Osun: Governor Adeleke’s 3-year of Aristocratic Govt, Collosal Waste

By Waheed Adekunle

It is no longer news that in a number of hours, the current administration in Osun State under the governorship of Senator Ademola Adeleke will be celebrating the third year anniversary of being at the helm of affairs having assumed office on the 27th November, 2022. The citizens, particularly discerning minds, have been passing comments on the performance and otherwise of the current government most significantly in view of the resources available to the governor since assumption of office.

It is on record that Osun State that hitherto was being confronted with financial crunches occasioned by the then global socio-economic meltdown and national socio-economic instability is now swimming in the pool of resources coming from the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led Federal Government and Internally Generated Revenue, (IGR).

Coming into government in the late 2022 was noted a prime period as the nation was moving into a new facelift of socio-economic renaissance due to the removal of fuel subsidy and genuine commitment to revamp national economy by the current administration of President Tinubu.

No doubting the fact that the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu’s government has not only reshaped the governance modality but it has also stimulated the national socio-economic reforms ongoing across all the sectors today with positive impacts on the nation’s fortunes.

Governor Adeleke who assumed office at a time the allocation of the state skyrocketed geometrically from 2billion naira to 12billion naira has proven to the citizens his incapability and lack of competence to bring the much succours and desired development to the people of the state.

Starting on the vendetta motive, the administration which obnoxious non-popular Executive Orders scattered governance template is yet to return to tracks as the state has been battling with series of needless challenges inspite of humongous resources available to the government.

Unequivocally, inspite of all the resources available to Governor Adeleke, his government has failed woefully to bring the much desired change to governance, no meaningful justification for all the humongous resources at the government disposal.

It is on record that between November and December, 2022 Adeleke’s government received 25billion naira as allocation from the Federal Government within just two months shortly after assumption of office.

So, also, in 2023, record shows the receipt of N182 billion naira received by the current government in the state. In the same vein, the state under Governor Adeleke’s watch received N333 billion naira in 2024 and N310 billion from January to September, 2025, with little or nothing to show for it.

Quite unfortunate, the government that received as federal allocation a whooping 124billion in just three months i.e. July to September 2025 has failed to recruit teachers in the last 36 months of being at the helms of affairs. The implications of this humongous resources is that Governor Adeleke has been receiving on the average nothing less than N41 billion per month as evident in the official document and records of the state government.

For the avoidance of doubt, page 9 of the Osun State Budget Implementation Performance report published on October 28, 2025 on the state’s official website reflected the huge amount of money coming into the state coffers from the federation account, yet the Osun citizens are gasping for breath and survival on account of the arbitrary policies occasioned by the obnoxious Executive Orders targeted mainly to clamp down on the perceived members of the opposition vis-a-vis Governor Adeleke’s hopeless economic policy that had dragged Osun backward judging from the resources available to the government at the moment.

The state government under Adeleke’s watch has received over 1trillion naira in the last 36 months yet nothing to show for it instead, cosmetic projects have become the order of the day. Projects are no longer purposely done, instead they are for aesthetics and soft means to satisfy insatiable curiosity and axiomatic tendency of ‘jobs for the boys’ and stooges loyal to the administration in order to siphon public treasury.

As of today, the state government is expending about 9billion naira on the needless Lameco flyover, spending roughly 15billion naira on Okefia ‘Gada’ called flyover, expended 5.8billion naira on a 2.21km Lameco-Old-garage dual carriage way, expended 16.5billion naira on a 6km Ereja square – International Brewery dual carriage way in Ilesa, spending 14.9billion naira on Ile-Ife flyover, expended roughly 24billion naira on less than 8km Akoda-Oke-gada dual carriage way in Ede among other inflated contracts and palpable wastages.

Presently, Governor Adeleke has crippled the local government administration to selfishness and impunity. Local Government workers have been illegally pocked and ordered to remain at home in the last 9 months. The state economy is deteriorating every now and then, the state IGR remained stagnant due to lack of productivity, innovation, creativity, resourcefulness and insightfulness on the part of the government officials who are only living large on our common patrimony and smiling to the banks every day.

Pragmatically, the money that the current administration had received from all sources in the last three years are far more than what all the past administrations be it civilian and military got since the creation of the state yet, no meaningful justification for it, instead, Osun citizens are gasping for survival in the midst of plenty. What a pitiable situation!

Under this government, every sector has become moribund. No single sector works at the moment except road infrastructure skewed to governor’s country home in Ede. Nepotism has become the order of the day. Edenisation has become a phenomenon under Governor Adeleke’s government. The resources meant for the people of the state is being used to develop Ede and advance the cause of the indigenes of Ede. Governor Adeleke is running government of Ede, by Ede and for Ede and no one is talking except members of the opposition and a few discerning minds.

Presently, five major dual carriage roads are being constructed within Ede alone and this didn’t raise eyebrows. Aside Akoda Oke-gada road being dualized by Governor Adeleke, his government has embarked on the dualization of Oke-gada -Awo junction road; Oke-gada – waterworks leading Adeleke University High School road; Abere roundabout – Ede road and Owode-Ede – Ede road: all being dualized with Osun public treasury. It is not a gainsay that, Osun common patrimony has been practically turned to Ede property but posterity is awaiting the day of reckoning.

