Oyetola in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Adeniyi Adesina, on Thursday in Osogbo described Aregbesola’s nomination as worthwhile.

While commending the president for the nomination, the governor said the nation would gain immensely from the wealth of experience and the depth of knowledge that Aregbesola would bring to government.

Oyetola said: “He is a man of ideas who will deliver in any ministry where he is posted.

“It is time for the nation to benefit from his large capacity to perform which he demonstrated as a public servant in Lagos and Osun states.”

It was reported that Aregbesola, the immediate past governor of the state, is one of the 43 ministerial nominees currently undergoing screening at the Senate.

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Our correspondent reports that the victims were market women coming from the popular Owode market in Ede.

The accident, which occurred at about 1.30 pm, involved a mini commercial bus with registration number RLG 556 XA and a Honda car marked AKD 895 CJ.

The commercial bus, it was learnt, had somersaulted after it collided with the car.

Aregbesola, whose convoy had arrived at the scene of the accident, alighted from his vehicle to join the rescue efforts.

The governor, who was in company with his Commissioner for Health, immediately called for an ambulance to take the victims to the hospital.

He also ensured that the two vehicles involved were removed from the road to ensure free flow of traffic before leaving the scene of the accident.

An eyewitness told our correspondent that the driver of the Honda car was on top speed without foreknowledge of the speed breaker in front.

The eyewitness said immediately the driver saw the speed breaker, he applied the brake, forcing his car to swerve off his lane and colliding with the commercial bus.

While all the eight market women in the commercial bus sustained various degrees of injuries, the driver of the car came out unhurt.

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Aregbesola, who hosted the Federal Government Advocacy Team on the Digital Switch Over, over the weekend in Osogbo, explained that he was not happy with the payment of modulated salary in the state, in which some cadres of the workers get 50 per cent and 75 per cent of their monthly earnings.

According to the governor “no reasonable person or government would be happy for being incapacitated to perform his/its required responsibility”.

“We are not happy paying modulated salary to our workers in the civil service and political appointees, we are compelled by the financial reality; we are constrained.

“Contrary to the lies you are being fed, it is not all our workers that receive half salary. Workers on level 1-7, being the most vulnerable and the largest chunk of the workforce are being paid full salary. Workers on level 8-11 showed understanding with the government to accept 75% of their salary.

“It is only workers on grade level 12 upward that receive 50% of their salary. The workers have shown maturity, support and understanding. We acknowledge and appreciate the sacrifice and support of the workers.”

“Before our government, Osogbo roads were very narrow and since there was no development, there was no heavy traffic and the roads accommodated the users. However, there was influx of people to the state since our administration came on board. There was heavy traffic on the Osogbo roads and they could not accommodate the traffic anymore.

“We started construction of new roads and rehabilitation of some existing ones to ease traffic. As a visionary government, we know that by the time our economic plan begins to grow, the Osogbo roads would become busier, so we come up with the construction of Osogbo East Bypass road.

“The Osogbo east bypass road has four big bridges. Anybody that does not have business in Osogbo will take the road to their various destinations. This will reduce traffic on Osogbo township roads. We constructed the road for economic purposes. People that are narrow in thinking do not know that.

“We know that things are hard and the state is passing through financial difficulty. But we are undeterred by the challenges. Our credo is to see that our people explore their freedom for economic prosperity.

“Our joy is in the fact that we will leave a legacy that will transform into economic prosperity for the people and the state. Like the credo of our mentor, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, we want freedom for all, life more abundant,” Aregbesola said.

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The Governor also appointed Mr Olusegun Ayodele, a Magistrate, as the head of the inquest.

The governor directed that the inquest be carried out in Osogbo within the next three weeks.

According to Aregbesola, the inquest became necessary because of the suddenness and the circumstances surrounding the death of the Senator and the first civilian governor of the state.

The governor stated that a coroner inquest is a long established procedure dating back to the eighth century and is generally applied in the interest of the community to investigate sudden, natural and unexplained death of a person.

