Osun: Time to halt dubious and fraudulent attitude to governance is now!

By Ismail Omipidan

Today is not about long turenci . It is to put the public in Osun and beyond on notice that what His Excellency, Adegboyega Oyetola, said in the build-up to the 2022 July governorship election is already playing out.

Oyetola had warned his fellow contenders then not to play politics with people’s lives by promising what was practically impossible considering the fragile Osun economy. But not many listened, including the then PDP candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke, who promised to clear arrears of half salaries owed by the Aregbesola’s government in 100 days.

Senator Ademola Adeleke was declared winner of the election on July 17.

Shortly after his declaration, he inaugurated his transition committee. One of the 18-Terms of Reference of the committee is to propose actionable agenda for the new administration in the first 100 days, one year and subsequent years. From there, I knew they were not prepared for governance. I said so in my encounter with the Chairman of the committee, Dr. Muyiwa Oladimeji, on radio the next day.

Three months after, I appear to have been vindicated. First, they have not been able to clear the arrears, contrary to their claim in the media that they have cleared the 30 months arrears. Fraudulent and dubious claim number One. Contrary to their claim as well, Oyetola also paid from the half salary arrears but to the non active workers since the active workers were getting their current salaries in full as and when due.

Dubious and fraudulent claim Number two: They claim to have completed Osogbo -Ikirun-Ila Odo road, up to Kwara boundary. The Adeleke government only laid asphalt on the over 75 percent of the road work done by Oyetola, and even at that the road work has not gone beyond Ikirun.

Governor Ademola Adeleke should explain to the world how his release of 500 million naira will begin a 10km road and complete same under one month.

Dubious and fraudulent claim Number Three: They claim to have renovated schools and Primary Health Centers across the 332 Wards of the state. Yet, till this morning, they are yet to provide pictorial evidences of these projects.

Dubious and fraudulent claim Number Four: They claim that their boreholes are located in all 332 wards of the State. But so far only two or three pictures are being circulated several days after marking their 100 days in office with fanfare.

Dubious and fraudulent claim Number Five: They claim that their free train ride brought to the state 650 holidaymakers on Thursday night. This is the most bizarre of all their claims as they went a step further to clone a story content (see pictures attached), published in the Guardian of May 16, 2021 about how beneficiaries of the Oyetola’s free train ride felt after being transported home free to celebrate with their loved ones and passed same as the report from their “Imole Free Train Ride.” The only video they posted to show a train arrived Freedom Park on Thursday, April 6, 2023, only had some government officials and aides of the governor granting interviews as so called passengers on the so called train. In all, those in that video are less than 20. Yet, they claim they brought in 650 holidaymakers.

Dubious and fraudulent claim Number Six: Twice, Governor Ademola Adeleke was attacked in Ikirun by their own political thugs, the latest being on March 14, 2023. They denied it claiming it never happened. But they have arraigned the thugs in court and among the charges against them was: “That you did conduct yourselves in a manner likely to cause breach of public peace by throwing sachet water and stones at the convoy of Osun State Governor and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 249(d) of the Criminal Code Cap 34 Vol II Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2002.”

Logically, a government that came in without an idea of what it wants to do will continue to falter and lie to the public to cover for its ineptitude, incompetence and dubious tendencies as getting empirical evidences to back up their dubious and fraudulent claims will continue to remain a daunting task for them. I rest my case for now.

Omipidan, a journalist and public affairs analyst, writes from Ile Olorisa Compound, Eyindi, Ila Orangun.