1st Anniversary: Oyetola Lambasts Adeleke, Says Gov ‘A Monumental Failure’

• Adeleke Replies, Says Oyetola Envious Of Performance

The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy and a former governor of Osun State, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola, has described the first year of Governor Ademola Adeleke in office as a monumental failure underpinned on deceit, propaganda and fraudulent claims.

Oyetola added that it was ungodly to have forced Senator Adeleke on Osun, saying all those who collaborated to unleash him on Osun did not mean well for the future of the state.

Speaking through his spokesperson, Ismail Omipidan, on Unique FM, Ilesa, berated Adeleke for running a clannish government, saying it had become obvious that the governor lacks the requisite knowledge, competence and capacity to administer the affairs of Osun as manifested in the monumental failure that envelopes every stratum of governance in the state.

Oyetola lamented what he described as imposition of Governor Adeleke on the good people of the state by his elder brother who knows that he (Adeleke) has nothing to offer the state let alone governing a sophisticated state like Osun.

“Every right thinking Osun person knows that our dear state doesn’t deserve the kind of government that it currently has. Let us look at the antecedents, the elder brother of the Governor runs a conglomerate of businesses and for the years he has been running them, he didn’t allow his younger brother (now Osun Governor) to man any of those businesses, meaning that he knows his younger brother has no capacity to run anything. For the brother (governor) has any capacity, he (the elder brother ) won’t place him on a monthly allowance.

“Therefore, it is unfair and ungodly for him to have forced his brother on the state as a governor.

“Look at their statement, as released by the Governor’s spokesperson, claiming that they have surpassed the expectations. The question to ask is, what was their expectation. If you recall, around July 2022, the Governor himself said he had  appointed a transition committee to come up with projects he is going to execute for the 100 days, six months, one year and subsequently.

“And if you recall, a day after their inauguration, myself and the Chairman of the transition Committee, Dr. Oladimeji were on a radio programme, where I said clearly that for a Governor to come up with a transition committee to show him what to do in term of projects, simply means that he had no idea of what he was coming to do in government and for me, I appeared to have been vindicated”, Omipidan said.

Oyetola also challenged Adeleke to come out with empirical evidence that he truly went overseas to engage foreign investors, saying that “it is unethical for a person in such of position to lie about his whereabouts when it is crystal clear that his trip overseas was different from what was painted to the public.”

He asked Adeleke to mention the number of foreign investors that had come to Osun to exhibit business partnership with the state in the last one year, saying it is unfortunate that the Governor who claimed to have departed the state just yesterday had been away for the last two weeks.

“For instance, the reason given for the absence of the governor to personally give account of his stewardship on one year in office is that he went on a working vacation to follow up with foreign investors, and the question to ask is that how many investors had come to Osun in the last one year that the governor went to Europe and Asia to follow up?

“I am very much aware as a citizen of Osun that our Governor has been away for the last two weeks. Therefore, the statement they issued was just to coverup because they didn’t know how to explain the reason the Governor was unable to celebrate his phantom one year in office”, he added.

The former governor decried the state of things in the state, particularly the inability of the Adeleke’s administration to fulfill and deliver on his electoral promises, noting that “Adeleke’s One year in office is a complete waste as it remains a year of deceit, phantom and fraudulent claims.

“Don’t forget that Senator Ademola Adeleke won the election on propaganda and lies, and I am sure that in no distant time, Osun people will see through those lies. Go to Osogbo shortly after the Olaiya flyover that was built by the Oyetola’s administration, you will see a lot of big potholes, the truth is not far fetched as many of these are virtually everywhere including Ogo-Oluwa, ringroad among others.

“You can go to the ringroad and see the poor quality of the road they are doing. Ede-Akoda road was awarded without due process. If they claimed to have surpassed the previous administration, the question to ask them is what is the definition of governance? The primary responsibility of any government is to ensure security of lives and property, so, please, go and look at the indices, crime rate had suddenly increased since November 27th, 2022 when the Adeleke administration came to being and as a matter of fact, the crime started right at the venue of the inauguration where Adeleke was being sworn in, where many members of the Amotekun and NSCDC personnel were beaten to stupor and shattered mercilessly by his political thugs.

“About a day or two after, they stormed motor parks, set vehicles ablaze, and continued to attack people. It was within one year of Adeleke’s government that about 30 APC loyalists were killed before, during, and after the last general elections, just for them to attain electoral victory

“So, if you are asking of good governance, they should show us the indices. Secondly, they spoke about digital economy, please ask them how far they have gone, it is a ruse. Let them come out and show the public in concrete terms what they have done. They have nothing to show to justify the huge money they have received so far.

“Sadly, the kind of money that was available to this government within one year was never available to us. If such was available to us during our time, I bet with you, without sounding immodest, that if Oyetola had access to fund that the current administration had access to, I believe that what we did would have been a child’s play of what we would have done because inspite of the fact that there was no much, we proved to be a good example of how to run a State like Osun in a depressed economy without inflicting additional pains on the citizens of the state.

“Their problem is that they lie a lot, forgetting that any government built on lies and propaganda can never last. The workers you were talking about, just go and interview them, they will tell you what they are facing.

“Osun is the only state in the entire southwest that has not added a Kobo to workers’ salaries even Ekiti that is not as rich as Osun had found ways to ameliorate the hardship being faced by workers and citizens due to the subsidy removal. Osun collected the same amount, but what have they done with it? Oyetola queried.

