Yusuf Oketola
A socio-political group, The Osun Masterminds, has charged candidates of political parties participating in the July 16, 2022 governorship election in the State of Osun, to stop the usage of ‘payment of salary’ as a campaign strategy, saying the state has grown beyond ‘outdated messages’.
According to the group, any governorship candidate who is campaigning with payment of salary is a juvenile, urging the people of Osun to be wary of such person.
The group, in its April State of the State Address, said payment of salaries and allowances of civil servants is the right of the state workers, saying that the present government is respecting the right and paying the State’s workers as and when due.
Signed by the Executive Director of the group, Dr. Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli, the address which was made available to OSUN DEFENDER yesterday, reads: It must be said that Osun has grown beyond the use of payment of salaries as campaign message and the people of the State must be wary of such politicians who deliver such outdated messages.
“Salaries and Allowances of Civil servants being rightfully theirs, the present government is respecting this right and paying the State’s workers as and when due.
“This is minimum standard and does not require any campaign promise to do. Any person aspiring to the office of Governor of the State who campaigns with payment of salaries, for example, must therefore be seen as not just juvenile, but also lacking in brilliant ideas to move the State forward.
“Our development discussion must presently be based on ideas that will transform Osun into an economically sustainable State that will create opportunities for the dexterity of our youths and the social needs of every class of society.
“Such developmental ideas need be communicated by every candidate before we can consider them worthy of support. Governance has evolved way beyond tomfoolery, abusive songs and theatrical performances in the name of campaigns.
“We must listen attentively to all of the candidates and based on their ideas, we adjudge them ready for governance or not.”
The group urged all the candidates to have issue-based campaigns, and presentation of ideas that will improve the fortune of the state.
It said: “By now, we expected that issue-based campaigns would have commenced through the multifarious channels available to candidates and their political parties, but we are concerned that what we have had instead, is mudslinging, empty rhetorics, emotional manipulation and bland promises.
“We urge our people to sift the campaign messages they have been listening to, find that which indeed speaks to the development needs of our State and give massive support to that candidate who delivered the most practical message.”
Speaking on the security of the state, The Osun Masterminds, said the activities of some policemen is inimical to the maintenance of law, order and peaceful coexistence in the State.
The group said: “On peace and security, we also must state that the activities of some men of the Nigeria Police in the State at the moment is inimical to the maintenance of law, order and peaceful coexistence in the State.
“We are aware of several cases of extra-judicial killing in the State and the seeming inability of the top echelon of the Police in Osun to call its errant men to order.
“We condemn all of these entirely and demand that if the State Government sees that it has become impossible for it to work with the present top echelon of the Police in the State, it must as a matter of urgency, request the redeployment of the present Commissioner of Police.”
