Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke and the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, are trading words over the governor’s performance since he assumed office one year ago.
While the APC accused the governor of having nothing tangible to show as achievements in the past one year, Adeleke fired back and counteraccused the opposition party of jaundiced assessment and still belly-aching over its defeat by his party, the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in the last Governorship Election.
In a statement signed by his spokesman, Olawale Rasheed, Governor Adeleke declared that his administration surpassed the annual good governance target it set while assuming office.
According to the Governor: “When I assumed office, we had benchmarks and deliverables according to each sector. Our team set 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.”
Adeleke also reeled out his administration’s achievements in some sectors saying: “In the road sector, we reconstructed a total of 90 kilometers of roads with another 45 kilometers ongoing.
“We completed key intercity roads like the Ikirun-Osogbo road while Iwo-Osogbo 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 ende are under rehabilitation.
“We focused on the health sector through 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 centers 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.”
However, the APC in the state accused the governor of absconding from the state since he could not give an account of his stewardship to the people on the occasion of his one-year anniversary in office.
In a statement signed by the Osun APC chairman, Mr Tajudeen Lawal, obtained in Osogbo on Sunday, the party alleged thst since November 27, 2022, when he came on board, Adeleke had run the state aground.
Also, Lawal accused the governor of lying about his whereabouts following claims by the governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed that Adeleke was on working vacation in Europe and Asia.
He alleged that the state’s helmsman was afraid to disclose to Osun people how he has mismanaged the revenue that accrued to his government in the last one year.
According to the statement: “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 on 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 his zero administrative acumen.
“He is afraid to disclose to the Osun people how he has mismanaged over N130 billion in revenue accrued to his government in the last one 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.”