Adeleke Responds, Says He Has Vindicated Those Who Booted Oyetola Out Of Office

In his response, Governor Adeleke said his record of performance in a year has outshined and outpaced the four year tenure of his predecessor.

He described comments made by Oyetola through his spokesperson as a sign of a bad loser which does not hold water as he has confidently delivered on the mandate of the electorate who booted the former out of office.

Adeleke reacted in a statement by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, on Tuesday.

His words: “As Osun people in a democratic process voted Governor Adeleke into office, it is a misnomer and a busybody venture to accuse an eminent Osun citizen and a global business icon , Dr Deji Adeleke of imposing his brother in an election that stands out as a model in Nigeria’s electoral victory. Is it a crime for Dr Deji Adeleke to support his brother’s political ambition in line with the constitutional right to vote and be voted for?

“Every Osun voter and citizen who actively supported and ensured electoral victory of Governor Adeleke are today happy to see the positive turn of events in the state, leaving only sore losers of July 2022 elections as classless wailers. An APC friend called me this Monday and said ” Demola has done so well but we will continue to attack him”. His reason- politics and partisanship

“Responding to a statement credited to Ismail Omipidan, a former aide to Mr Oyetola, the Governor’s spokesperson described Omipidan’s statements as a compendium of lies and baseless assertions without any foundation in reality of today’s Osun state and a futile attempt to deny the self-evident sterling performance of Governor Adeleke in the last one year.

“No matter how painful it is to some people,including Omipidan, the last one year witnessed verifiable evidence and manifestation of democratic dividends across the sectors which conscientious members of the opposition defied politics to affirm and which non-partisan members of the public endorsed.

“If Omipidan is doubting that Governor Adeleke has surpassed expectations as well as his boss’s performance in one year, let’s ask him if Oyetola constructed 90 kilometers of road as Adeleke did under one year? Or is it not true that Oyetola was only able to  commission a maternity centre during his one year anniversary?

“If Omipidan thinks appointing a transition committee implies a lack of governance agenda, ask him if Governor Adeleke’s five point agenda was not unveiled before and during the governorship elections. Or is the five point agenda till date not the governing ideology of the state government?

“When the former press aide questioned what investors has been to Osun or which investor the Governor has traveled to meet, tell him to come to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and read the list of investors interested in the free trade zone, tourism creative industry, agro-processing, mining processing and revitalisation of Osun airport among others.

“What law has the Governor broken by taking a break a year after assuming office? What is wrong in briefing the public about a Governor’s itineraries? If anybody is interested in investment inflow into Osun, why jump ship? Why not wait for usual annual returns?

“If the Ila man questioned Governor’s delivery on his electoral promises, ask him what best way to deliver on electoral promises than constructing 90 kilometers of road, creating medical surgeries and access benefiting over 50,000 residents, enrolling 23,000 pensioners in health insurance, completely reconstructing 31 schools under a year, rehabilitating four out of 10 small towns water schemes, drilling 332 boreholes, continuous rehabilitation of four major water works and more, all under a year?

“If Mr Omioidan still insists that Adeleke’s government is fraudulent, dare him to go to contributory pensioners and abuse Governor Adeleke. They will tutor him that under a year Adeleke paid five months arrears while Oyetola under four years paid only two months.

“He should go to John Mackay area in Osogbo, and tell them Adeleke did not build that almost three kilometer road and reconstructed the dilapidated school there. He will be lucky if he is not mobbed.

“Even when Oyetola left Osun with close to 90 percent infrastructure deficit now being fixed by Governor Adeleke, sore losers take ongoing construction of Osogbo ring road as final work and assumed others are like them who manipulated and violated procurement process as attested to by an investigative report of a media institute into a  fake but fully paid for borehole project awarded by the Oyetola administration.

“When he mentioned state of insecurity, ask him to stop quoting false statistics, remind him security agencies are under the control of the Federal Government and that Osun is gradually getting rid of the elevation of thuggery to state assets as witnessed during APC reign in the state.

“As Mr Omipidan questioned the digital economy agenda in Osun state, let’s ask him if Osun under Oyetola had an ICT policy, Tech Innovation policy and a Startup bill? Today, Osun has a State ICT Policy, a Tech Innovation Policy and draft bill to domesticate Nigeria’s Startup Act.

“Is he aware of the Broadband Fiber Optic project? Ask him to look for those red,yellow and blue cords being laid along roads in Osun state. Those are broadband materials to deepen internet penetration in Osun.

“If the Ila man continues to assert that the Governor has no capacity, question him about the multi billion naira infrastructure plan just unveiled by Mr Governor. Such an ambitious, thoughtful and acclaimed programme is a product of an ingenious leader of Adeleke calibre.

“When he raised false claims over non-upward reviews of workers’ salaries, let’s ask him why Oyetola refused to pay the pension and half salary debt now being shouldered by the current government. Why did the past government not cash backed promotion arrears? Why did the former Governor  bastardized the public service, destroying the careers of thousands?

“Failure in governance is simply a lack of capacity to deliver good governance to the citizenry. Oyetola failed in several areas where Adeleke succeeded as I listed above.  Above are facts for fact checking as Governor Adeleke will say.

“No level of polemics, rhetorics, excuses and buck passing can cover up or rewrite that lackluster Osun state leadership of between 2018 to 2022, a tenure built on the stolen mandate of 2018”, the spokesperson to Governor Adeleke noted in the statement.