 33 local council development areas, 2 area councils and 2 administrative offices.

Still on roads, 222km of rural roads have been done with support from World Bank and the French Government under Rural Access and Mobility Project RAMP that now connects the state together. Major roads also like the Gbongan-Osogbo road under construction with the Chief Bisi Akande trumpet interchange bridge, November 27 Interchange connecting two divisions of the Oba Adesoji Aderemi East Bye Pass, the dualisation of Osogbo/Ikirun/Ila-Odo, Kwara State boundary road and the very strategic, Ola-Iya/Asubiaro/Ita-Olokan Road that has just been completed.

Another beautiful thing is that not just that roads are constructed, the roads are of immense quality with thick bridges that can stand the test of time for decades. In the history of the State of Osun, it is the Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola administration that will construct a road that has in it 7 big bridges within 7 years. That is unprecedented you”ll agree with me.

In commerce, Market Men and Women are incorporated into government’s programmes and policies. About 33,000 residents of the state have been empowered through the Osun Micro-Credit Agency, an agency of government that provides soft loans for small scale business owners in the state. Aside this, modern international markets like the Ayegbaju, Aje and Dagbolu International Market(s) which is still in focus have in a great deal transformed the state’s commercial sector. The Dagbolu Infrastructure Market which is still in focus is to be one of the foremost warehouses in the country. The newly introduced Standardized Weigh and Measures to promote efficiency, prudence and restore Trust into Trade activities is also an addition.

On Security, Osun is the 13th safest in the federation with much more focus on ridding the state of crime. There is also the relative peaceful disposition between farmers and herdsmen that has plunged several parts of the North to serious danger with the committee put in place by the present administration. Businesses especially in the hospitality realm are springing up, The cocoa industry in Ede is being revived. The GDP has improved tremendously with Small and Medium Scale Enterprises given the opportunity to rise.

On Sports, Aregbesola has done a lot, especially on football, He rehabilitated and reconstructed Osogbo's stadium, which makes is better by far, compared to how it was.

The State of Osun especially Osogbo, the state capital has been reformed physically. With the beautification efforts put in place by the current government, the state now looks cleaner, neater and beautiful. One of such is the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo, a former den of rascals that has turned to a beautiful amusement park that becomes a destination for birthdays, picnics and relaxation.

This write-up would not be complete without the support of the Civil Servants who have shown unequalled commitment to the course of the state. They have in hard times shown their doggedness to the course of developing Osun and making our State great. Despite not receiving full pay, they are avowed, diligent to duty. The State will never forget this sacrifice made when the nation’s economy nosedived which did not hinder the development vision of the visioner per excellence, Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola.

The government also appreciates the section of Pensioners who believe in this dream of rebranding our state while calling on those who keep condemning government every time to see reasons why Aregbesola has taken time with much more Efforts to transform our state. Government is indeed committed to fulfilling all financial obligations when the state’s economy improves.

What Aregbesola has done in the last seven years is worthy of note and indelible as Osun in the next three to four decades will continue to savour what this man has been able to do. His successor will not have to reconstruct the roads, schools, bridges and other infrastructural projects he has done, they will have no other option than to build on the Existing Legacies and Mirror In the Future.

Truth be told, at this juncture, you'll agree with me that Aregbesola's diversification is unarguably an insightful and brainy technique.

In conclusion, all stakeholders must bear in mind that there is nothing an individual, a state, or country can do successively without functional education. It is quite remarkable that Aregbesola obviously did a lot in this sector, and didn't jettison other sectors, he diversified constructively.

In view of this therefore, To this, it behoves that Aregbesola's diversification of the economy by revamping not only the Agriculture sector but also other sectors such as sports, commerce, and above all, education. By so doing, Osun, in no distant time, has cease to be a developing state and become one of the developed states in the country.

