Aregbesola Ran A People-Friendly, Responsible Govt – Aide Replies Adeleke
The administration of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as Governor of Osun (2010-2018) prioritised people-centric and responsible policies, which birthed everlasting legacies.
A media aide to the former Minister of Interior, Ileowo Kikiowo stated this in a response to a statement credited to Governor Ademola Adeleke, who described the Aregbesola administration as the “worst in the history of Osun State.”
Kikiowo said while his principal will not trade insults or respond to provocation from the present administration in Osun, Aregbesola made tough decisions to protect the welfare of the majority.
The statement said, “Our intention is not to trade insults or respond to every provocation. What we stand for is clear, a People-Friendly Government and people-centred politics that puts the needs and aspirations of Osun citizens first. The essence of leadership is making tough decisions to protect the welfare of the majority.
“That is exactly what Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola did as Governor. The results speak for themselves. Under his leadership, Osun recorded the lowest unemployment rate, lowest poverty rate, and lowest crime rate in Nigeria, facts confirmed by independent institutions like the NBS and UNDP.
“This impact was made possible because we took bold steps: investing in over 1,200 km of roads, including 600 km of rural roads, building 3,685 new classrooms, supporting over 27,000 MSMEs, and empowering 60,000 youths through the OYES programme.
“Over 700,000 people were lifted out of poverty, and 1.59 million jobs were created through our MSME drive. In tough times, instead of mass retrenchment, we protected jobs, the lower cadre received full pay, while higher-level officers made temporary sacrifices.
“That is leadership. That is Ogbeni’s legacy. What is theirs? Constant attacks on others just to curry favour from the presidency do not improve the lives of our people, they only reveal desperation,” Aregbesola’s aide noted.
Sodiq Yusuf is a trained media practitioner and journalist with considerable years of experience in print, broadcast, and digital journalism. His interests cover a wide range of causes in politics, governance, sports, community development, and good governance.