Till today, unjustifiably sacked traditional rulers by Governor Adeleke are still out of the palaces. Many palaces have grown weeds and become dens for criminals due to lockup order of the government and no one is challenging this in the last three years. Sacked permanent secretaries appointed by the erstwhile Governor Adegboyega Oyetola but relieved and demoted by Governor Adeleke are still at the directorate level as many have reportedly retired from service as directors not as permanent secretaries. What a callous act!

Sacked recruited teachers are still roaming the streets seeking jobs while some that applied or reapplied are yet to be recruited by the Adeleke government despite paying 5,000 naira each to procure forms. It is on record that Governor Adeleke’s government made over 200million naira from the sale of forms to recruit new teachers having sacked the existing ones but up till today no single tutor has been officially or formally recruited into the teaching profession in Osun State public schools in the last three years, yet no one sees this except the opposition and discerning minds.

Injustice meted out to the sacked Osun State Polytechnic rector, Dr. Odetayo, is still unsettled and the forcing of an Ede-born junior staff on the senior ones as a rector in the same citadel of learning is being celebrated by the wicked souls who derived pleasure from others’ pains. Many Ede indigenes have been unjustly promoted and elevated in various sectors at the expense of others and no one is talking. Thousands of Ede indigenes have been secretly recruited into formal sector at the expense of other towns but no one is taking this seriously.

The government is being run majorly by the Ede people particularly in the decision-making helms and yet the state is experiencing a graveyard quietness. As at today, more than seven permanent secretaries are from Ede while many major towns do not have a single permanent secretary. Over eight cabinet members are from Ede while the governor also appointed countless Ede nstives as non-cabinet members i.e SAs, SSAs, SA, MAs, PAs in a cosmopolitan state like Osun. What an irrationality!

The 10billion naira worth digital economy touted by the Adeleke government in 2024 has become a waste and stylishly disappeared into the thin air as nothing is forthcoming in respect of the project till today. The fundamental principles of governance – rule of law, due process, accountability, transparency, probity and enthronement of social justice and independence of the judicial system have become alien in Osun State under Governor Adeleke’s government.

Projects are being awarded without due process, workers were unjustly sacked, traditional rulers were arbitrarily dethroned, transparency, probity and accountability have no place in the current government. Osun is now being run by aristocracy. Education sector is becoming moribund. No serious investment in the education sector yet the governor and his aides reportedly spent 3.1billion on local and foreign trips in six months without meaningful justification or investment on Osun economy. The governor and his unproductive aides expended over 1.7billion in six months for feedings. As at today, the Adeleke government had spent over 80billion naira to cater for his office in the last 36 months and no one is talking.

The poor citizens can no longer send their children and wards to state government-owned schools both primary, secondary and tertiary institutions. We all know what pupils in public basic schools are paying today. We all know the abysmal performance of public schools pupils and students today. The government has failed woefully to recruit teachers in the last three years while the poorly programmed the so-called Imole Youth Corps (aged men and women) deployed to school for teaching have technical withdrawn and vacated their dutypost over poor remuneration. The poor parents are susceptible to no choice other than looking for casual teachers (adhoc staff) to complement efforts of the few permanent teachers in school.

It is on record that lack of teachers in all the local governments in the state has crippled basic education in Osun. One will be surprised to know that in the entire Atakumosa west local government, it is only one physics teacher, no biology, chemistry and geography teachers. What a pity! So also in other local governments across the state. Parents have been subjected to untoward hardship for no reason inspite of humongous resources and crazy allocation being received by the current government.

We know the satanic and demonic tuition fees of Unilesa today – an institution established by the former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola for the benefit of humanity but turned to money-making venture by the Adeleke government.

As at today, studying law in Unilesa university is 1.5million while nursing is 1.3million per session. Hostel accommodation now costs 800,000 naira for each student while bunks now 250,000 naira per annum. What an irrationality of the highest order! Free school feeding scheme has disappeared from the elementary schools; no one talks about the sack of the popular O’Meal vendors by the Adeleke government. Adeleke’s government couldn’t manage the scheme despite claims of spending 32million naira daily to feed pupils. Over 3,000 health workers unjustly sacked are yet to be reinstated or replaced with new ones, so what effort has the government been making on health sector in the last three years? The government has failed woefully.

Popular Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme obnoxiously turned to Imole Corps is only existing on paper. Substandard projects are now the order of the day. We have seen several scenarios as in the case of Aduragbemi community in Ido-Osun, Unilesa poorly constructed road, below the standard flyovers and roads being constructed by the current government among other anomalies. Osun has been turned to a state of retrogression in the IGR as Ekiti is generating more IGR than Osun – what a pity! Government has folded its arms on the persistent inflation rate in the state and no one is talking. It is only in Osun State that little or no effort is made to checkmate excesses on the part of over-excited business owners particularly property agents.

The entire system is in total disarray and some are still watching as if nothing is happening. Osun is our common patrimony and heritage that belongs to everyone not to someone. Time to voice out is now as the Adeleke government enters its last year of tenure.

May God heal our land!