OGUN SSG URGES CIVIL SERVANTS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SPORTS
Civil/Public Servants in Ogun State have been urged to take advantage of sporting activities to keep fit, boost the brain, and ease tension.
Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Tokunbo Talabi gave the advice at the Arcade Ground, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, while flagging off the Indoor Games, comprising of table tennis, scrabble, Ayo Olopon and Draft board game, as part of activities to commemorate the 2024 Public Service Week celebration.
Mr. Talabi, who said sports are a way of life and a good tool to relieve stress, added that workers should be involved in an array of games, encouraging those with talents and skills to use them to benefit themselves and the state.
"I am particularly happy to be here on a day dedicated to sports. This is because sports, that is, keeping fit, cannot be taken for granted in anybody's life. I'm equally glad that our Head of Service is actively promoting sports and all its engagement. More so, it makes the body and soul beautiful. I enjoin all our workers to actively participate, and not just make it a ceremony but make it a way of life", the SSG said.
Mr. Talabi appreciated the past and present Heads of Service for transforming the state workforce, making it vibrant, focused and productive, charging workers to always discharge their duties efficiently while calling on parents among them to encourage their children to be their best in all they do.
Speaking, Head of Service, Mr. Kehinde Onasanya, said sporting activities organised in commemorating the Public Service Week were meant to bring unity and bond among workers.
"This is physical wellness at work. It is a step in the right direction as sports is a vital tool that unites and bonds. This is bonding at work. Civil Servants are bonding together. No hierarchy. It is a leveller, and the message we want to draw home to Civil Servants is that all work and no play make Jack a dull boy. Sports is an instrument of unity, an avenue to create better understanding and bonding", the HoS said.
Highlight of the event were playing of indoor games between the SSG and HoS, as well as the workers, together with Commissioners for Industry, Trade and Investment and Sports Development, Mr. Adebola Sofela and Mr. Wasiu Isiaka respectively.
Omolara Osindele & Tunde Olayiwola,
Press Officers, Office of the Head of Service
WHY WE DECIDE TO RECRUIT MORE TEACHERS-OGSG
Ogun State government says its desire to recruit more teachers, under the Ogun State Teaching Experience and Acquisition Channel (Ogun TEACh), is to address shortage of teaching force in the rural areas.
Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, disclosed this during a familiarisation visit of the Association of Primary School Head Teachers of Nigeria (AOPSHON), to his office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, assuring that the last batch of applicants in the scheme would be recruited in September 2024, and posted to schools in rural communities.
He stated that the ministry was planning to redistribute teachers and post some of them to rural areas, adding that government was working towards providing more infrastructure in primary schools for a conducive learning environment.
‘’The ministry will not tolerate the habit of rejecting posting to schools in rural areas. Any applicant who does not have an interest in teaching in rural areas should not bother to apply at all’’, Arigbabu said.
The Commissioner hinted that a replica of Flagship Secondary Schools would be initiated at the primary school level, to be known as "Iconic Primary Schools", to serve as models for others.
While congratulating and appreciating the new executive members of AOPSHON, Prof. Arigbabu reiterated the commitment of the present administration to improve condition of schools, adding that plans were ongoing to recruit security guards for the protection of lives and property in schools across the state.
Speaking earlier, the newly elected Chairman of AOPSHON, Comrade Folake Onabajo, lauded the achievements of the state government in the education sector, promising the cooperation of the Association at all times.
Ayoola Obadimu,
Press Officer, MOES&T
OGUN, LAGOS PLAN TO ERADICATE OPEN DEFECATION
Ogun and Lagos states have agreed to jointly put up an enforcement team that will work in shifts for 24 hours, especially in the border towns, with the mission to apprehend and prosecute anyone who engages in open defecation.
This decision was disclosed during a joint press briefing at Berger, in Lagos, by Special Adviser to the Governor on Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OGEPA), Dr. Oluwadare Kehinde, and his Lagos State counterpart, Mr. Tunde Ajayi.
In his submission, Mr. Kehinde said the new development was part of an enforcement strategy to bring offenders to justice for their actions and prevent outbreak of communicable diseases such as cholera and diarrhea in communities, particularly in border towns of Magboro, Arepo, Kara, and Isheri.
‘’This is to serve as a deterrent to others, as anyone caught will face the wrath of the law. A situation where people defecate openly in places, especially on the medians of roads is not acceptable to the Ogun and Lagos State governments. There is a need for a lasting solution which has to do with enforcement and prosecution after several appeals and sensitisations have failed to yield the desired results", he said.
The Governor’s aide explained that government had constructed public toilets across the state and border towns, to enable people have alternative places to defecate, noting that open defecation has health implications on the residents and portrays the state in a bad light.
