Osun Rep, Salam Holds International Retreat for Governor Adeleke's Media Aides in Senegal

• Media Aides Describe Governor Adeleke as the Best in Osun’s History

By Sola Isola

The Member Representing Ede North, Ede South, Ejigbo and Egbedore Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, Hon Bamidele Salam has organized a 5-day International Media Retreat for media aides of Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State and the People’s Democratic Party.

The retreat, tagged “REFRESH, RELOAD & RECREATE”, organized by the Office of the BS-E4 Initiative in collaboration with Jobited Consult Ltd was held from October 2nd to 6th, 2025.

The strategic media retreat, themed “Building Credibility, Driving Engagement: Strengthening Media Strategy for Responsive and Inclusive Governance in Osun State” was focused on intensive capacity building, message refinement, strategic alignment, synergy design and knowledge exchange to enhance the resource competences of the Media Aides for greater governance communication impact of the outstanding achievements of the Imole Administration.

According to the organisers, the retreat was timely and forward-looking, coming at a pivotal period as Osun State moves into the next phase of its golden era.

The sessions which were facilitated by Dr Chibuzor Okereke, Politics and Governance Consultant; Dr Femi Adefila, CEO Rave FM, Engr Jesutomiwa Salam, Software Engineer and AI Researcher and Hon Bamidele Salam focused on review of governance performance in Osun state, strategic governance communication, people-centric and community engagement, synergy governance messaging, and advanced media content creation, all aimed at amplifying Governor Adeleke’s transformative work across the state and meeting the information needs of the people of Osun.

A statement released at the end of the retreat noted that participants conducted a thorough governance performance assessment of His Excellency, Governor Ademola Adeleke, and unanimously scored him outstandingly excellent across all key sectors, including infrastructure, education, health, youth and women empowerment, workers’ welfare, care for pensioners, the aged/people with disability; rural water scheme, rural electrification, mechanized farming, food security/agro-processing development and prudent fiscal management among many others.

The media aides speaking through the Senior Special Assistant on Media, Hon. Oladele Bamiji described the Governor’s leadership as “unprecedented in the history of Osun State”, especially given the achievements recorded despite the withholding of over ₦70 billion in Local Government funds by the Federal Government. He noted that indeed, this is Osun’s Golden Era, hailing Governor Adeleke as Best Governor in State’s History.

He further commended Governor Adeleke for turning Osun into a “Development Construction Site”, implementing massive infrastructure and social impact projects in a manner that is inclusive and people-centred, with no community or demographic group left behind.

In a show of unity, solidarity and commitment, the media aides unanimously endorsed Governor Adeleke for a second term, citing his monumental developmental strides and people-first policies. They pledged to deploy innovative media strategies, digital outreach, and grassroots mobilization to ensure the Governor’s re-election in 2026.

The retreat also featured goodwill and solidarity messages from stakeholders including, Hon. Ayodeji Areola, Osun State PRO, PDP; Prince Bola Ajao, Osun State PDP Secretary; Mallam Olawale Rasheed, Spokesperson to the Governor and a live video call from His Excellency, Governor Adeleke, who expressed solidarity with his media team and appreciation for their dedication.

Activities at the retreat included expert-led technical sessions, strategic communications workshops, AI and digital media labs, as well as a cultural immersion tour of Dakar, aimed at fostering cross-cultural learning and peer exchange.

The programme also provided a platform to identify gaps in operations, build synergy among aides, and develop strategy for greater impact.

The retreat was widely noted as the first-ever international strategic Media Aides engagement in the history of Osun State, attended by over 40 participants who could not hold back their excitement in praising Hon. Bamidele Salam for the initiative and investment in strengthening the state’s communication architecture.

Meanwhile, the Spokesperson to the Governor, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, has hailed Hon. Bamidele Salam for the International Media Retreat, describing him as a public servant with a heart of gold.

He stated in a statement this while congratulating members of the Governor’s media team who were selected as participants at the retreat currently holding in Dakar, Senegal.

He urged participants to make the best use of the opportunities that was made to them available.

According to him, Hon. Bamidele Salam is not only representing the people of Ede Federal Constituency efficiently, but he is also building the future by empowering youths, women, the less privileged, and other groups through training and skills acquisition programs.