Reactions have continued to trail the decision of Governor Ademola Adeleke to award a contract to the tune of N678m for the reconstruction of Sango Shrine at the Palace of Timi of Ede, Oba Munirudeen Adesola Lawal.
InsightMedia gathered that the contract was awarded to Atomhans in March 2025.
Documents on the Osun state government portal showed the earmarked the sum for the project in the 2025 budget of the state.
Ede is the hometown of Adeleke and the development has sparked another debate over lopsidedness in favour of the community.
The contract process
According to documents obtained by InsightMedia, the contract tagged “Reconstruction of Sango-Timi Shrine and Groove at Timi’s Palace, Ede” was opened for bidding process on February 3rd, 2025 and closed on March 10, 2025.
It was also gathered that the process was based on selective bidding and then awarded to Atomhans. The contract sum according to the documents was N678,843,462.00.
The Contract was handled by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Is this the priority of the government? – CSOs react
Reacting to the contract, the Chairman of the Osun Civil Society Coalition, Comrade Waheed Lawal questioned the rationale behind spending such amount on such a project.
Lawal, who said he doesn’t have anything against cultural promotion, condemned the spending of about N700m on such project when government is unable to recruit teachers and medical personnel.
He siad, “We are not against culture, and we are not against preserving our heritage. But the question is: is this really the priority for Osun people right now? Allocating almost N700 million to rebuild a shrine at a time when our schools are collapsing, our hospitals are struggling, and our workers are crying for welfare clearly shows a misplacement of priorities.
“We also cannot ignore the fact that this project is located in the governor’s hometown. That raises issues of fairness and equity. Governor Adeleke was elected to govern the entire Osun State, not just Ede. Every local government deserves equal attention in development.
“What is even more worrisome is the procurement method. They said it will be awarded through ‘selective procurement.’ That is not transparency. The people deserve to know: who is handling this project, how was the cost determined, and what exactly will Osun people get in return?
“This allocation must be reviewed. Cultural projects are fine, but welfare, education, health, and infrastructure must come first. Osun people need to eat before they can dance around culture. If the government insists on going ahead, then they must open the books and show the people every detail.”
Company not found on CAC
A search by InsightMedia on the portal of the Corporate Affairs Commission showed that the company, Atomhans has no record with the Commission.
Further search on other platforms revealed that the company has no recognised office address as it only directed our correspondent Osun e-procurement portal.
Government keeps mum
Effort to speak with the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi failed as he did answer calls to his phone.
It was the same experience when calls were put to the Spokesperson to the Governor, Mallam Olawale Rasheed.
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