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Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun state has said that as he marks one year in office, the self-exile he took after the 2018 governorship election prepared him for the job adding that unlike many political opponents, the four years between 2018 to 2022 was an era of agenda setting and capacity building for him.
He added that the last one year has been a period of reconstruction across all facets of Osun society and it has been lots of hard-work and several challenges to address noting that he inherited a run-down system, a state where virtually nothing was working and that the rot outside was worse than inside.
Governor Adeleke made this known while interacting with journalists before embarking on a working vacation to Europe and Asia where he said he is scheduled to meet investors and development partners.
He said “I am so well prepared for the difficult task ahead. You need to remember that my governorship has a history. After the persecution, rigging and the maltreatment of 2018, my self-exile prepared me for the job at hand. Unlike many political opponents, the four years between 2018 to 2022 was an era of agenda setting and capacity building. That is why we are daily surprising our detractors with our performance.
“It has been lots of hard-work and several challenges to address. I inherited a run-down system, a state where virtually nothing is working. The rot we saw outside was worse than what we met inside. When I said nothing is working, I mean it. Schools, health centers, infrastructures, sports, civil service, name it. The white house, the office of the governor, was like a black house. The Government House was like a shit house despite reported rehabilitation before our assumption of office.
“The government quarters were looted and vandalised. Huge and paralyzing debt were on ground. Workers were owed salaries and pensions. The public service was turned upside down into a zone of confusion. So, I largely started all over like from the scratch a year ago. So the last one year has been a period of reconstruction across all facets of Osun society.”
Speaking on the remarks of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) that he has nothing to show, the Governor noted that the APC is still nursing the wound of their electoral defeat and so the party is ashamed to see the positive changes his administration is recording in the state.
He said, “our achievements are there for all to see. I will provide a brief across the sectors to showcase my records in office. In the road sector, we reconstructed a total of 90 kilometres of roads with another 45 kilometres ongoing. We completed key intercity roads like the Ikirun-Osogbo road while Iwo-Osogbo is ongoing. We completely rehabilitated 31 schools with another 31 in the pipelines. We built 332 water projects while major water works at Iwo, Ede, Osogbo, Eko Ende are under rehabilitation. We focused on the health sector through Imole medical outreach which provides immediate surgeries with over 50 000 beneficiaries so far.
“We addressed welfare needs of doctors and we have slated 345 health centres in the state for rehabilitation. In science and tech, we introduced a digital economy agenda with new ICT and tech innovations policies. We developed a bill to domesticate the Nigeria Startup Act and launched programmes to deepen internet penetration of the state through broadband fiber optic projects. I reformed the public service by ensuring professionalism. I launched a phased payment of inherited pension and half salary debt. I just enrolled all pensioners in the health insurance scheme. We have done a lot in just under one year.
“I am repositioning the tourism sector into a tourism and cultural industry. A lot of work is ongoing into raising the sector as a major revenue source for Osun state. In my advocacy for positive change, I’ve emphasized the power of entertainment. Our administration is actively creating an environment for the thriving of creatives. We’ve revitalized key festivals, positioning them as global entertainment opportunities—from the Osun Osogbo Festival to the Sango Festival and the introduction of the Adire Festival. Moreover, Osun State is gearing up to host significant entertainment events, including the Broadcasting Organization Awards in December and The West African University Games (WAUG) at the Obafemi Awolowo University, also in December. These initiatives reflect our commitment to making Osun a hub for entertainment.
“The sport sector is undergoing major reform. We are setting up a sports commission and expanding into other games beyond football. In agriculture , we are working on the establishment of agric processing zones as well as further support for mechanization of farming in the state. And of course, we have restored the local government system with elections to hold a year or so. Grassroot government is now ongoing.
For the mining sector , like I recently stated, we are recording an increase in revenue generation. Accumulated service charges on our licenses have been cleared. We are at the tail end of upgrading our exploration leases to mining leases. This will bring more investors. We are now operating an environmentally friendly operation. EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) and EMP ( Environmental management plan) is now a must before mining operation. Cleaning up the polluted environment is also ongoing. Our mining operation now has zero tolerance for environmental degradation. We have had a long drawn negotiation with mining companies operating in Osun since the beginning of the year. I repeat my strategy was to get Osun to genuinely benefit from her natural wealth within the federal set up. We have positive results now. We have secured shareholding with Segilola Resources Operating limited. Further earnings will soon be coming from Segilola. As part of the overall plan, we have also increased our signature bonuses in line with reality. We are indeed starting mining processing from early next year.
Speaking on how his administration is able to fund projects despite the inherited a debt ridden loan, Governor Adeleke noted that he has been running string administration adding that his administration has been very prudent
He said “We have been very prudent. I am not collecting security votes. Such funds are directed to developing the state. I deny myself many things our people call the grace of office. My team also agreed to tighten the belt. Additionally, I block leakages in the revenue system. We ensure that state earnings are not ending up in private pockets. We also deepen the revenue base. We look at untapped areas of revenue without imposing new burdens on the populace. We also ensure accountability and transparency in federal refunds and intervention. Federal funds outside state allocation are no longer sources of self enrichment. We have special accounts for such funds.
‘For our multibillion infrastructure plan, the plan is very well on course. I shocked the opposition and since the day I unveiled the infra plan, the opposition has been on edge, throwing all sorts of tantrums. They are pleasantly surprised that our government has come up with such an ambitious plan. Let me restate the rationale for the plan. I inherited infrastructure deficit close to 92 percent. Forget all the false data paraded by the past government. Secondly, Osun needs something like a mini-development plan. And thirdly, we reasoned that we need a firm direction within the overall five point agenda. Hence the plan for dualised roads, flyovers, school rehabilitation, health centre upgrade, Imole medical outreach, water projects across the 332 political wards among others. We are reconstructing Osun state from the scratch. Work has started in some areas of the infra plan.
“I want to assure the people of Osun that going forward, we will increase our commitment to service delivery. The infra plan is a focus for implementation going forward. We will touch the lives of our people more and more. We tagged budget 2024 a budget of reconstruction and recovery. A new Osun is emerging.”
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