The Osun State chapter of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused Governor Ademola Adeleke of evading accountability for his first-year performance by traveling abroad ahead of the anniversary of his administration.
In a statement released on Sunday, the APC Chairman, Mr. Tajudeen Lawal, asserted that Adeleke has led the state into decline since assuming office on November 27, 2022.
Lawal contended that the governor’s claim of a working vacation in Europe and Asia, as stated by his spokesperson Olawale Rasheed, is a fabrication aimed at diverting attention.
According to the APC leader, Adeleke’s decision to leave the country suggests a reluctance to face the public and address concerns regarding his management of the state’s revenue over the past year. The disagreement underscores the growing tension between the Osun APC and Governor Adeleke’s administration as they clash over the assessment of the first-year scorecard.
The opposition party said, “No one can begrudge another for falling sick or nursing an ailment as such is beyond the control of any human being but God Almighty, but it behooves those who are holding the people’s mandate in trust to always tell the truth and stand by the truth.
“We know very well that Governor Adeleke has absconded from the state so he would not be able to give due account of his stewardship to the people of the state.
“Since November 2022 when he came on board, Governor Adeleke has run the state aground with his sheer incompetence, lack of proper education and zero administrative acumen. He is afraid to disclose to the Osun people how he has mismanaged over N130bn revenue accrued to his government in the last year.
“He is afraid to tell them how he has allocated in the supplementary budget over N10 billion for his food, entertainment and office use while the parents of UNIOSUN students are struggling to pay increased school fees his regime forced on them to pay.”
But Adeleke, in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Rasheed, declared that his administration surpassed the annual good governance target it set while assuming office.
The governor said, “When I assumed office, we had benchmarks and deliverables according to each sector. Our team sets milestones to achieve in health, education, infrastructures, ICT, agriculture, youth, and women, among others. I looked back and I can tell you we performed beyond our plans.
“The opposition APC is still nursing the wound of their electoral defeat. So, the party is ashamed to see the positive changes we are recording in the state. Our achievements are there for all to see.”
Giving a further account of his stewardship, Adeleke said, “In the road sector, we reconstructed a total of 90 kilometres of roads with another 45 kilometers ongoing. We completed key intercity roads like the Ikirun-Osogbo Road while the Iwo-Osogbo Road is ongoing. We completely rehabilitated 31 schools with another 31 in the pipeline. We built 332 water projects while major water works at Iwo, Ede, Osogbo, and Eko are under rehabilitation.
“We focused on the health sector through the Imole Medical Outreach, which provides immediate surgeries with over 50,000 beneficiaries so far. We address the welfare needs of doctors and we have selected 345 health centres in the state for complete rehabilitation.
“In science and technology, we introduced a digital economy agenda with new ICT and tech innovations policies. We developed a bill to domesticate the Nigeria Startup Act and launched programmes to deepen internet penetration of the state through broadband fiber optic projects.
“I reformed the public service by ensuring professionalism. I launched a phased payment of inherited pension and half salary debt. I just enrolled all pensioners in the health insurance scheme. We have done a lot in just under one year.”
