The education infrastructure development programme of the Governor Rauf Aregbesola administration in Osun State has been described as one of the best in the history of Nigeria with positive impact it made in the lives of the residents in the state in the last seven and half years.
Two renowned Islamic clerics, the Chief Imam of Offa, Sheik Muideen Salman Muhammed, and Chief Imam of Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, Ustaz Musbaudeen Orimadegun, on Sunday hailed Governor Aegbesola for securing a worthy future for the citizens of the state through provision of quality and functional education.
The duo asserted that the Aregbesola’s government has raised the bar of good governance and redefined the history of the state through massive investment in the education of youths.
The revered islamic scholars gave the commendation in their separate lectures at the Third Oranmiyan Annual Lecture organized by a socio-political group “enRoute Rauf Team” to commemorate the 61st birthday anniversary of Governor Rauf Aregbesola, at Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo.
In attendance at the occasion was the governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, his Chief of Staff, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, the state Executive Council members, state and national legislators, traditional rulers as well as notable religious leaders.
The clerics who described Aregbesola’s education intervention as worthwhile and flawless, said the governor has changed the parameter of governance with landmark achievements his administration recorded over the years in all sectors.
Delivering his lecture on the topic “Leadership, Stewardship and Transiency: Islamic Perspective”, Sheik Muideen said Aregbesola has justified the purpose to which he was elected by the citizens of the state.
He described Aregbesola as an exemplary leader whose position has been used to influence positively and turn around the socioeconomic fortunes of the state.
Applauding the Aregbesola’s leadership quality which he said has helped to transform Osun beyond imagination, the cleric urged other governors in the country and those at the corridor of power to cue into the socioeconomic and political policies and programmes of Osun.
He commended the intervention Aregbesola’s administration has brought to education in Osun, just as he called on whoever that will take over from the governor to strive to improve on the outgoing governor’s achievements.
While calling on other state governors to emulate the infrastructural developments of Aregbesola especially in the education sector, the cleric said the best that can happen to Osun is for the state to have another governor that will have the same humanitarian heart of Aregbesola to take over from him. ‎
“Our leaders need to begin to realize that they are in leadership positions because of the poor, they need to come down to the level of the masses who voted them into power.
“Those in the positions of authority must begin to subdue themselves and come down from the height which the leadership position has placed them so as to feel the pulse of the poor masses.
“Structures which can guarantee a better future for the masses must be put in place, things like education must be taken seriously in the way Aregbesola has done in Osun. This is one of the ways the masses can benefit from democracy.
“My prayer for the people of Osun is to have a worthy successor, someone who will have the same humanitarian spirit and that will be ready to continue the good works of the outgoing governor, Shiek Muhammed stated.
Echoing a similar view in his lecture, the Chief Imam of Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, Ustaz Musbaudeen Orimadegun, commended Governor Aregbesola’s high sense of commitment to good governance as manifested in the track records his administration made in the last seven and half years.
Orimadegun who described education as the fundamental basis of life, hailed Osun state government for prioritizing education sector.
While commending the efforts of Aregbesola on infrastructural developments, Orimadegun called on members of the public to endeavour to pay their taxes as the gesture remains the only way to support and complement government efforts.
The cleric therefore lauded the positive impacts of the state education revolution, saying Osun has laid good precedence in the education sector that is worthy of emulation by any serious government.
According to him, the Osun state government has done excellently well in the area of education and road infrastructure as being manifested in the state-of-the-arts schools and good roads emerging across the state.
“Education should be given the required priority, once education is given the required attention, thus everything works well because education remains the fundamental basis of life and bedrock of development”, he stressed.
Packaged by Rahman Salami
