By Idowu Isamotu
It will be exactly seven months by June 27, 2023 Osun State governor, Mr Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke took the mantle of leadership in the State. In other words, the governor will clock one year in office by November 27, this year. This means he will have only three years (1095 days) left by November.
Although, since then, Mr governor has continued to take bold steps in rejigging the moribund state, the steps are, however, incomplete without forming a cabinet at the right time and return governance to the grassroots through Local Government Areas as promised during his campaigns and inaugural speech.
For some of us who are following and watching Mr governor closely on his style of governance, we archived most of what he promised during electioneering and the day he formally took over as the number one citizen of the State. As such, we won’t hesitate to raise our voices in our usual decorum style if those promises are not kept.
Before now, Osun people were told by some leaders of the party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to be patient with the governor because of the litigations that were still in court then. They appealed further that the governor would need confirmation of his nominees by the State House of Assembly, hence, everything would be done after the inauguration of the new assembly.
Without prolonging the matter, the Supreme Court has put an end to the litigations. The State House of Assembly has been inaugurated. The question is, what could have warranted this further delay? Well, there should be no response to this question! All what Osun people want to see, is that, Mr Adeleke should quickly take bull by the horns and appoint his commissioners and address other issue without further delay.
The truth is, Osun people won’t entertain any further excuse(s) regarding these two main pertinent issues highlighted above – Formation of cabinet and resuscitation of Local Government Councils across the 3 Senatorial Districts. People don’t want to hear that there is paucity of funds in the State’s treasury, hence the reason for further delay. No!
Mr Adeleke during his inaugural address said and I quote, “I accept the mantle of leadership entrusted upon me by the people of our dear State, I am conscious of the enormous challenges and responsibilities ahead of me and will beginning from this hour work day and night with deep sense of purpose to be a servant to you all.”
Sir, as a bonafide indigene of this State, I make bold to say that one of the ways to be a servant to us all, is by returning our LG Secretariats to how it was during the reign of Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola where LGs were given free hands to function optimally through elected Chairmen and councilors.
For the benefits of those who don’t know much about Osun, the State has 30 Local Government Areas recognized by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and one Area Council situated in Modakeke. These 30 LGAs draw their allocations directly from the Federation Account every month.
This State, since 2010, has never had elected chairmen into the Local Government Councils – courtesy of Mr Rauf Aregbesola, a former governor of the State and immediate past minister of Interior as well as his successor, Mr Gboyega Oyetola. It is obvious to people how the duo of Mr Aregbesola and Mr Oyetola crippled the State and the entire 30 LGAs and turned the Council Secretariats to habitat of reptiles and other animals.
Mr Adeleke, let me remind you some of the things you said on November 27, 2022. It partly read, “In line with our campaign manifesto, our government will ensure local government autonomy in line with the provisions of the Nigeria constitution.
“We will restore the lost glory of our local governments in order to make them more responsive to the needs of the people at the grassroots. All policies that are not favourable to the growth of effective local government administration will be reviewed in accordance with the law.
“No form of illegality will be allowed to stand and all acts of impunity committed by the immediate past administration on local government administration will be reversed following due process.”
It would, therefore, be tantamount to frittering away the goodwill of Osun masses if Mr Ademola Adeleke follows the inglorious path of the two prodigal sons that had piloted the affairs of the State in the last twelve years.
•Idowu, a journalist and an indigene of Iwo, writes from Abuja