NEWS RELEASE

OSOGBO – 26/07/2024 – Osunstate.gov.ng

Governor Ademola Adeleke is governing Osun State without borrowing a single kobo and without drawing any security votes, Spokesperson to the State Governor, Mallam Olawale Rasheed has clarified.

He made the clarifications in response to questions from reporters who quoted some opposition figures alleging the state Governor of increasing Osun debt and of accessing security votes to the tune of billions of naira.

Mr Rasheed attributed such allegations to pure mischief, ignorance of public finance and deliberate misinterpretation of state data, noting that Governor Adeleke is pursuing his many governance initiatives within the confines of available resources from federal allocations and internally generated revenue.

According to the Spokesperson, the state Governor is achieving so much through fiscal discipline, deliberate curtailing of overhead cost and widening of revenue nets, all which resulted in fiscal and financial health of the state.

Mr Rasheed posited that opposition figures displayed ignorance by ignoring the impact of the exchange rate crisis on the inherited external debt stock of Osun State, explaining that the weak naira increased the naira value of the state debt stock.

“The Debt Management Office is the national debt data repository. According to the DMO, Osun owed foreign lenders the sum of $91,779,393.97 as of December 31, 2022, and by December 31, 2023, the external debt profile of Osun stood at $87,247,488.51.

“From the figures above, Osun’s external debt dropped. The noticeable difference in the naira value of Osun external debt was due to the significant devaluation of naira. In 2022, a dollar averaged at N460, and so. The naira value of $91,779,393.97 Osun’s external debt in 2022 was N41bn compared to 2023 when a dollar averaged N1,400, which is essentially why despite the fact that Osun debt reduced to $87,247,488.51, the naira equivalent was N78bn”, the Spokesperson narrated.

“On the allegation of security services votes included in the uploaded budget performance report, let me clarify that the subhead only referred to the cost of various security services and operations across the state which is different from the conventional concept of security votes as drawn by most state governors.

“The security service funds in the identified subhead were used among other interventions to service special peacekeeping operations, provide logistics support to quench inter communal clashes and support the operations of the different security agencies across the state”.

“The funds meant for various security related services are accessed through normal approval processes with appropriate records kept. We however firmly affirm that Mr Governor did not and is not drawing any personal security votes as is the convention before his assumption of office. This is in line with his avowed commitment to free state resources to execute his ambitious five point agenda”, the Governor’s Spokesperson noted.

He described as defeatist the recent penchant of the opposition to twist state finance data to support false narration, submitting that such failed strategy confirms the opposition has run out of ideas and initiatives in the face of Governor Adeleke’s widely acknowledged exceptional performance.

Signed:
Mallam Olawale Rasheed,
Spokesperson to the State Governor.

NEWS RELEASE

● Direct Food Security Implementation Committee to Fast Track Assignment

OSOGBO- 26/07/2024 – Osunstate.gov.ng

Governor Ademola Adeleke has thrown his weight behind the traditional approach to food price control introduced by some traditional rulers in Osun State, describing it as “a local innovation to lower increasing food inflation across the state”

In a statement issued on Friday in which he tasked the State Food Security Implementation Committee to move faster, Governor Adeleke expressed happiness that traditional rulers in Osun State have acted to regulate food prices and curtail negative activities of middlemen in the marketplaces.

Governor Adeleke who condemned artificial inflation induced by market middlemen lauded the traditional rulers for moving against deliberate increment in food prices, noting that the state government supports consensus building to lower food inflation across the state.

According to the Governor, the actions of some members of the Osun State Council of Traditional Rulers on price control has assisted the government in its quest to address food insecurity in Osun State.

He praised the traditional rulers for impressing on market leaders the need to avoid unnecessary price increase, calling on all other traditional rulers in Osun State to engage market leaders on the urgency of price moderation.

“I task our royal fathers to engage market associations and stop exploitation of our people. We must engage market associations to ensure that voluntary price control is introduced.

“We recognise the importance of market associations. We see them as strong partners in governance. To that end,we call on them to join hands with government and traditional institutions to lower food inflation.

“ I am also directing my Special Adviser on Markets to move quickly to support our royal fathers in this new drive to institute traditional price control. The Iyalojas and Babalojas should be integrated into the implementation process”, the Governor directed.

● Direct Food Security Implementation Committee to Fast Track Assignment

Meanwhile, Governor Adeleke has directed the Food Security Implementation Committee to move faster to ensure realisation of a secured and accessible food supply value chain in Osun State.

He tasked the committee to quickly come up with actionable plans, deliverables and timeliness, noting that food security is a matter demanding urgent attention.

“ The Committee is composed of tested experts. It is time for action. We already have a well thought out food security report. We only need a roadmap to execution.

“ I commend the Commissioner for Agriculture for rising to the occasion on our agro-industrialisation agenda. We have started with a supply of tractors which I will be unveiling at a ceremony soon. We have embraced traditional price control through our traditional rulers.

“ We must implement a holistic agenda which addresses all segments of agric value chains. That is what we have in our Food Security Committee report and the actualisation is what I demand from the implementation committee”, the State Governor declared.

Signed:
Mallam Olawale Rasheed,
Spokesperson to the State Governor.

The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations has rated Governor Ademola Adeleke and eight other Governors excellently in its just released reputation performance Index on Nigerian Political Governance 2024.

The Governor Ademola Adeleke led administration in Osun State has put to action his effort on food security in the State.

Based on the communal clash between Orile Owu and Araromi Owu communities in Ayedaade local Government, which had led to loss of properties, Osun state Government has called for calm in the two communities.

It is ssurprising to note that, Mr. Ismail Omipidan, someone who once served as Chief Press Secretary to former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola is showing ignorance of the structure of the office of the Governor, which he was part of, for the almost four years that his paymaster, Oyetola governed Osun state poorly.

The Adeleke University, Ede today held its tenth undergraduate and sixth postgraduate convocation programme at its newly built stadium which is named after Alhaji Sanni.

Our attention has again been drawn to yet another dose of disgracefully distasteful press release authored by Mr. Ismail Omipidan,the Chief Press Secretary to the immediate past Governor of Osun State and the current poorly rated Minister of Marines and Blue Economy, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola,

Our attention has been drawn to a news reports and counter -reports on a Sahara Reporters’ story on a previous contract awards and uploads on Osun state websites under under former Governor Gboyega Oyetola

Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has welcomed an expanded partnership with the Ogun Osun River Basin Authority as the agency toured ongoing projects across Osun State.