Basiru Insists Adeleke Underperforming, Politicizing Health, Education

A gubernatorial aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Sen. Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru, has again taken a swipe at the administration of Governor Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke for what he described as politicizing the issue of health, education and others.

Apparently reacting to the governor’s statement that the teachers and health workers who were sacked and have not been replaced were APC apologists, Basiru said the government should come and clean and apologize to the people.

In a statement by the campaign office of Basiru, the national secretary of the APC said he would ordinarily have ignored the governor’s outburst but for “the depth of distortion and deliberate deceit it contains demands a firm response, not to argue with a spin doctor, but to inform and defend the truth for the good people of Osun.”

According to the chairman of the National Sugar Development Council, NSDC, “the governor’s latest response should have been totally ignored as his trademark is yet another episode in their administration’s series of deceit and propaganda campaigns. 

“However, the depth of distortion and deliberate lies it contains demands a firm response.

“It is utterly false to claim that Governor Adeleke did not sack teachers and health workers. The truth is that thousands of qualified Osun indigenes, lawfully employed in accordance with civil service regulations during former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola’s tenure, were not political traps as dishonestly alleged; they were real people, with real appointment letters and responsibilities, who were cruelly dismissed. 

“If, as the government claims, those workers were mere APC loyalists, assuming without conceding, why hasn’t Governor Adeleke replaced them with his so-called PDP loyalists after over 31 months in office? 

“Even the 66 temporary staff of the state broadcasting service, who were legally made permanent under the APC administration, were demoted without justification. Are these also “political liabilities”? 

“The government’s empty rhetoric about “water projects” is a case of propaganda over substance. He should name the communities where these supposed short, medium, and long-term interventions are happening. 

“Osun people are still grappling with dry taps. Where are the 332 borehole projects allegedly sunk by this government? We challenge any official of this government to document the workability of the failed project used to siphon Osun money. These “projects” exist only in press statements.

“The Oke Fia Bridge is a glaring example of deception. The government  called genuine concerns about the ongoing and dangerous excavation there “pitiable lies.” The statement’s dismissal of such concerns only highlights this government’s contempt for transparency. Residents of Osogbo and its environs can see for themselves the hazardous and poorly managed excavation that threatens lives and infrastructure. On agriculture, we ask again, where are the 31 tractors allegedly deployed? Who received them? What farmlands are they operating on? 

“It is on record that N8 billion of Osun taxpayers' money has developed wings on the tractor scandal. What productivity or yield can be traced to them? There is no traceable development or initiative the Adeleke administration has added in over 2 years. All the food crops consumed in Osun are imported into the state.

“The Adeleke administration’s boastful tone regarding economic reforms, digital policies, and trade expansion does not match the reality. Businesses are suffocating under harsh conditions, and the supposed ICT revolution is nowhere to be seen. Adeleke and her gangs are good for slogans, which only exist in their hearts and papers. 

“Osun IGR remains barely the same in 3 years, with no improvement. Leakages, financial indiscipline, erring consultants, diversion of state funds into private pockets, and capital flight on ceremonies to Lagos by both the governor and his sister are what appears in the state financial accounts weekly. Where is the justification of the over N500 billion in FAAC, grants and waivers into the state and local government areas in the last 30 months? 

“The Adeleke led government is running on media stunts, propaganda, and manufactured praise. The people of Osun deserve more than propaganda. Just like Basiru has promised Osun electorates, he would run a 21st-century broader vision of industrialization for Osun economy towards sustainability and development in technological advancement in education, healthcare, rule of law, employment and business opportunities, promotion of sports and tourism, in compliance with the goals of the founding fathers of Osun to be a prosperous state, worthy of emulation when he assumes office after the expiration of Adeleke’s tenure next year, with the collective support of Osun people and express approval of the Almighty God, the statement concluded,” he added.