About the author: Afolabi is an award winning writer who hails from odo otin local government — Ìnísà in the state of osun, He's a Student of Law at the University of ilorin, He's the Current GENERAL SECRETARY of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF OSUN STATE STUDENTS, Unilorin chapter. He can be reached via Afoguarantor11@gmail.com; 08148777171

Crude Oil in Nigeria; A Coin of two opposing sides

By;  Afolabi Abdulmalik O

According to Wikipedia, crude oil was discovered in Nigeria in 1956 at Oloibiri in the Niger Delta after a half-century of exploration by Shell-BP the sole concessionaire at the time. This development graduated Nigeria to the rank of the sole producers of oil in 1958 when its first oil field came on stream producing 5,100 bpd. Nigeria then united with the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in 1971 and also established the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) in 1977, a state-owned company, which is a major player in both the upstream and downstream sectors.
And from the early 70s, the petroleum industry had already become a dominant industry in the economy, overtaking the agricultural sector, which had been the country's mainstay prior to the discovery of crude oil.

IMPACTS OF CRUDE OIL IN NIGERIA
The oil boom of the 1970s significantly transformed Nigeria from an ordinary third world Black Country to a megacity with enviable infrastructural developments amidst her sister African countries. Nigeria was the first and only producer of oil in West Africa, joining the rank of the world major producers with an output of 110 million tons in 1974. Because of its limited internal market, it exported the largest proportion of its output. And to facilitate exportation, pipelines were laid to connect the major oil wells with the ports of Bonny and Escravos.
Today the oil sector contributes about 86 percent of the federal government revenue, accounts for about 90 percent of the country's foreign exchange earnings and constitute over 25 percent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Products.
With the overgrowing contribution to Gross Domestic Product, it is not an overstatement to say the Nigerian economy is highly dependent on oil or to conclude that crude oil is the mainstay of the Nigeria economy. Being the mainstay of the Nigeria economy has influenced its expenditure profit outlined by the president in the proposal of its budget which N841 billion is for recurrent expenditure while N540 billion would go for capital projects.

NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF CRUDE OIL IN NIGERIA
Sadly, however, the discovery of oil submerged the agricultural sector, which provided the bulk of the country’s revenue in time past.
Also, villagers from whose ancestral land and territorial waters the black gold oil was mined turn almost completely neglected. The sight of sky scrappers, express roads, development of federal capital territory (FCT), fly over and other physical structures in the ‘cities’, all of which are products of gushing wells, had instilled resentment in the minds of the inhabitants of these small towns.
More than before, Nigeria has intense environmental degradation due to various discharges into the atmosphere. These pollutants contribute to degrading the land, water bodies, and the fresh air we ought to breathe.
One major environmental problem in Nigeria since the inception of oil exploration and exploitation has been oil spillage. Oil spills in the Niger Delta Region have caused a diverse depletion of environmental assets, values, and worth, and have also caused hardship and poverty among the host communities. The NNPC in its annual report places the quantity of oil jettisoned into the Niger Delta environment yearly at two thousand, three hundred (2,300) cubic meters with an average of three hundred (300) individual spills annually. In another report by the Green Peach Oil Briefing in 1993, it states that the total amount of oil in barrels spilled between 1960 and 1997 is upwards of one hundred million barrels!
Oil Spillage has a major impact on the ecosystem into which it is released. It destroys the mangrove forests which are especially susceptible to oil. This is mainly because it stores up oil in the soil and re-releases it annually with inundation. It is estimated that about five to ten percent (5-10%) of the mangrove in the Niger Delta Region has been opportunities for leaks. In onshore areas, most pipelines and flow lines are laid above the ground and are more than twenty-four years old. Even one of the oil company in the region, Shell, admits that most of the facilities have fifteen years estimated lifespan.
Basically, the problem that gives vent to this study is about the negative effects of oil in Nigeria. The ascendancy of oil to the prime position in Nigeria and the neglect of all other non-oil sector gave Nigeria a mono-cultural economy or a one-legged economy. Despite being the 8th largest producer of crude oil, what we have in the country to show the world is an unprecedented level of unemployment. Nigeria today is one of the poorest countries in the world as measured by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Another monster created by the unwanted mismanagement of this resource is crude oil theft. This came into force barely five years ago. Youths in Niger Delta region who are already used to free money devised a way of affecting a hole in the crude pipelines thereby siphoning crude oil and selling them at a giveaway price to international rogues.
In addition to the above, the problem of youth restiveness, agitations, and violence in the affected communities which has forced migration of inhabitants is also a problem that needs resolutions.

