The main opposition party, All Progressives Congress (APC), and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun have bickered over the plan of Governor Ademola Adeleke to build infrastructure to the tune of N100bn.
While the APC in a statement by Sooko Tajudeen Lawal described the plan as a plot by the government of Adeleke to siphon state funds, the PDP described the opposition Party as anti-development.
It will be recalled that Adeleke unveiled the N100 billion project fund on Friday, October 27 during a press briefing held in Osogbo. Topmost on the agenda is construction of five flyovers, and 45 roads among other projects within 12 months.
He noted that many people underrated him when he was sworn in as the governor but with his sterling performance in the last year, he has surprised his critics.
However, reacting to the development, Lawal in a statement by his media aide, Chief Kola Olabisi stated that the project is “a scam skilfully designed to enrich some economic ‘buccaneers’ close to his government.”
Lawal said, “There could not be any other name for the phoney and white-elephant projects but a gross misplacement of priority in the hand of a person statutorily saddled with the responsibility of being the caretaker of the resources of the state.”
“Since Adeleke said he would not borrow a dime to finance the projects, the citizenry deserves the right to know the source of the funding and the modality for its settlement as what we are talking of is not a family enterprise whose activities can be effected under the table.
“Adeleke government is still hoarding N9 billion Federal Government fuel subsidy removal palliative. The government which mindlessly warehouses the Federal Government fund for the people, despite complaints from the various stakeholders in the state, cannot be trusted with its plans to execute all the outlined projects.”
Reacting to the APC, Hon. Sunday Bisi, the PDP chairman, said APC is anti-development, adding that “criticism of its government’s multi-billion naira infrastructure plan is unpatriotic, reprehensible and a display of anti-development, anti-people politics.”
Bisi condemned the APC, stating that the opposition Party is playing politics with a development agenda that is widely adjudged to be commendable, long overdue, sustainable, and paramount to the economic revival of our dear state.
“APC is a party that is in bewilderment and severe pain at the ingenuity, innovation, and financial engineering of the Adeleke governorship. We see a bunch of rejected politicians who cannot fathom the depth of strategic thinking that produced the crafting of an ambitious infra plan carefully put together with an eye on sustainability and multiplier effect on the expansion of state economy and well-being of our people.
“The PDP government inherited a state with over 95 infrastructural deficits as of November 2022. Our internal state infra audit when PDP took over revealed that the infrastructural decay cut across all sectors. The APC should get educated that not all Governors are interested in diverting public funds as was the practice when the opposition holds sway.”
