We Constructed Gbongan Trumpet Interchange Bridge To Prevent Needless Death- Aregbesola

..says Omisore is a tax defaulter

The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on Friday said the construction of Gbongan Trumpet Interchange Bridge named after the former Interim National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former governor of Osun, ‎Chief Bisi Akande was aimed at averting avoidable death on the Ife/Ibadan Express way.

He disclosed that the ‎newly completed bridge that conjoins Ibadan/Ife/Gbongan/Osogbo dual carriage road, would put an end to road mishap that had claimed over 1,000 lives at Gbongan junction.

Governor Aregbesola stated this at the 2017 Annual Dinner/Colloquium‎, organized by the members of Progressive E-Group, at Atlantis Civic Centre, Osogbo.

Governor Aregbesola ‎said his administration was motivated to construct the multi-billion Akoda/Ode-Omu/Gbongan dual carriage way that accommodated the trumpet interchange bridge to open Osun to her neighbours and the rest of the country.

The governor had earlier on Thursday inspected the ongoing construction work on the road where he assured the residents of the area of total completion of the road before the expiration of his administration.

He expressed delight over the significant level of completion of the road, saying the impressive pace of work on the road further ‎shows his relentless commitment to bring to the residents of the state the much-needed infrastructure facilities.

Aregbesola, who was given a rousing welcome by the residents of Gbongan, held that the dual carriage way when completed would expose Osun to neighbouring states, thus increase the business, trade and commercial activities in the state.

Aregbesola noted that his administration had embarked on massive road infrastructure development, having realized the need to advance the economy of the state through industrialization and commercialization.

According to the Governor, universally, the economy is built and sustained basically on road infrastructure development as every economically advanced nation of the world is hinged on standard road and transportation networks.

“It is in view of this that we embarked aggressively on massive road infrastructure development to first of us connect and reconnect rural and urban citizens and as well attract both local and foreign investors whose first consideration on investment remains good roads.

“However, the completion stage of this road, particularly Abdulkareem Adebisi Akande Trumpet Interchange Bridge indicates that our vision for the good people of Osun is gradually coming to fruition, not only on road infrastructure sector but in other aspects.

“So I am impressed with the level of completion on this road as it further attests to our commitment to bring to our people life-long quality roads infrastructure.

“It is our belief that the completion of this road will, without any doubt, contribute significantly to the socioeconomic growth and development of our people as Osun will be better exposed to neighbouring states”, he stressed.

However, ‎Governor tackled the former Deputy Governor of the State, Otunba Iyiola Omisore, over what he described as derogatory and deprecatory comments credited to him and published in one of the national dailies.

‎Aregbesola flayed Omisore for being mischievous and incongruous in his inward and outward dispositions, saying it is unfortunate that he (Omisore) has not learned from his self-afflicting political sojourn and travail.

He lambasted Omisore for lying against his government, noting that Omisore and his party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led Nigeria, particularly Osun, to socioeconomic and political comatose.

He challenged the erstwhile Chairman Senate Committee on Appropriation to give account of what he personally did while he was at the helm of affairs.

According to Aregbesola, it is laughable that a questionable character like Omisore could still be part of those criticizing us wrongly over the achievements we have made in the last seven years.

“I can say it without any form of equivocation that Omisore is a shameless person who doesn’t know what next in his life. He is a shameless liar because all he accused us on are those things they failed to do while they were in government.

“I want him to ask himself the impact he made in the lives of his people of the state, particularly his constituents, while he was in the senate?

“Omisore was there when PDP ruled Osun for seven and a half years. He was there as a chieftain of the party and he served two terms in the senate under the platform of the PDP but failed woefully on his statutory responsibilities to the people of his senatorial district, particularly Ife indigenes.

“He couldn’t complete tangible projects, but rather nursed his insatiable appetite for wealth accumulation. Most of the projects we did in Osun East senatorial district today ought to been done years back if PDP led government then did the needful”, he stressed.

Aregbesola said the erstwhile Deputy Governor lacked the moral integrity to condemn his administration, noting that he (Omisore) should begin to see himself in true colour as he epitomizes all he accused his administration of.

“He said our administration has failed, I want to ask him to justify this and juxtapose what God has achieved through us with what they achieved while in government?

“As at today, he (Omisore) still owes Osun government back log of taxes. The last tax of N25,000 he paid was in 2013, meaning that he is a tax defaulter.

“When he was in the Senate, he couldn’t even facilitate a single road to the benefit of his people, instead, he played to the EFCC hands for corrupt practices.

“So, it is time for him to face whatever case he has with EFCC and stop embarrassing and exposing his shortcomings, otherwise, he is inviting the wrath of the saints”, Aregbesola warned.

In their separate remarks, the three discussants, a human rights activist, Comrade Amitolu Shittu, member Osun House of Assembly representing Ife North, Hon. Babatunde Olatunji and Commissioner for Education, Kolawole Wasiu Omotunde-Young, hailed Aregbesola’s policies and programmes since inception.

In his words, Shittu said the present government has maintained a robust relationship with the state workforce as being reflected in the unprecedented successes the state has recorded in the last seven years.

Shittu whose lecture centred on the productive management of the state to workers, said Osun is the only state in Nigeria that labour unions enjoy 100 percent open arms from the state government.

He highlighted series of Aregbesola’s interventions to reposition, fine-tune and restructure the civil service, saying Osun witnessed tremendous development in all sectors due to her intellectual team spirit and inclusive approach to governance.

Also, Hon Olatunji extolled Governor Aregbesola for stimulating the economy of the state through his well-thought out and painstakingly designed policies that had impacted positively in the lives of the citizenry.

He said Osun of today can never be compared with what Osun was about seven years ago, stressing that the state had recorded a geometric progression in trade, commerce, industrialization and modernity as the state can boast of different investment situated across the state.

Mr Omotunde-Young on his part, applauded Governor Aregbesola for committing the largest resources of the state to advance and promote education sector, saying no state in Nigeria today can compete with Osun on education infrastructure.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Coordinator of the Progressive E-Group, Mr Mudashir Ayanfe, commended Governor Aregbesola for being focused and determined, in spite the erroneous distractions from his political traducers.

He said the group was established four years ago as a child of necessity to build synergy and fellowship among various online personalities who patriotically believed in the administrative style of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola in order to collectively showcase his laudable programmes to the populace in one hand and extensively engage propagandists with facts and figures on the other hand.

‎”We are ‎very proud of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s legacy projects and modest achievements in office and that is why we are promoting it days and nights to the people.

“With sincerity of purpose of promoting good governance across board and continuous belief in the leadership style of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the group that started in 2014 as a local platform has become an official online media team of All Progressives Congress, State of Osun”, he added.