Osun: When will Governor Adeleke Unveil Foreign Investors, Return to the State?

By Waheed Adekunle

It is exactly 14 days that the Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke departed Nigeria to European and Asian Continents on a ‘purported working vacation, ‘ according to his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed.

Precisely on 25th of November, 2023, the news of the governor’s trip overseas surfaced when his spokesperson, issued an official statement announcing the phoney working vacation of his principal.

Though the statement was riddled with ambiguity and confusion as to what would have culminated to the sudden trip abroad by the Governor particularly at a crucial time he was expected to give account of his stewardship to the good people of the state, to mark his first year anniversary as Governor of Osun.

As ridiculous and appalling as the statement was, the discerning citizens who have been painstakingly following the unfolding manifestation of realities around the socioeconomic and political stakes within the government and among the ruling class described the impromptu voyage as premeditated, unsavoury and uncalled for.

It was opined that the trip was a manipulative mechanism, stylishly fixed in a hurry as a cover up to save the face of the Governor from foreseeable embarrassment that could come from the citizens most significantly members of the opposition.

While it appears as a political mirage to conceal the palpable malfeasance and ill-heartedness on the part of the government, the situation has raised the public consciousness to inquest on certain things that could have warranted the unplanned trip abroad.

Recall that the major opposition party – the All Progressives Congress (APC) had berated the governor for embarking on an insignificant trip abroad despite the fact that he was expected to give account of his stewardship to the people of the state who gave him the mandate.

According to the APC’s statement, signed by its State Chairman, Alhaji Tajudeen Lawal and made available to journalists in Osogbo on 26th of November, 2023 by the party’s Director of Media and Information, Chief Kola Olabisi, the party frowned at the Governor’s decision saying “it is a mere prelude to a foundation-laying for excuses that he would not be physically present in the state for the celebration of his one year anniversary.”

“No one can begrudge another falling sick or nursing an ailment as such is beyond the control of any human being except God Almighty, but it behooves on those who are holding the people’s mandate in trust to always tell the truth and stand by the truth”, the statement reads in part.

It is pragmatically disturbing that nothing has been heard about the Governor’s whereabouts since he departed the shore of Nigeria except his voice on the “arranged and tele-guided” telephone conversation which he had with an anchor on a popular radio station in Osogbo on 27th of November, 2023 to commemorate his 365 days in office.

However, while it is not surprising that the governor has chosen to be politically incommunicado for the citizens to access him, the quest to know his moves at wooing foreign investors as purportedly and fraudulently claimed by his media aides remains unavoidable.

As it is apposite to set the record straight, it is also imperative to state clearly what led to the sudden departure of the governor from the state and the country prior to the period that the official statement was issued to abreast the citizens of his whereabouts.

It was gathered on a good authority that the governor; his deputy, Chief of Staff, Secretary to the State Government and other top echelons of his government had already departed the state on different missions before the issuance of the formal statement.

While it is not a crime for either of them to travel as they deem necessary, the questions to ask are; why did they fix their vacation to the same time at the expense of the state and its people? Why exiting the state at that crucial period of one year anniversary? Why did they chose to travel at the time their account of stewardships were being expected to be reeled out to the public? What could have culminated to sudden trips if not for ‘hidden agenda’? Is that what the Osun electorate deserves from the incumbent government?
Why did they choose to travel at a time when there is an official ban on foreign trips by the same government over cash crunch? These and many other questions are begging for prompt responses!

Recall that the Osun State Government had earlier announced that Governor Adeleke jetted out of the country on a short working vacation to Europe and Asia to finalize partnership deals with investors and development partners. Who are these investors ? How come we have not seen a single picture from these meetings in the last 14 days.

In the absence any reasonable explanation, it is safe to opine that the ‘phoney working vacation’ is nothing but a fluke that can only exist in fictional characters who have ostensibly mismanaged the meagre resources of the state in the last one year.

It is also unassailable to conclude that the statement issued by the Governor’s spokesperson was nothing but a ‘mere rhetoric’ aimed at hoodwinking unsuspecting citizens of Osun State.

If the retinue of the governor’s media aides have failed in the discharge of their respective responsibilities to give accurate updates on the purported working vacation, the discerning minds are requesting them to tell the whole world the number of countries in Europe and Asia combined, that the Governor has visited to ‘interact and seal deals’ with investors so far.

While waiting on them to unveil the pictures showing the faces of the foreign investors with audio-visual backup, it is incumbent on them to keep the citizens abreast of the exact time the governor would be returning to duty.

It is evident that the Governor had on a radio programme disclosed that his trip abroad would only take him just a week, which in actual fact had taken him good 14 days or thereabouts.

May God heal our Land!