All Set for Unveiling of Aregbesola as Most Innovative Nigerian Governor All is now set for the unveiling of Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola as the Most Innovative Nigerian Governor in First Term. The presentation of the award will take place this Saturday May 3, 2014 at Zenababs Hotel and Resort, Ilesha, State of Osun. The event will be chaired by Chief Adebisi Akande, National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC). Akande will be joined by two other notable Nigerian technocrats, Aminu Tambuwal, Speaker, House of Representatives, Federal Republic of Nigeria and Professor Pat Utomi, director of Lagos Business School as Special Guest and Guest Speaker, respectively. The choice of Aregbesola was arrived at after a careful, extensive study and evaluation of governance in 12 states across the six geopolitical zones of the country by the editorial board of BusinessWorld Newspaper. These are Osun and Ekiti states in South West, Akwa Ibom and Delta in South South, Imo and Abia in South East, Kaduna and Kastina in North West, and Nassarawa and Kwara in North Central. The evaluation and review of the processes took about two months to accomplish. The award is in recognition of his innovative governance underscored by equity participation, pluralism, transparency, accountability and the rule of law, in an effective, efficient and enduring manner. According to BusinessWorld Intelligence, the greatest threats to good and innovative governance come from corruption, violence and poverty, all of which undermine transparency, security, participation and fundamental freedoms. However, Governor Aregbesola has advanced development in the State of Osun in his first term by bringing his energies to bear on such tasks as eradicating poverty, protecting the environment, ensuring gender equality, and providing for sustainable livelihood. He has ensured that civil society plays an active role in setting priorities and making the needs of the most vulnerable people in society known. In so doing, good governance provides the setting for the equitable distribution of benefits for growth and development. In almost four years of administering the state, Governor Aregbesola has focused on development projects and practices that have tremendously increased the efficiency and competitive advantage of the state. This is now seen by the people of the state as major catalyst in the achievement of the administration’s objectives and the fulfilment of its obligations. Measured in line with international standards, the State of Osun’s education system is among the best in the country. Some important shifts are already taking place. Changes in schooling reflect a growing emphasis on how students learn, rather than only on what they learn. Young people need to learn to live together peacefully in a diverse and connected world. There is commitment to equal educational opportunity as well as a promise of optimal benefits for all young people in the state. There may be legitimate differences in benefits for individual students, as a result of individual interests or abilities for example, but schooling must ensure that all students are able to make the most of their potential believing that in today’s world, all young people need the competencies once reserved for the few. The State Government of Osun, under the leadership of Governor Aregbesola, in its resolve to champion inspiring innovations from Africa, undertook a ground breaking step to utilize ICTs to concisely tackle the learning problem through the Opón Ìmò Initiative. The state, through its Opón Ìmò Technology Enhanced Learning System (OTELS), developed a learning tool that could revolutionize learning in developing states around the world. This tool is called the Opón Ìmò, “Tablet of Knowledge”. The state has a firm foundation to build on and a growing commitment to the dual educational goals of equity and excellence. Innovations at all levels of the system are opening up new possibilities and contributing knowledge about what works best. Aregbesola now encourages and supports engaging learning environments emerging in many schools. In order to pursue universal access to basic education, the current administration banned levies and changed funding from a “per school” to a “per child” basis. The running cost grant has since been increased to ensure adequate provision of all facilities for the pupils. There are currently 1,378 primary schools in the state with a population of about 357,000; while funding has increased from N43 million to about N428 million. Aregbesola’s innovation include the overhauling of the primary and secondary schools system from the usual six-year primary and six-year secondary schools system to elementary, middle and high school, bringing it at par with world standard. Apart from the state’s social centric programmes, other programmes like physical infrastructure programmes are also delivered in such a way as to add social value like public services, local jobs, capacity development to pragmatically improve the socio-economic status of the people. Osun has been implementing its programmes across all society strata in this direction. Through the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme, OYES, the state is pioneering for Nigeria, a grassroots youth empowerment scheme that has won commendations from institutions like the World Bank.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Apr 2014 06:45:07 +0000
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