Arise Television’s The Morning Show anchor, Rufai Oseni, has said the decision to unfreeze the Osun State Government’s account came too late, arguing that the damage to the state’s reputation had already been done.
Speaking on the programme on Friday, Oseni maintained that the controversy surrounding the freezing of the account had already shaped public perception by associating the Osun State Government with corruption allegations.
According to him, even if the authorities eventually reversed the decision, the narrative created by the initial action would be difficult to erase.
“No matter how you look at it, it confirms a lot this morning, and it goes back to talk about our institutions,” he said.
Oseni argued that the development had effectively achieved its objective, claiming the state government had already suffered reputational damage.
He said, “I was telling Wilson Uwujaren yesterday that the EFCC had already achieved the aim. Even if the President reverses this, they’ve already achieved the aim.
“They’ve already blackmailed the state government. This is exactly what happened between James Comey and Hillary Clinton leading up to the 2016 United States presidential election.”
Drawing parallels with the 2016 U.S. election, Oseni referenced former FBI Director James Comey’s handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton, saying the situation in Osun mirrored how public perception could be influenced before the facts were fully established.
He added that reversing the decision to freeze the state’s account would not undo the impression already created in the minds of many Nigerians.
According to him, internet search results linking Osun State with phrases such as “frozen account” and “corruption allegations” suggest that the narrative has already gained traction in the public domain.
Oseni concluded that while the account may have been unfrozen, the perception created by the controversy would likely linger long after the reversal.