Mr. Kehinde therefore warned those who still practice open defecation to turn a new leaf by patronising public toilets near them or face the consequences of their action.
On his part, General Manager, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), Dr. Babatunde Ajayi emphasised the need to enlighten residents of border towns of the two states on the danger of open defecation, noting that efforts would be intensified in clearing median from OPIC Plaza, Kara, Berger, Otedola Bridge inward Lagos end of the newly rehabilitated Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
Rotimi Oduniyi & Sakirat Kehinde-Ajala,
Ministry of Environment & OGEPA
MINISTRY SCREENS EDUCATORS, INSTITUTIONS FOR 2024 PRESIDENTIAL AWARD
In a bid to promote excellence among teachers and schools in the public and private educational sector, Ogun State government has conducted a screening exercise to shortlist participants that will represent the state at the upcoming 2024 President's Teachers and Schools Excellence Award (PTSEA).
Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, while speaking during the screening exercise at Simeon Adebo Library, Kuto, Abeokuta, said the process was to ensure that only the most deserving individuals and schools were selected to represent the state at the national level.
Prof. Arigbabu, represented by Director, Primary Education, in the ministry, Mr. Sunkanmi Ogunpola, explained that the PTSEA was organised to award the best educators and institutions that had consistently demonstrated an exceptional commitment to their roles, expressing optimism that winners in different categories of the screening would make the state proud with lots of laurels.
The Commissioner, who reiterated the investment of the Prince Dapo Abiodun-led administration in education, especially in capacity building and digital literacy training for teachers, said the development had drastically improved teaching and learning, and yielded desirable results, recalling that lots of laurels were won by teachers who represented the state at the last edition.
"This prestigious event is not only to recognise outstanding achievements but testaments to the unwavering commitment of the present administration to ensure excellence was achieved in the sector’’, he said.
Earlier, Director of Education, Planning Research and Statistics, Mr. Temitope Lasilo, stated that the screening was in five categories, which include, Best Teacher, Best School Administrator, Best Public School, Best Teacher Approved Private School, and Best Approved Private School, adding that it involves 27 shortlisted participants across the state.
Speaking on behalf of other participants at the screening, teachers from Ambassador College, and Adedokun International Schools, both in Ota, Mr. Christopher Nwagbo and Mrs. Rita Morakinyo respectively, lauded the ministry for the exercise, promising to lift the state’s education sector.
Samuel Ogungbesan,
Press Officer, MOES&T.
ENGINEERS TASKED TO SUPPORT ABIODUN'S INFRASTRUCTURAL DRIVE
Special Adviser to Ogun State Governor on Public Works, Engr. Babatunde Adesina, has tasked engineers to be more responsive in providing logistics, professional advice, and necessary manpower, to complement the infrastructural drive of the present administration in the state.
Engr. Adesina, who doubles as the General Manager, Ogun State Public Works Agency, gave the charge while playing host to the Nigerian Society of Engineers, led by its Chairman, Engr. Olumayowa Idowu, in Abeokuta.
He stated that professional advice and suggestions of engineers were needed for the success of Prince Dapo Abiodun-led administration in the provision of infrastructural facilities, noting that over 500km of roads had been constructed with a promise to do more in the 20 Local Government Areas of the state.
‘’The present administration has invested heavily in infrastructure, ranging from road construction, maintenance and repairs. Our roles as engineers cannot be over-emphasised, therefore, we owe our dear state a duty to ensure we provide necessary advice, as well as pay our Land Use Charges and other levies when necessary’’, he said.
In his remarks, Engr. Idowu, who described the state Public Works Agency as a partner in progress in the implementation of government agenda, pledged members' support at all times, disclosing that his tenure would witness professional development for members, intergovernmental and industry collaborations, and community impact, among others.
Craig Oluwasegun,
Press Officer, Ogun State Public Works Agency
YEWA NORTH FARMERS’ ASSOCIATION LAUDS GOVT ON FERTILIZER, INPUTS DISTRIBUTION
All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Yewa North Chapter, has commended Ogun State government for its agricultural intervention programmes geared towards ensuring food security, job creation, and industrialisation.
Chairman of the Association, Chief Mutairu Asamu, gave the commendation while fielding questions from newsmen in Ayetoro, saying the present administration's agricultural drive was meant to strengthen smallholder farmers across the state, through the distribution of farming materials as palliatives to improve farming activities and assist interested individuals in mechanised farming.
Chief Asamu, who appreciated government for providing succour to the farmers, implored other farmers to make judicious use of the fertiliser, calling on communities to make land available for agricultural purposes.
Also speaking, the duo of Vice-Chairman and the Treasurer of AFAN, Mr. Eweoba Timothy and Mrs. Bose Bankole, described various government agricultural interventions as timely, calling for their sustainability.
Lateef Akintunde,
ZIO, YNLG
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