The Osun Masterminds has stated its decisions on why they may drag The Osun State Government to The Economic Financial Crimes Commission,EFCC over the N100bn Infrastructural project unveiled by the Government.
In a media parley with the newsmen on Monday, the Executive Director, Prof Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli while reading the state of the State Address revealed that the some of the projects to the executed were not included in the 2023 budgets.
The statement reads: “We congratulate the Governor of Osun State, Sen. Ademola Adeleke on the successful launch of the One Hundred Billion Naira infrastructure plan for the state.
“Now, we have questions concerning this mattee, Where will Osun State get a hundred billion from, in our current financial state? We do hope the State will not return to the days of excessive borrowing that has landed us in our current financial woes.
“The Governor recently told the State’s people that he has been spending his Security vote on projects, further lending credence to the fact that the State is indeed broke and needs to exercise caution in her financial decisions. Where then will one hundred billion drop from? Is there something the Governor knows that the State’s people are not aware of? Should he not tell us about this source that he knows?
“Our second question is the modality for the selection of those projects listed in the infrastructure plan. In the spirit of equality, why is Ede alone taking the lion share of the highlighted projects when all of the major towns in the State are in dire need of critical road infrastructure? If we will save or borrow that massively to execute projects, should the spread not be a bit more impartial?
“We also want to ask, why is Osun constructing so many flyovers? Why do we need so many of something we already cannot afford? From our analysis of the road infrastructure in Osun State, no road in the State is in such need of a flyover. Why then are we constructing not even one, but five?
While we await answers to these questions, we wish to inform Mr. Governor that as one of our Member organizations, the Transparency and Accountability Group (TAG) when the Oyetola government started plans to construct the Olaiya flyover, we will not hesitate to drag the State Government before relevant government agencies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), for thorough scrutiny of our books.
“The Akoda – Oke Gada – Ofatedo road that was listed as three items in the Infrastructure plan had been initiated long before today. We are well aware that work had started on the road several months ago.
“The work already carried out includes expansion of the right of way, starting from the Akoda end. We are not aware of any supplementary budget sent to the House of Assembly, neither are we aware of any budgetary provision made for the construction of that road in the 2023 State Appropriation Act.
“Where did the Governor and his Government get the funds to mobilize contractors to site to commence work on that road?
“Is the Governor aware that the State’s procurement law does not allow for arbitrary award of contracts? Now that the road has been included in the recently launched infrastructure plan, will funds already expended on the work done so far now be reworked into the 2024 budget to cover obvious extra-budgetary spending that were earlier done?
Concerning the matter, one of the members of the group, Ayodeji Ologun stated “The Ede, Akoda, Road construction weren’t captured in the 2023 budget, you didn’t even ask contractors to bid for it, everyone came out and saw demolitions and expansion of roads, it was nowhere found in the budget of 2023.
“And we were not aware of any supplementary budget, so it was not captured in the 2023 budget.
“Three months after thr projects have started, You now listed it as one of the projects to be executed, the money spent so far on this road, where is it gotten from?
“So these are the cases we are taking before the ICPC and EFCC, and we hope that the ICPC and EFCC attend to this matter with due diligence and save the state from profiteers who find themselves at the seat of government”, he concluded.
Addressing the N2bn Palliatives given to State to disburse to its residents, The Group also called out the Government on where the money was and why it hasn’t been disbursed to its residents.
The group reiterated that consequent upon the removal of fuel subsidy, States received material and financial palliatives for onward disbursement to the people of their respective domains. The financial palliative package amounted to two billion Naira per State and Osun also received its share.
“We find it disappointing that months after the fund was received by the Osun State Government, it has not been accounted for by the relevant agencies of the Osun State Government”, the group lamented.
“Where is the two billion Naira subsidy removal palliative paid to Osun State? What, in exact terms, does the Osun State Government intend to use the fund for, that will have immediate and direct impact on the livelihood of Nigerians? Why is the Osun State Government sitting on a fund that was meant to provide immediate succor to the people?”, they questioned.
The Group also advised the Federal Government to get a grip on the Nation’s fiscal policies and set the country on the path of true growth and development.
As at the time of filing this report, the State Government has yet to react.
