Osun is booming, Aregbesola must get mandate to lead its people to his promised land

Mike Abiola, editor-in-chief of African Voice, discusses the fascinating changes happening in the State of Osun, Nigeria and why they should not be reversed. Five years ago, Osun was a rural state and its capital, Osogbo, suffered from derelict roads, aged hotels and a paucity of modern dwellings. To remain there beyond the end of the annual Osun Festival required the fortitude of a genuine devotee; such was the lack of amenities. The state capital was found wanting for a standard five-star hotel, appealing restaurants and all the trappings of an urban life. But the city has undergone a magnificent transformation in the last four years; made possible through the vision of Governor Rauf Aregbesola and his team. The vision of Governor Aregbesola is to grow Osun into a highly desirable residential city of choice, a vision that has prompted the construction of several new homes. Industry observers believe Aregbesola’s infrastructure initiatives are already provoking higher rents and increasing demand for residential homes and business premises in hitherto sleepy towns across Osun. The last four years of Governor Aregbesola’s administration in Osun State has prompted increased numbers of first-time visitors, several new infrastructural projects and significant improvements for local businesses. The government is focussed on development of infrastructure, with the aim of making the state the commercial hub of Nigeria’s south-west by linking Osun with neighbouring states and Lagos. The state government has an outstanding record on new road projects, including the construction of 416km of inter-city roads, 144km of township roads, 228km of rural roads, 226km of boundary highways and 218km of local government roads. Governor Aregbesola has also touched the lives of indigenes with several empowerment schemes, such as the Agba Osun Elderly Scheme, which provides monetary support to some 1,602 elders as well as free and personal medical attention. The Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES), a revolving two-year volunteer scheme aimed at empowering 80,000 or more volunteers in eight years across the state, has become the biggest grassroots youth empowerment initiative in Sub-Saharan Africa. As such, OYES has been commended by the World Bank as an admirable model for incorporating a work component into Western social security systems. The engagement of the young has helped to reduce youth unemployment and consequently reduce crime rates. The scheme injects ₦200 millions monthly into the grassroots economy through the payment of ₦10,000 to each participant. In a radical bid to provide the best in terms of educational facilities, Aregbesola’s government is also revamping Osun’s public school infrastructure by building new school buildings. Elementary, Middle and High Schools are currently being built across the state’s 30 local government areas. These are state-of-the-art schools with dining halls, potable water supply systems with standard toilets facilities, libraries, recreation centres and computer laboratories. Osun State has provided 750,000 uniforms to all students in all its public schools.  This scheme has brought additional socio-economic benefits to the State, including the building of Omoluabi Garment Factory, the biggest such establishment in West Africa, located in Osogbo. The Osun Elementary School Feeding Programme is one of the few surviving school meal programmes in the country. It has helped the State government to reach a larger number of students (254,000) and to empower over 3,000 community caterers. The programme has helped increase school enrolment by more than 25% since its commencement. Under Governor Aregbesola’s leadership, the State Government of Osun, is also championing the inspiration of innovations in Africa by utilizing Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to ease learning. The State, through its Opón Ìmò Technology Enhanced Learning System (OTELS), has developed a learning tool that could revolutionize learning in developing nations around the world. The tool, known as Opón Ìmò or ‘Tablet of Knowledge’, has been distributed to State high school students.

In addition, an agricultural revolution initiative intended to turn the State into the food basket of Nigeria’s south-west, has resulted in the launch of the Osun Beef Chain Development Project, at Oloba Cattle Hub, Iwo. None of this would have been possible without the visionary and strategic planning of a purposeful leader. What is happening in Osun State is a good example of the leadership required in Africa. Osun is a wake up call to other states; a reminder that leadership and government have a central role in planning and investment for development to happen. Prior to the emergence of Governor Aregbesola, Osun was barely in the consciousness of most Nigerians and investors would rather target Lagos or consider other western Nigeria states as their destination of choice. God knows Osun needs an ambitious and purposeful leadership; He made Aregbesola’s emergence possible through a court ruling overturning a stolen mandate. Because of this, the state is now witnessing a rebirth. It now requires the action of all lovers of good things to rise up and be counted to ensure Governor Aregbesola is re-elected to complete the developmental projects and many more that will follow. This is a clarion call to all Osun indigenes in Diaspora and those with friends/relations in the State who may not be able to participate in the voting process, to put a call through and be an influence in a process that will propel the kind of development we have been hoping would happen in our lifetime or that of our children. The State of Osun is on the right track, do not let us reverse all the gains. As the August 2014 election draws near, Governor Aregbesola, while addressing the people and traditional rulers in the state said, “You owe it to your people to ensure peaceful, free and fair elections in your various domains. It behoves you all to mobilise the people not to allow enemies of democracy to subvert the will of the people in the oncoming polls through rigging and violence. The good people of Osun deserve freedom; freedom from wants, poverty, unemployment, poor education and collapsed infrastructure. Our people deserve to have their aspirations for development and material betterment come to realisation.” The State is currently implementing a project to build an international airport at Ido Osun in the Ede North/Egbedore local government areas. The airport will serve to provide passenger and cargo transportation. The project site also holds interesting historic value as the site of one of the early airstrips in Nigeria. The airport project is already progressing, providing huge potential to open the state up to further development beyond imagination. Osun or any developing state requires good infrastructure in the form of transportation, electricity, water and communications. Without these, economic growth is impossible. We need serious thinkers and not short-sighted people in leadership positions. In an effort to achieve this set objective, Aregbesola’s administration since coming into office has increased Internally Generated Revenue from ₦300m to ₦1.5b per month. Osun has changed in many ways from what it was five years ago. Business activities are now thriving. New eateries, shopping malls and two new international standard hotels, Ideal Nest and Atlantis Grand Suites, have started operations in the state capital since the administration of Aregbesola commenced its imaginative developmental strategy. It is clear that without effective leadership our wish for a prosperous state will not just happen. Aregbesola’s administration is proof of what is possible in a nation with meagre resources and therefore a lesson for the whole of Africa. The State of Osun is booming, we must allow Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola to lead the people to his promised land.