CONCLUSION
In general, there is nothing short of the truism that there have rapid changes in the spheres of economic and social life of Nigeria due to the emergence of oil in national lives. If the country can diversify out of oil completely, since it breeds corruption, the negative effect of it would be minimized and if the positive aspect is capitalized on, Nigeria can be in no distant time, become a developed country.

About the author: Afolabi is a writer, a public analyst, a student-journalist, and a student of law at the University of Ilorin,For questions and suggestions and enquiries, he can be reached via +2348148777171, Arabzico11@gmail.com, or Afoguarantor11@gmail.com.

No, it’s not Nigeria, or anywhere in Africa as a matter of fact. The Czech Republic has been named the least healthy country in the world, according to a new research conducted by Clinic Compare. The clinic comparison website used three key factors to rank countries: alcohol consumption, tobacco consumption and the prevalence of obesity.

No, it’s not Nigeria, or anywhere in Africa as a matter of fact.

The Czech Republic has been named the least healthy country in the world, according to a new research conducted by Clinic Compare.

The clinic comparison website used three key factors to rank countries: alcohol consumption, tobacco consumption and the prevalence of obesity, using information gathered by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the CIA World Factbook and the World Lung Association.

Former Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama appeared in a video and asked Americans to respond to the devastation wrought by the hurricane.

A person familiar with the former presidents' appeal said that although the White House was notified ahead of the public announcement, the effort was always intended to be only the ex-presidents without participation from the current commander in chief.

Instead, the presidents were modeling themselves on past efforts -- including the George H.W. Bush-Clinton effort after the South Asia tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, and the George W. Bush-Clinton effort after the earthquake in Haiti -- that brought together past presidents for charity appeals.

Trump offered his backing for the effort on Twitter late Thursday, writing: "We will confront ANY challenge, no matter how strong the winds or high the water.

“Take me back”- Simi begs Adekunle Gold

Following the recent unveiling of Simi’s album Simisola, fresh facts have now emerged that Simi’s six-year relationship with Adekunle Gold is sizzling as ever.

Though Simi and Falz  fuelled dating rumours through their musical chemistry and collaborations, Insiders in the Nigerian showbiz terrain echoed that they only have a mutual working relationship.

Adekunle Gold and Simi are not just lovebirds, they also have an unquestionable charm and endearment when they team up on songs  Though the duo have neither  accepted or denied their blossoming love affair, the hints always show up.

Adekunle featured Simi on ‘No forget’, a song on his album .In the same vein, the  sweet voiced Simi has also reciprocated by featuring Adekunle in Take me back, a song on Simisola, her new album.

Simi croons during her verse in the song, saying:” Baby I was wrong, but definitely I was crazy, I no mean to say go away. I must have been out of my mind to tell you go away, just take me back”.

The Senate has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to rein in the chairman of the Presidential Action Committee on Anti-Corruption (PACAC), Professor Itse Sagay, who it accused of spreading falsehood and making hate speeches against the National Assembly.

Sagay, had while delivering a public lecture titled, “The many afflictions of anti-corruption crusade in Nigeria,” an event organised by the Nigerian Society of International Law, described the National Assembly as self-serving legislators who allocated N125 billion to themselves alone this year, when the United States President only earns $400,000 per annum.

According to him, a Nigerian senator earns over $1.7million. “Apart from a basic salary of N2.4million per month, they earn allowances, such as hardship (50 per cent of basic salary), newspaper allowance (50 per cent), wardrobe allowance (25 per cent), entertainment (30 per cent), recess (10 per cent) and leave (10 per cent), among others.

“The total allowances amounts to N29.5million per month and N3.2billion per annum,” he had said.

