By Miracle Ogunde
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has explained how his administration blocked godfathers from milking the funds meant for the state.
In an exclusive interview on Channels Television’s Political Paradigm, Adeleke said he was able to block all leakages to the extent that no godfather can take advantage of the system.
When asked how he was able to make money to carry out infrastructural projects despite the debt owed by the previous administration, Adeleye replied: “From taxes, from Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). So we improved it, we changed the system. I blocked all the leakages to the extent that no godfather can take advantage of the system. Where it’s not necessary to spend money, I block it. I am a very prudent administrator. I check it myself, that is why I am successful. I didn’t owe anybody any favours because nobody financed my campaign.”
The governor also reeled out his achievements within the last two years in office as Osun leader.
“Two years with a lot of challenges. I was cheated in 2018. Everyone knew that I won that election but that one is over now. I went back to prepare more, and I believe in God. Then God said that my time will come and it was a street victory. It is not easy to defeat an incumbent in Africa, especially in Nigeria here. But I did, there’s nothing they could do about it. I see that as God telling me that it’s my time. A lot of people did not give me a chance because when I was a senator, they called me ‘dancing senator’, that oh, I will just go to the Government House. All I’ll be doing is to be partying. I mean, dancing every day, having parties and everything,” he said.
“Well, I didn’t listen to them because I know what I’m going to do. I laid out my blueprints silently and immediately I was sworn in, I began with action.
It was challenging at first. I first went around. I’m not a governor that sits around the office in the air conditioner. I put on my sneakers, my cap, and go around and inspect projects so that the contractors will know that I mean business.”
On probing the previous administration, Adeleke said he decided against taking any action, saying: “No, because if you try to do that, you will be wasting your time. I did not even probe anybody and the money they owed was crazy. I showed it to everyone, I even called all the obas (kings) that this is what I met on the ground. Osun State, with our little resources, owed close to N60 billion, apart from others that we discovered later. Why do I need to waste my time to start probing? So I just forgot about that and went straight to work.”
He also listed some of his accomplishments as governor of Osun state.
“Infrastructure is very important. I’m not doing the ones that people will see. I go inside villages and everything because our people are mostly farmers. And if they don’t have good roads, how are they going bring their goods to town? So that’s the first agenda. I made sure that I fit in the infrastructure, the roads and even bridges that I’m doing at the same time. The first plan that I had was N100 billion infrastructure plan but people believe that we’re just going to turn Osun State into the construction site and won’t be able to meet up. But guess what, two years, I met the target. If you come to Osogbo now, to other cities, I’ve done about 150 kilometres. As I’m doing it, I’m putting lights on the streetlight. When you come at night, it’s so beautiful. Everywhere you go, at least you have road construction. Every little town, we have at least 1.5 kilometres of roads, so you cannot say I did not touch anywhere.
“That makes me happy that I’m fixing the roads, fixing bridges in Osogbo. I am fixing bridges, fixing roads. In Ilesha, they’ve never had it so good.”
When asked if he collected any security vote, governor Adeleke said, “I don’t collect, it’s there. I use it like every month, whatever security challenge that we have.”
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