Re: Osun: Between Oyetola’s candour and Adeleke’s insincerity
By Sarafa Ibrahim
There seems to be a deft move to reinvent the record of former Governor Gboyega Oyetola in terms of welfare while in office and paint the efforts of the incumbent Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, to clean the mess he inherited as doing nothing. It usually comes in the form of an honest assessment but deep inside, the intention was to manipulate thoughts. A clear instance of such a move is inherent in a recent article titled: ‘Osun: Between Oyetola’s candour and Adeleke’s insincerity’ by Kola Odepeju.
Plainly creating an impression of sincerity on the part of Oyetola, the article prances on Governor Adeleke’s inability to clear backlog of salary owed by the previous administrations. His excuse for going after an innocent man even when he played no part in incurring the debts was that he made a promise to do so. Yet, he could not produce any evidence in that regard.
It is common knowledge that Governor Adeleke is concerned about the welfare of workers and pensioners in Osun state. This is why he made the issue of their welfare a top focus of his campaign in the build-up to the Osun governorship election and has since assuming office, worked towards making sure they receive their entitled benefits.
It is laughable, if not even shocking, for anyone to talk of Oyetola in the same breadth with sincerity on the welfare of workers and pensioners going by the past we all experienced. It is public knowledge that Oyetola was the architect of the half-salary regime under former Governor Rauf Aregbesola, and even led the government side to broker the despicable deal with workers’ representatives.
Perhaps Mr. Odepeju missed it or deliberately chose to feed the public outright falsehood when he posited that Oyetola did not make any promise to pay the owed salary. Apart from the fact that he campaigned for office in 2018 on the promise of ‘continuity’, Oyetola on several counts assured workers of paying the workers and pensioners the 30-month half-salary due to them.
At an event put up by civil servants shortly after the Supreme Court ruled in his favour on the 2018 governorship poll, Oyetola said “I will not only sustain the payment of your full salary but by the grace of God, I’ll pay your arrears. I will prioritise your welfare.”
This tone of commitment was re-echoed in 2021 when Oyetola again raised the hopes of workers on paying the owed waves while speaking to journalists in his Iragbiji home. Yet, he did not pay a dime from the 30-month half salary for four years that he stayed in office.
That was the big mess that Governor Adeleke inherited but showed to be different, in not only showing concern for the affected but doing something about getting them reprieve. Just as he had promised, Governor Adeleke initiated processes to offset the debt and ensure relief for workers and pensioners in the state who have endured pains over the years that their entitlements were denied them.
Between February and now, Governor Adeleke has paid two months out of the 30-month half salary owed to workers and pensioners in the state. He has also expressed commitment to ensure the payment of the balance, designing a template that will be followed by his government to ensure that the wage-related debt is cleared.
Yet, Mr. Odepeju chooses to peddle outright falsehood by suggesting that Governor Adeleke is not keeping to his promise on welfare. Civil servants and pensioners in Osun will find the position of Mr. Odepeju ludicrous because it is totally different from reality. In Osun, civil servants and pensioners typically see Governor Adeleke as ‘talk and do’ and this explains the overwhelming support he enjoys from them even to the point that he was dubbed “Comrade Governor” to acknowledge his sincere commitment to their welfare.
Despite inheriting a state in a depressing situation, Governor Adeleke’s ingenuity and fiscal discipline are turning things around for good, and in just six months in office, making incredible impacts, not only in terms of the welfare of workers and pensioners but also infrastructural projects across the state. At the moment, Governor Adeleke’s administration is constructing at least, 25 km of roads which are scattered across the nine federal constituencies that made up Osun state.
Many of these roads will be commissioned in a few weeks time to benefit Osun people. This is in addition to the free healthcare campaign, provision of water and many other things that Oyetola failed to achieve in four years, always hiding under the excuse of paucity of funds when the failures of his administration are brought to the fore.
Under Governor Adeleke, Osun is gradually returning to the right track after years in the wilderness as a result of maladministration, in which Oyetola is a critical actor. Governor Adeleke is keeping to his promises not only to workers but the entire people of the state, which explains the modest progress that Osun is experiencing in the short time he has been in office, and the overwhelming support of the people, who voted for the Adeleke-led PDP in two consecutive elections.
• Sarafa Ibrahim writes from Iwo, Osun State. He can be reached via email at neyoclass09@gmail.com
