Of Ademola Adeleke’s Commissioners

It is four months that the cabinet of Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State was inaugurated. Precisely on July 19, 2023, the governor presided over the taking of the oaths of office and oaths of allegiance of 25 Commissioners as members of the State Executive Council. A few weeks later, the governor added ten Special Advisers of cabinet rank to the council.

At the inaugural exco meeting on September 16, 2023, Adeleke issued a performance template to his cabinet, reading the riot act on accountability and transparency.

His words: “You are expected to take note of certain issues for us to achieve collective success. Projects and programmes you inherited should not be abandoned. I noticed a certain lay back attitude in the continuity of some of our 100-day projects and policies.

“You did not take over ministries and agencies without ongoing programmes. I did not expect any of you to start window shopping instead of pushing ahead with existing programmes. As much as I welcome innovations, we should not behave like the APC government that takes joy in abandoning inherited items.

“Secondly, I task us to uphold public finance regulations and due process. We must avoid activities that portray us as hawks seeking to serve ourselves instead of the public. We are being watched.

“Let us be reminded that nothing is hidden within the public service process. I did not appoint any of you to breach the law. I will not protect anybody caught violating public service regulations”, Senator Adeleke admonished.

One of the things mentioned at the meeting was that of advancing policy innovations that will support his five-point agenda.

A few months into their tenure of office, most of the Commissioners, Osun Defender gathered, were yet to fully settle down to the roles, responsibilities, and activities of their ministries.

It was learnt that while some of the new cabinet members have settled to work, others are still finding it very difficult to start delivering on their mandate.

Findings by Osun Defender indicates that only the Commissioners for Information and Public Enlightenment – Oluomo Kolapo Alimi; Environment – Mr. Mayowa Adejoorin and Commerce, Industry, Cooperatives – Revd. Bunmi Jenyo have been active both on mainstream and social media.

While many believe that most of the cabinet members are not known to the people of the state, sources also hinted that a lot of the new cabinet members are green horns, which has made it not so easy for them to hit the ground running.

Speaking with Osun Defender, a public affairs analyst resident in Ile-Ife, Comrade Taiwo Afolabi said it is high time the cabinet members get to work, in the interest of the state.

He urged Governor Adeleke to ensure that his performance template is not toothless but one that is monitored to ensure the delivery of good governance to the people of Osun State.

Afolabi noted that: “I do not even know most of the Commissioners. They are not visible. Asides that of Information, I do not know anyone else. Maybe because he has been in government before, these Commissioners have not shown us they are working.

“Governor Adeleke should charge them to work and send whoever is not able to deliver packing. We cannot be held ransom. They are being taken care of with state funds. It is not too much if we demand performance from them.”

In another reaction, a community leader in Igbajo, Mrs Felicia Adewale stated that the government has to mandate regular or monthly briefings to the people of the state from members of the State Executive Council.

She said: “It is surprising that most of these cabinet members are neither on nor active on social and the mainstream media. They should all come out and tell the people what they have been doing. We cannot wait further. Five months is enough for them to show that they are ready for the business of governance.

“Whoever is not performing should leave. That’s the standard. They have been too silent. We do not even know them. Putting people in positions they do not have a background in is also a big problem. Lawyers as heads of Health, Finance and other sensitive ministries may not be the best of us. They need to start working.”