A philosopher once said power should be sought and used as an instrument for service. Whenever or wherever power is sought for personal aggrandizement, the power, it is said, degenerates to tyranny. These profound words can better describe the situation in Osun State, where the newly inaugurated governor, Ademola Adeleke, has left no one in doubt that his hustling for power over the years is for self-glorification and to settle political scores. Nothing more.
Since his inauguration, media has been awash with many vicious broadcasts sanctioned by his administration. One is his decision, through Executive Order, to freeze the accounts of the state government then turn around to accuse the hardworking civil servants of sabotage and playing politics with payment schedule for the month of November. Another is the malicious story about looting of government property by men of the last government. I will attempt to address these two issues in this piece.
It is on record that on November 28, 2022, Senator Adeleke announced the immediate freezing of all government accounts in banks and other financial institutions, the action which has stalled payment of salary and pension of workers.
However, on December 1, barely three days later, after good spirited citizens have waded in and condemned the ill-conceived decision, the dancing senator swallowed his words. But rather than apologising for his farcical and juvenile directive, Adeleke chose to name the civil servants as fall guys for his mistake.
In a press statement issued by his spokesperson, he was said to have frowned at the delay in the payment of November salary and ordered the submission of salary schedule to relevant office within 24 hours failure which would earn the “saboteurs” sanctions. Nevertheless, five days after, Osun State workers and pensioners are yet to be paid.
Why is the government giving flimsy excuses for non-payment of salary? How true is the rumour that the new administration has diverted the large chunk of the N14billion left behind by the Oyetola-led government—the rumour that the state is broke and November salary can’t be paid until later in the month when the state receives the next federal allocation from Abuja?
Instead of purposing his government to solve the immediate challenge of pension and salary payment, Adeleke, strangely, is devoting his time to elevate mundane conversations that would further injure his clownish reputation. He fondles with Executive Orders with reckless abandon.
Executive Orders, by creation, are instruments of the government designed to address pressing governance issues. They are sparingly used and not tools to fight political enemies as it is the case with the Lord of the Manor in Abeere. The witch-hunting path Governor Adeleke has taken—path aimed at discrediting his predecessor and his men—through media trial and unsubstantiated allegation that they looted cutlery and plates, in their official lodges when exiting government, would do him no good in the long run.
The governor should not resort to media jamboree and self-help when he actually has instituted panels to audit assets inventory and probe other decisions of the last government. Even though the discerning minds are not unawares of the hatchet and wuruwuru-to-the-answer job the panels are meant to serve, Adeleke should at least allow them to submit their caricature reports before he begins to disclose contents already agreed upon in their evil coven.
Every sensible citizen of Osun knows that reports of those panels dominated by people of questionable characters—characters with cases of armed robbery, kidnapping, cultism and murders of Otunba Raheem Ade Komolafe, former Chairman of DHL and Pa Agboola Obadare still hanging upon them like sword of Damocles—can’t be taken serious for all intents and purposes. No Nigerian will take serious reports of panels peopled by rogues—rogues who without valid court order would descend on another person’s property and demolish it because the victim exposed the fraudulence in credentials of their political benefactor.
Adeleke should cure himself of flippancy and talk-then-think attitudes to governance. Such attitudes are awful and beneath the office he occupies. They do not only diminish statecraft, they also, no doubt, validate the claim that he is facetious and unsuitable for the exalted office of a state governor.
So he should, for the sake of commonsense, desist from playing petty, unhelpful and unhealthy politics of persecuting his political adversaries through irresponsible propaganda, outright lies and wilful misinformation.