But in a statement by its spokesman, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, the Senate stated that Sagay was fond of using every opportunity he has to make public speeches to disparage the Federal Legislature by using uncouth and unprintable words to describe the legislators and the institution they represent.

He noted that Sagay had been one of the few divisive elements in the Buhari administration who believe their relevance is enhanced only when they create constant tension between the legislature and the executive while also setting members of the executives against each other.

Abdullahi noted that while the legislators had ignored past statements made by the Professor of law, his recent speech at a public lecture in Lagos organized by the Society of International Law where he gave false details about the salary and allowances of the legislators and the various bills passed bordered on inciting members of the public against the legislators and deliberately circulating hate speech; which the government is working hard to contain.

“Ordinarily, we would ignore Sagay whose statements and attitude present him like a rascal and sadist instead of a former university teacher. However, his last speech in Lagos during which he was reeling out false and exaggerated figures about the salaries and allowances of legislators and also lied about the passage of anti-corruption bills showed that he just deliberately set out to undermine the legislative institution and lower its reputation in the estimation of right thinking members of the society and we therefore believe we should put him in his rightful place.

“As an academic whose creed should be to find facts and make comments based on truth, we believe that Sagay should stop spreading beer parlour rumours about the salaries and allowances of legislators when he could simply get the facts from the Revenue Mobilization and Fiscal Allocation Commission (RMFAC) which is the body constitutionally charged with the responsibility of fixing salaries and allowances of all public officials.

“Let us make it clear that our salaries and allowances are open books and the details can be taken from the RMFAC by any interested party.

“Prof. Sagay at his lecture in Lagos also made comparisons which did little credit to his background as a lecturer as he was talking of the salary of the United States President and that of a Nigerian legislator. That is like comparing oranges with apples. Only a senile, jaded, rustic and outdated Professor of Law like Sagay will make such a comparison which falls flat on its face, even to an ordinary lay man. Surely, Sagay is basing his analysis on street talks.

“Sagay could not even check the records before proclaiming that ‘the National Assembly has not passed a single bill for the promotion of anti-corruption war since it commenced business in July 2015′. First, the 8th National Assembly was inaugurated on June 9, 2015 not July. Also, it is on record that the Senate has passed the Whistle Blowers’ Protection Bill, Witness Protection Bill, Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Agency Bill.

“This man talks like a man who is constantly under the influence of some substance and perhaps possessed as he employs the language of a tout with no civility. He is probably constantly excited and incensed by the fact of having his first opportunity to find himself in the corridors of power.

“He pontificates and talks as if the war against corruption of the Buhari administration depends solely on him to survive. He once publicly attacked the Attorney General of the Federation and accused him of not doing enough to prosecute the war. In the Lagos speech, he took a blanket swipe at the judiciary and rubbished that entire institution which he as a lawyer has the professional, ethical and constitutional duty to respect.

“This is a man who cannot stand for Councilorship election and win. We challenge him to state what his contributions are in the election of our amiable President, Muhammadu Buhari and what new ideas he has contributed to making the fight against corruption more effective since his appointment. With an easily excited man like him as head of an advisory body, the nation has continued to lose anti-corruption cases in courts due to the failure of his advice. He needs to do more work and talk less because media prosecution cannot win the war on corruption”, Abdullahi stated.

The Senate therefore called on the President to caution Sagay and stop him from further creating needless tension in the relationship between the executive and the legislature.

He had said that invitation was specifically sent to all Yoruba-speaking areas in the country and other zones like the South East and South-South.

The Afinifere chieftain had revealed that invitations had gone out to the six state governors, National Assembly members, elders, opinion leaders and groups.

He said, “Massive Mobilisation has commenced in Yoruba-speaking areas of Nigeria with our governors, National Assembly members, opinion leaders, various groups, individuals and the rest of them. We have commenced this process to ensure we have an all-inclusive summit where all opinions will be represented and since we are talking about Yoruba affirming its joint position on the most popular issue in Nigeria today, which is restructuring of the polity, the Yoruba summit is across board”.