*Ex-Governor Explains How He Sustained State Without Borrowing
FINALLY, Senator Ademola Adeleke, on Sunday, November 28, took the oath of office and assumed power as the sixth democratically- elected Governor of Osun State.
The Oath of Allegiance and Oath of Office was administered on him and his Deputy, Kola Adewusi, by the state’s Chief Judge, Justice Adepele Ojo, at the Osogbo Township Stadium.
In his first official action as governor, Adeleke abolished the “State of Osun” appellation, which was promulgated by a former governor of the state, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; froze all state accounts; reversed all appointments made by his predecessor, Gboyega Oyetola, from July 17 when he was declared governor-elect and promised to correct past injustices, corrupt acts and bad policies of the Oyetola administration.
Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had defeated then incumbent Oyetola of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the July 16 governorship election.
Oyetola, in his last speech as governor, disclosed that his administration left behind a total of N14 billion cash in the state’s treasury, while it successfully paid off about N97 billion of the total debt he inherited in 2018 when he assumed office.
Adeleke, in his inaugural speech, said: “Since Osun people elected me as your governor on July 16, 2022, which the INEC announced on July 17th 2022, the former governor, Alhaji Isiaka Gboyega Oyetola, maliciously started putting roadblocks to make things difficult and almost impossible for the new administration to serve you.”
He alleged that mass employments were carried out without budgetary provisions for salary payments for the new employees at a time the state was struggling to pay salaries and deliver other services, and contracts were hurriedly awarded without budgetary provisions, with some criminally backdated.
Adeleke also alleged that appointments of several Obas were hurriedly done without following due process and all efforts to get his predecessor to set up a transition committee and submit hand-over notes proved abortive; hence he asked for the people’s patience and understanding, saying his administration would in a few weeks review and sort out all actions and confusions the immediate past administration had created since July 17, which were vindictive measures against the people for voting APC out of office.
The new governor issued directives to be backed by Executive Orders, freezing all Osun State government accounts in banks and other financial institutions and set up a panel to carry out an inventory and recover all government assets, and reverted to the constitutionally recognised name of Osun State, from the State of Osun, adding that all government insignia, correspondence and signage should henceforth reflect Osun State, rather than State of Osun, which was unknown to the Nigerian constitution.
Adeleke promised, as the chief security officer of the state, to meet the expectations of workers, traders, artisans, farmers, business owners, students, pensioners, traditional, religious leaders, and indeed, all residents of Osun State.
He stated, “Let me state here that from the education, health, mining sector, agriculture, road infrastructure and supply of potable water, let it be known to all that it is no longer going to be business as usual. And I repeat, it is no longer business as usual.
“Our administration will demonstrate a high sense of urgency, transparency, justice and innovation to tackle and solve the problems of poverty, illiteracy, disease, and poor infrastructure.
“Your governor will be a people’s governor. I will be accessible, responsive, consultative and proactive in handling small and big matters of state governance. I know that as a product of the collective will of you, my people, there is a heavy weight of history on my shoulders and I accept the urgency of your expectations, the depth of your aspirations and your conviction in me to build a better state.”
Adeleke also listed his development agenda for the state, which included welfare of workers and pensioners, boosting the state’s economy, home-grown infrastructure policy, people-focused policy on education, affordable healthcare, security and social welfare, agro-based industrialisation for wealth and job creation.
“It was disheartening to see our state at the bottom of the national educational ratings, especially in public primary and secondary schools examinations. My administration will launch reform with direct focus on improvement of learning environment and outcome. Our target is to reverse the poor performance of students in public examinations within the next few years.
“To achieve this target, we will prioritise in-service training and welfare of teachers, enhancement of school environment, entrenchment of discipline in the school system, as well as involvement of the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) in our school administration system,” he stated.
Adeleke eulogised the state’s founding fathers, all past administrators and governors, as well as everyone who had contributed to the growth, stability and progress of the state in the last 31 years, promising development with a target on agriculture export earnings.
Oyetola in a brief account of his administration, said he did not borrow anywhere in the world to run his government, saying he maintained fidelity with his electoral promises since assumption of office.
In a farewell statement to the people the former governor said his administration put Osun’s economy on a surer footing through many people-centred and masses-focused projects timely and promptly implemented to make life worthwhile for the people.
He said Osun under his watch was stable economically, as manifested in the astronomical increment in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the state since he assumed office, noting that he left the state more stable economically than he met it in 2018, saying despite all the visible socio-economic challenges, he was able to take care of the fears and evil of fiscal indiscipline and lack of implementation, which hamper projects and services in the country’s public service.
According to him: “As I step aside today, following the conclusion of the four-year tenure you freely gave me, I thank God and I thank you for your support, cooperation and prayers over the years. I recall how the journey began four years ago; how by your belief in me and your conviction in the plans and programmes of our party, you exercised your right to vote for me.
“As we draw the curtains on this first tenure, we are convinced that we neither reneged on our promise nor disappointed you. We kept faith with you and maintained fidelity with our electoral promises. It was our wish to continue to serve you, but we are constrained by the outcomes of the July 16 governorship election, which we are already challenging in court.
“As a law-abiding citizen and government, we are stepping aside to allow the laws take its course. However, we look forward to continuing to serve you in no distant future. We have absolute trust in God that we shall be back soon, as we have implicit trust and confidence in the judiciary to do justice in the case before it.
“We are confident that this period of temporary political eclipse shall pass. The sun shall shine again, brighter and warmer and the sustainable development and participatory governance that we enthroned, which have been applauded by local and international organisations, shall be restored and put on a surer and better footing.
“There can be no substitute to people-oriented and development-savvy governance in a democracy. The taproots of the unprecedented good governance, inclusive and participatory governance that we introduced, which delivered massive equitable projects and programmes, are too strong to be uprooted.
“As we end our first term, rest assured that Osun is more stable economically than we met it in 2018 and it remained the most peaceful state in the country under our leadership.
“For four years, we did not take any bank loan facility. But we benefitted from the N3billion monthly intervention from the federal government to all the states for six months to cushion the effect of deductions of budget support facility and salary bailout accessed by the previous administration, just as we have paid N97 billion from the total debt we inherited in 2018.
“We are leaving behind cash of over N14 billion cash and another N8 billion being expected between December and January from our performance in SFTAS and the IGR. Also, another $72 million (Seventy-Two million Dollars) will come to the state soon from RAMP 3, NG-CARES, Nigeria for Women Project and Ease of Doing Business.
“These are earned, based on performance. And we have, indeed, performed to earn them. It was part of the same performance that earned us the award of Best Governor on Efficiency of Public Expenditure and TOP Performer on Domestic Revenue Mobilisation by the World Bank’s States’ Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS), recently.
“We have gone this length to let you know that Osun under our leadership was sustainable. It was done through fiscal discipline and personal sacrifices.
“On behalf of our team, I appeal to you all to continue to be law abiding and to work assiduously to build the Osun of our dream. Together, we shall continue to mend the broken walls of our dear state and restore her glory for our collective good and that of posterity.
“Thank you all and may God continue to bless Osun.”
