The All Progressives Congress in Osun State has expressed the fear that Governor Ademola Adeleke is deliberately plunging the state into an avoidable financial crisis with his development plan.
The Osun APC in a statement signed by its Chairman, Tajudeen Lawal on Sunday, said the alleged sudden unveiling of a suspicious N100 billion development programme spanning over 12 calendar months is an ulterior motive to fleece the state.
It would be recalled that the state government revealed plans to execute a N100 billion development plan on Friday.
The Governor during a press briefing on the projects, announced that the projects, which would be concluded within one year, would be executed without any loan or involvement of any financial institution.
Part of the governor’s development plan includes the construction of five flyovers across the state, rehabilitation of 1.5 kilometres of roads in each local government area, and rehabilitation of selected health facilities and schools.
Reacting to the development, Lawal said the programme is 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.
The APC Chieftain reminded Adeleke that since he said he would not borrow a dime to finance the projects, the citizenry deserved to know the source of the funding and the modality for its settlement.
“The development is laughable as the Adeleke administration, which could not successfully handle the earlier 332 boreholes it promised each of the wards in the state, suddenly woke up to itemize some suspicious projects for execution within one year.
“I want to know the moral consideration for the Adeleke government, which is still hoarding N9 billion Federal Government fuel subsidy removal palliative meant to ameliorate the suffering of the people of the state four months after its payment into the coffers of the state government.
“Adeleke’s government has mindlessly warehoused 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.
“Adeleke should tell the world the economic importance of the proposed construction of a flyover at Owode Ede if not only to serve his ego as a native of Ede.
“Is there any justification for the construction of five flyovers at this time in the history of the state when the state government under Governor Adeleke is yet to come up with its planned succour for the people of the state when some other state governments have been dolling out the second or third tranche of their government’s support for the governed?
“What sense is therein for a government which is yet to make a pronouncement on the acceptable minimum wage for its workers as initiated by the federal government to toy with the plans to build five flyovers in the state at a time?
“Must a state government, that is worth its salt, encourage the flagrant dumping of an individual proposal and embrace the same without considering the current financial status of the state?”
Lawal who maintained that some of the projects in the development plan are repetitive, accused supporters of the Adeleke administration of a lack of patriotism.