“A sudden and an unexplained death of a person of high status must be investigated and documented.

“Therefore, the status of our brother, late Senator Isiaka Adeleke, the suddenness and the circumstances of his death will propel a responsible government to set up an inquest to unravel the circumstances of his death.

“History will not be kind to us as a government if we fail to do the inquest into the circumstances surrounding his death.

“We must do this for historical purposes because it is in the general interest of the community and state to investigate any sudden or unnatural death of this nature,”  Aregbesola said.

Speaking earlier, the Solicitor General of Osun and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Mrs.  Abiola Adewemimo, stated that the circumstances and the suddenness of Senator Adeleke’s death necessitate the setting up of the Coroner inquest by the governor.

She added that the setting up of the Coroner inquest by the governor will ascertain the cause of death of the deceased, adding that the governor by virtue of the Coroner Law is empowered to order such inquest in this present circumstance.

According to her, “The entire state is still reeling in shock at the sudden demise of our dear “Serubawon”, late Senator Isiaka Adeleke.

“The circumstance and the suddenness of Adeleke’s death calls for the setting up of an inquest to ascertain the cause of his death in the interest of our state.”

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Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Governor, State of Osun, and the newly installed Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdu-Rasheed Akanbi at the weekend said that the first basic requirement for any citizen to make demands from the government is the fulfillment of their civic responsibility to the government by payment of taxes.

The Governor identified the importance of tax in governance at the occasion of the presentation of staff of office and instrument of appointment to the Oluwo of Iwo.

Also at the event was the Governor of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi, Deputy Governor of Osun Grace Titi Laoye Tomori, and many others.

‎Aregbesola stated that taxation is the heartbeat of any government and that the primary way people can demonstrate loyalty to the state is by supporting it through payment of tax.

He held that people must return to payment of tax like before, saying what states of the federation gets from the federal allocation can no longer sustain them in meeting their responsibility to the people.

Aregbesola called on people of the state, most especially young school leavers to be productively engaged in farming.

According to him, “with the precipitous fall in oil price, an end has come to this and by necessity, we must earn our own money, if we must tide over this special and challenging time.

“Every able-bodied person, most importantly the youth and school leavers, must be productively engaged, especially in farming. This should not be difficult to do in Iwo because the people are predominantly farmers.

“We are rolling out a new programme with huge incentives for all interested persons to participate in farming, in a way that will make them rich and yield huge revenues to the government”. The Governor stressed.

‎‎Aregbesola charged the monarch to lead by example, saying leadership naturally comes with certain privileges and that a good leader must convert privileges to resources of governance.

He also admonished that the monarch must rule with wisdom and fear of God, noting that the people over whom he presides are diverse politically, ideologically, temperamentally, socially and by moral disposition.

Aregbesola said, “Not all of them will readily agree with you and many of them will say or do things you will consider abhorrent. But they are all your subjects and you are required to preside over them with tact and wisdom in a way that will enable you to get the best out of them.

“A leader must also be a unifying person and must never constitute a divisive agent. There are two kings whose reign the Yoruba never forget. These are the king whose reign is peaceful and the one whose reign is characterised by turmoil and scattering.

“May your reign be peaceful and usher in prosperity for the people in the realm”.

In his acceptance speech, the Oluwo said it is in the total support of government through tax that state and the communities making it up will witness tremendous progress.

He then joined the call by the governor to all well-meaning citizens to carry out their civic responsibilities by promptly paying their taxes.

He lamented that this was not the situation in the past as “our fathers used to fulfill their obligation to government and thus expected good governance.”

The monarch enjoined the people of Iwo and Osun in particular that they must publicise the necessity for tax payment to all and sundry.

He said: “What then has happened that we must turn away from taxes and at the same time expect wonders from the government.

“Please, as you stand here today, say it loud to the hearing of the next man or woman to you “Emi o sanworii temi, Iwo nko? (Meaning I will pay my own taxes, what about you?”

