If not for Adeleke, Osun people would not know

By Sola Isola

I believe strongly that the people of Osun State are indeed lucky that Senator Ademola Adeleke is the Governor of the state at this time. I say this because we have all seen how governments of yesteryears have done governance without paying attention to the immediate needs of people.

If Ademola Adeleke had not become Governor of Osun State, we all would not know it is possible for a government to complete abandoned road projects by previous governments, we wouldn’t have known.

Had Adeleke not won in 2022, we would not have known that a government can pay the backlog of salaries and arrears of civil servants owed by previous governments and even implement promotion of civil servants who have been stuck at the same level for over eight years, we wouldn’t have known.

We would not have known that it was possible for a government to construct over 200km of road, spread across the entire state, with several others going on within three years, we wouldn’t have known.

Who would have thought Osun roads could be powered with Solar street lights if Adeleke had not been elected Governor, as a matter of fact an example I always like to give is from Dele Yes Sir Roundabout to Ilesa Garage roundabout, former Governor Oyetola’s government erected streetlight poles and for four years, it remained there incomplete, the excuse of that government was COVID-19 and EndSARS.

Adeleke made it known to us that it’s possible for a government to enroll 26,000 pensioners in Osun into the Osun Health Insurance Scheme, at the same time enroll 1200 inmates in the correctional centres in Osun in OHIS while also conducting free surgeries for all inmates with special cases

I recall that on the day the inmates were enrolled at the Ilesa Correctional Centre, one of the inmates who was asked to give a Vote of Thanks said that Governor Ademola Adeleke is the first Governor to step his feet into the correctional centre in the last twelve years. Meaning other Governors probably don’t remember that there are human beings who deserves to be catered for there.

We wouldn’t have known that after twelve years, it was possible for the Osun State Government to acquire fire trucks for Osun State Fire Services who had absolutely nothing to work with.

So after twelve years of drought, it was possible for the Osun State Government to acquire 31 tractors and place one of them in each of the local governments in the state with assurance of more of the tractors still to come? We wouldn’t have known if not for Adeleke.

So it was possible for Osun State not to borrow in three years of governance, we wouldn’t have known if not for Adeleke.

Now this is the catch, not borrowing wouldn’t look like a big deal but how about the fact that Adeleke has repaid N65.05 billion out of Osun’s domestic debt, reducing it by 43.84% from ₦148.37 billion to ₦83.32 billion.

Adeleke has also repaid $16.64 million out of Osun’s external debt, reducing it by 18.13% from $91.78 million to $75.14 million, all these within three years in office, we wouldn’t have known it was possible if not for Ademola Adeleke.

For the first time in the history of Osun State, free eye tests were conducted on 450,000 pupils of Government owned Primary Schools out of which 43,000 pupils received free eye glasses, how would Osun people have known this was possible if Adeleke is not Governor.

Beyond jamboree, we wouldn’t know that it was possible to renovate 200 primary healthcare centres across the state. I remember that a previous government in the state had once told us a similar story then the people of Osun State later realized they only repainted the buildings, but the government of Ademola Adeleke did not only renovate these primary healthcare centres they are now solar powered.

The proof came and it validates the action of the Ademola Adeleke administration, when on the 12th day of December, 2024, Osun emerged as the South West champion of the Primary HealthCare (PHC) Leadership Challenge Award.

We would not have known that the same Osun that spent $20million during the regime of Former Governor Oyetola claiming to renovate the same PHCs and did not get a singular recognition could now emerge the best in the southwest spending less money and without grants or borrowing.

Osun people would not have known that it was possible for a Governor who has spent three years in office to beat the record of two Governors who served for twelve years. As at June 2024, Senator Ademola Adeleke has paid N12.7 billion in pension, bond and gratuities, meanwhile Former Governors Aregbesola and Oyetola in 12 years paid N11.1 billion. This will make sense to you if you remember that Ademola Adeleke has taken no extra dime as loan from any commercial banks both home and abroad, neither has he taken any from the federal government.

If Adeleke was not Governor, who would have known that it was possible for the Osun state government to implement a new minimum wage and even approved above the benchmark by the Federal Government.

In April 2019, Late President Buhari approved 30,000 as the new National Minimum Wage, the government of former Governor Oyetola waited till November 2021 before paying that minimum wage. This means it took the government of Former Governor Oyetola 31 months to implement the minimum wage as approved by the Buhari administration.

Years later, in July 2024 President Tinubu led Federal government approved another new minimum wage, now 70,000 and by December 2025, 5 months later, the Ademola Adeleke led Osun State Government had approved and started paying N75,554 as the new minimum wage. Spot the difference.

Had Adeleke not become Governor of Osun State, we would have thought we have seen the best of governance, but we haven’t.

Ora-Igbomina Water Scheme was originally designed, constructed and Commissioned by Governor Oyinlola to serve Ora-Igbomina and Oke-Ila communities but it was abandoned for 12 years, until Ademola Adeleke became Governor, the same water scheme has been re-awarded for reconstruction and work is near completion.

Osun people would not have known that it was possible to process and get C-of-O in 45 days. They wouldn’t have known that it was possible to obtain Local Government means of Identification online with ease, if Adeleke had not been Governor.

So it was possible for the Osun government to release over 1.6 billion to different cooperative societies across all the wards in Osun, some as revolving loan and some as interest free loan, Osun people would not have known if Adeleke had not been Governor.

Osun people would not have known that it was possible for the Osun State Government to register over 2000 businesses for youth and women while giving them POS machines and even cash grants to start their businesses while over 2000 others also got cash grants to start businesses of their choice. Thats a total of 4000 Osun people.

Adeleke made all these possible in three years and Osun people now know so much a government can do if the government puts the interest of the people first.

Ademola Adeleke deserves every form of support to complete his tenure while delivering on all his promises, he deserves to be reelected again as Governor for another term so he can do so much more.