The Osun Masterminds, a Civil Society organization has cautioned Governor Ademola Adeleke not to let his new found relationship with the former Governor Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola to railroad him into reintroducing the policies that affected the State negatively in past.
Addressing the newsmen at the April edition of its State of the State address, on Tuesday, the Executive Director, Prof wasiu Oyedokun-Alli, said the Governor’s speech when he visited Ogbeni Aregbesola in his Abuja office, got them very worried.
The statement partly reads: ” We advise the Governor to exercise serious restraints with his statements in support of any past policy in Osun. We are aware that he may have built some political friendship with the Aregbesola political tendency, but he must not allow himself be used to drag Osun back into an era of financial recklessness and undertaking of white elephant projects that will push Osun back into insolvency.
” We are particularly bothered that this State is not at any point of financial strength yet, to begin pursuing such costly ideas that will put us in more financial trouble.
“The Governor must thread the path of financial caution as Osun is just returning from some serious financial mess and is not fully on its feet yet. All government spending must be towards sustaining the little growth we have made in recent years and facilitating homegrown developmental solutions, not white elephant projects”, he reiterated.
Addressing the rise of insecurity in the State, he lamented on the persistent rise of the level of insecurity in the State. He said “Just yesterday at about 8pm, citizens of the State going about their legitimate businesses were robbed on the Africa bridge in Osogbo”.
However, the Group advised the Governor to engage all security agencies in the State, including the state-owned Amotekun Corps, and work out new modalities with them that will ensure the security of lives and properties.
The Group also implored the Governor Ademola Adeleke not reconsider his stance on the sacking of the workers employed by Oyetola during the sunset of his administration.
“The timing of the employment may have appeared wrong, but for the sake of other positive arguments in favor of the process, we urge Gov. Adeleke to retain them. We also advise him to conduct a thorough screening for those persons employed to ensure that they are all qualified to be so employed”, he stated.
“We plead with the Governor and advise him to kindly sustain the employment of these 1500 citizens of the State. This step will facilitate improvement in the education sector, while also sustaining the necessary provision of employment to young persons in the State”.
Stating that the decision will present the Governor as a leader for all, who will not make some sections of the State suffer for political expediences.
The Masterminds commended the Governor for some of his interventions and policies so far.
