By Waheed Adekunle
The Special Adviser to the Governor of the State of Osun on Information and Strategy, Hon. Semiu Okanlawon, has accused the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, of being too blind to see the achievements of the present administration.
Okanlawon said this on a radio programme on Friday.
The legal adviser to PDP, Chief Sunday Ojo Williams had stated that the ruling party has not completed any project in its seven years.
However, in a swift response, Okanlawon said Aregbesola deserved kudos because he had used unprecedented means to catalyse Osun economy in the last seven years.
Okanlawon described the PDP’s seven and a half years rule in the state as a complete waste.
The Aregbesola’s media aide asserted that the present administration in the state has not only raised the bar of governance but put in place enduring legacy in all aspects of the economy.
He accused PDP and its loyalists of being economical with the truth as regards the achievements made by his principal, noting that the Aregbesola’s administration has brought to the people of the state the aspired dividends of democracy.
According to Okanlawon, the seven and a half rule of PDP in the state was a total setback on the socioeconomic well-being of the people of the state.
“If PDP accuses us of grandeurs projects, ask its members what they do while in government for16 years in Nigeria and 7 and a half years in Osun.
“It is unfortunate that PDP lives on lies, mischief and all manner of things, if not they will not claim that the present administration had done nothing.
“For any discerning mind, it is crystal cleared that Osun has witnessed all round transformation, growth and development compared to what it was when PDP was in government in the state.
“If you travel round the state, one will see different infrastructural intervention of this government cut across the sectors be it education, security, health, agriculture among others.
“Prior to Aregbesola’s administration, the people of the state were wallowing in abject poverty, while a reasonable number of citizens were neither felt the impact of Governor nor receive the dividends of democracy.
“Our administration in spite the present economic situation has brought unprecedented infrastructure development that had become the cynosure of all eyes in the southwest region and Nigeria at large.
“As we know, this government was sent by God to salvage the people of the state and I am very confident that the people of Osun truly knew this and if not, they would not return our Governor for second term”, he stated.
Okanlawon added that the PDP legal Adviser, Ojo Williams, former Chairman Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Iyiola Omisore and other PDP loyalists have no moral integrity to fault Aregbesola’s government.
He said Osun and Nigeria as a country was led to its present economic woes due to PDP alleged mismanagement, stressing that Osun was almost run aground if not being rescued by his principal.
“Omisore, Ojo, entire PDP stalwarts and loyalists lack moral integrity, political justification to fault Aregbesola’s Government because they were the ones that led us to where we are today.
“It is shameful that PDP and its loyalists are pointing accusation fingers at us of borrowing, forgetting that they too borrowed while in government in spite the fact that they were unable to point at good things they did.
“Take for instance, our administration on its assumption inherited all loans granted Osun since its creation and it is on records that PDP also borrowed to execute some services then”.
Debunking the allegation of 500billion loan leveled against his principal, Okanlawon said ‘no right thinking individual will believe such allegation as the state doesn’t have capacity to borrow such money”.
Itemising the successes recorded by the Aregbesola led government, Okanlawon held that the present administration has repositioned Osun to its deserved position in the comity of states in Nigeria.
“When we came to power in 2010, we mapped out strategy to redeem the economy of the state and the move later translated to the full implementation of our six-point integral action plan that had been yielding positive impact in the last seven years.
“We met Osun at comatose, thus working round the clock to bring the glory of the state back through the provision of massive infrastructure development particularly on education, security, agriculture and health sectors.
“Today, Osun has been rated as second wealthiest state in the country just as many of the state’s social intervention programmes had been replicated and adopted nationally and internationally”, Okanlawon emphasized.
