Osun Maps Out 10 Years State Development Plan

In a bid to consolidate on the various gains of Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola’s administration and other founding fathers of Osun since its creation, the state on Monday commenced a 5-day retreat/capacity building workshop to craft a new 10 year State Development Plan.

The State of Osun development plan (2018-2028), is hinged on creating a focus on how to achieve the development objectives and goals for the state with a view to improving the living conditions of Osun citizens in another 10 years.

Speaking during the official declaration of the workshop, held at  the Royal Park Hotel, Iloko-Ijesa, Commissioner for Economic Planning, Budget and Development, Dr. Olalekan Yinusa stated that the state development plan is expected to be a public document that will enumerate Osun’s overarching policy position and strategies for achieving them.

He added that the workshop on the state development plan would go a long way in building the capacity of state officials who are going to be champions in the process towards the development and implementation of the State Development Plan when delivered.

“Capacity building for Osun state developing plan  is presently going to be crafted for a period of ten years.

“It’s is a structure that we are creating for the purpose of consolidating and sustaining all the policy visions of the founding fathers of the Osun.

“The State Development Plan is expected to be a public document outlining the States Overarching policy position, outcomes and impact of the activities of the present administration and those of other previous administrations. It is not about a particular person. It is not about a political party! It is about the future of our state and coming generation in Osun; Consequently, all hands must be on deck to ensure its success.

“This particular ten years development programme that we are drafting is not about a particular individuals and not a particular political partly. It’s essentially about the future of Osun. Children that are yet unborn and the those that are even going to be born many years to come.

“It is something that everybody in Osun would be interested in. It is something that is not going to be tagged with a particular administration because all the policy documents that have been developed from the creation of Osun are going to be incorporated.

“All the regional agenda would be incorporated. International treaty and other documents such as Sustainable Development Goals, the National Conference Economic Development Plan all those things are going to be put together for the purpose of crafting a future for Osun and I believe by doing that it would create a platform through which the welfare of the people would be enhanced.

“The programme is mapped  out to create employment opportunity for the people of the state. Making life meaningful for the people in terms of infrastructural development

“Aside from the broad Strategic Plan that will be developed. We are going to have to have specific sector strategy for example, in housing, infrastructure, good road network, Agriculture, water and sanitation, commerce and industry all those small scales enterprise.

“Social protection, social services, improved educational services, health sector all these are the things we are going to do to craft specific strategy that would ensure that  everybody are captured. The vulnerable are captured and indeed everybody as a whole.

“We have structure plan for everybody from childhood, from birth to dearth. A structure plan that would ensure you did not fall into vulnerability and that even if you are vulnerable person there would be transforming approach that would bring them out of vulnerability”, he said.

Speaking on how to get fund to implement the policy, the Commissioner said the state was ready to partner with international organization, donors and deploy available resources to make it a success.

Earlier in his address,  the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola said that the programme was designed to set forensic agenda for the state in order to be economically viable.

Oyetola further explained that the present administration decided to come up with the plan so as to ensure a proposal plan which all the stakeholders would be sense of belonging. He therefore charged the discussants for robust deliberation

Present at the workshop were top government functionaries among which are; the Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, his Deputy, Iyaafin Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori, the Speaker Osun House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Najeem Salam, Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, State of Osun House of Assembly, Hon. Kamil Oyedele, representatives of Civil Society Organisations, Opposition Political Parties, Community Development Associations, Organised Private Sector and market leaders among other participants.