The monarch also advocated for the use of local resources in the economic production process for the development of our own God-given potential, saying this will guarantee economic well-being of the people of the state.

Promising that his reign would focus on the development pursuit of economic liberation of his people, he stated that he would continue to advocate for a massive utilisation of locally sourced materials for the production of those articles and goods being massively consumed by the people.

He continued: “I am here to serve my people. I am here to take my homeland to that height that it deserves among the comity of modern cities of the world. ”

In his remark, the Chairman of the occasion, Chief Wale Babalakin, described the coronation as the most singular notable event in recent history of the town and the state.

He commended the people of Iwo Land for the maturity they employed in choosing the monarch without any rancour.

He noted that Osun has the most concentration of cities in the country, which presents any monarch and government both challenges assets.

He stated that the peaceful selection of the new monarch would be a harbinger of good things to come to the town and state.

“This is a singular notable event in the history of presentation of staff of office to a king in the state.

“Very remarkable and done in the most mature way, the people of Iwo must be congratulated for this achievement.

“They people have done well in chosen a popular, we’ll educated and we’ll exposed man as king.

“This is a great asset as well as a challenge to the town and the state; challenge to progress and population as asset. If the states natural and human endowments are annexed, today’s even will be a harbinger of good things to come,” Babalakin said.

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Given the role Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), as engine room of the economy play in the development of any nation, no fewer than three sitting Governors from the South West geopolitical zone of the country have signified their intention to participate in the Fidelity Bank Regional SME conference scheduled to take place in Ibadan on Thursday, December 03, 2015.

The Governors – Senator Abiola Ajimobi, Oyo State; Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Osun State, and Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Ogun State who will be joined by their commissioners and respective state officials will use the platform to proffer solution to the challenges faced by SMEs in the country.

In a statement by the Bank the conference which has as its theme, “Positioning SMEs for Growth in the South-West Region” is planned to provide insightful access to a range of key factors affecting the development of SMEs in Nigeria from a wide array of SME development stakeholders; deeper understanding of Fidelity’s innovative range of SME-tailored products and services; access to robust advisory/networking platform that could open new doors and opportunities and a platform for celebrating the contributions of past guests that have appeared on the Fidelity SME Forum radio. Specifically, the conference is targeted at the South West as the region seeks to reposition itself to cushion the impact of the prevailing economic condition occasioned by the steep decline in global oil price.

Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Fidelity Bank Plc, Nnamdi Okonkwo explained that the theme of the conference is apt and at the heart of the Bank’s commitment to building entrepreneurs in Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy by Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Described by industry observers as the biggest gathering of budding and established entrepreneurs in the region, the conference will also provide participants with valuable insights on how to harness export potentials and business opportunities in the zone. With Aare Afe Babalola, founder, Afe Babalola University as the distinguished guest of honour, the conference will also help small businesses optimize economic opportunities which their immediate environments offer. Interestingly, M.A. Salami, Zonal Coordinator, Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Akure, is expected to deliver a paper on ‘Positioning SMEs for Export in the South-West Zone’.

Makanjuola Ojewunmi, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Greenfield Limited will lead deliberations in a special panel discussion entitled: “Succeeding Against all Odds – Business Experience Sharing”. Discussions in this session will focus essentially on the unique stories of each panelist with special focus on how they overcame setbacks to become model entrepreneurs.

Other top entrepreneurs in attendance include: Taiwo Ayoade, DMD, Agro Traders Limited; Alhaji Odukoya Taofik Oladipupo; Founder/CEO, Vanguard Pharmacy Limited; Adeolu Akinyemi; MD/CEO, A2W Limited; Olayato Aribo, MD/CEO, Micmakain Nigeria Limited. Aside the target audience which are aspiring and existing entrepreneurs, this event will also have in attendance, key distinguished business leaders, captains of industry, policy makers, SME development stakeholders, NGOs, members of the press, among others.

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