Osun: Before Adedeji Muddle Up The Numbers -By Sarafa Ibrahim

In a popular American series, the Queen of South, Colonel Alberto Cortez (screen name) made a disturbing revelation on the stark distinction between obsession and logic. According to him, “Obsession will kill logic when you need it the most.” And he was damn right, especially when you look at Adebayo Adedeji relentless push to misrepresent the Governor Ademola Adeleke administration to the public. 

In his most recent piece, “Hardship in Osun despite 100% increase in federal allocation”, went bizarre with lies and concoctions, muddling up numbers In a desperate attempt to blame Governor Adeleke for the hardship faced by people in the state. Of a truth, things are tight at the moment and people are struggling so hard as a result of the prevailing economic realities. But contrary to the mischievous narrative of Adedeji, the harsh economic condition facing the people is not the making of Governor Adeleke and not limited to Osun state. And every Nigerians, especially Osun people, know exactly what triggers the hyperinflation and the significant loss in value of naira, which does not in anyway aligns with Adedeji’s postulation.

I can understand the situation of Adedeji and the motivation to discredit Governor Adeleke, no matter how ludicrous his narrative sounds. But his mistake, I think, is failing to intelligently scrutinize his views because it doesn’t make sense to subject what is publicly available, like the federal allocation, to a tool of misinformation, which Adedeji claim of Osun allocation going up as high as 100% since the removal of fuel subsidy reflects. This is the same with Adedeji’s claim of Osun getting as much as N14bn to N15bn as federal allocation because it’s, like the other one, untrue.

You don’t have to take my word for it, just take a look at the allocation records, which can be easily accessed on the internet. Let us, for instance, take the allocation to local councils used by Adedeji in his analysis. In August 2022, Odo-Otin local received N251,631,279.16 as its allocation for the month of July. In that same month, Iwo and Ife East local governments received N242,642,302.41 and N250,124,932.57 respectively. This was prior to the removal of fuel subsidy and when put side by side receipts after the removal of fuel subsidy, it will put to paid the concoction of Adedeji. 

The above quoted allocation were received under Gboyega Oyetola, who incidentally is Adedeji’s principal, even though, nothing meaningful could be attributed for their usage. For four years that Oyetola was in office, utilisation of hundreds of billions of naira accruals to the local governments remain a mystery as there are hardly projects or interventions that could be pointed to as benefits of the huge receipts.

This is not the same with Governor Adeleke. In the last 13 months of being in office, Governor Adeleke has shown financial discipline and prudent management of public funds. Unlike the experience under the previous All Progressive Congress (APC) administration, money that accrued to the state’s treasury are transparently utilised and on things that have direct bearing on the people. One of such is the payment of the financial implications on promotions done by Oyetola in 2019, but was left unattended for three years until Governor Adeleke assumed office and intervened. 

In the last 13 months, Governor Adeleke has expended more money to clearing inherited pension liabilities than Oyetola did in four years. This is in addition to the payment of four out of the 30 months half salary owed by the APC-led government. This was what Oyetola, despite receiving tens of billions in grants from foreign and local sources in four years, claimed was impossible as a Governor. Even when the Oyetola administration received nearly 12bn refund for road projects embarked upon by his predecessor, Rauf Aregbesola, nothing was heard about the whereabouts of the money.

For Governor Adeleke, it is out of question on what happens to funds that accrues to the state’s coffer because utilisation is clear as day. Although, someone like Adedeji who is apparently blind to reality may finds it hard to see, but Osun people can see them clearly. They see and use roads built across the nine federal constituencies by Governor Adeleke; they see and even use the public schools wholly rehabilitated by the Adeleke government; they could see and may even be beneficiaries of the health intervention of the Adeleke administration through the Imole Surgical and Medical Outreach; and a host of other impactful interventions. All of these are happening in spite of the state servicing debt incurred by the APC administration with about N1.8 billion every month, a figure far higher than what a state like Oyo spent on servicing debt even though receives more money than Osun.

At the moment, the multi-billion infrastructure plan initiated by Governor Adeleke is ongoing and when completed, will not only change the physical feature of the state but also enhance the living conditions of the people. Flyovers, dual-carrage roads, at leat 1.5 kilometer of road in each of the 30 local governments and area office, whole rehabilitation of primary healthcare centres across the state, refurbishing and equipping of 31 public schools and water project in each of the 332 political wards in Osun. This is huge, right? 

So, it is outrightly misleading for Adedeji to make the wrong assumption he made about the Adeleke administration. I understand his situation, knowing well the recklessness and the bad financial decision that defined the administration he was a part of. But what he failed to realise is that Governor Adeleke is in this job to make life more meaningful for the people, and not for self enrichment he must have been exposed to through those he works for. 

This is why I find it funny when Adedeji mischievously try to paint Oyetola administration differently from what Osun people knew, especially in term of welfare. Adedeji can only deceive himself but Osun people cannot forget in a hurry the attitude of Oyetola to their welfare during the scourge of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. Aside hoarding food items donated to the people by the private sector, it is on record that the Oyetola administration distributed contaminated rice to Osun people as palliative. 

Even recently, there was a report that indicated that Oyetola diverted hundreds of bags of rice provided by President Bola Tinubu through the Comptroller-General of Customs, Mr. Bashiru Adeniyi, to be distributed to Osun people. According to the report, Oyetola received 3000 bags of rice but public information of what he shared with his party members raises serious questions about the whereabouts of about 1500 bags of rice balance. So, the food support that Adedeji tried to credit to Oyetola while in office can only be audio just like the promotion he gave to workers.

The inadequacies of Oyetola was too pronounced to be twisted by Adedeji as this was what made them to resoundingly reject him at the poll. Governor Adeleke has been sincere with the service of the people and this explains the visible and monumental impacts he has made so far.

On the wage award, Adedeji missed it totally and it is not surprising. I’m not sure that Adedeji is aware that federal government workers and those of many other states are yet to receive their January salary and do not even know when it will come, not to talk of getting a wage award for the month. In fact, about 20 states have not decided on what to pay as wage award not to talk of payment. And Adedeji was even late to the party as payment of the wage award by the Adeleke administration has been trickling into the accounts of civil servants and pensions from February 03, 2024. But you cannot blame him much, because Adedeji, like his party, the APC, is too narrow-minded and out of any credible issue to criticize the Adeleke administration, he resorted to inanities and patent lies. 

● Sarafa Ibrahim is a Special Assistant to the Osun State Governor on Print Media and writes from Osogbo, Osun state.