The Progressive Minded Forum is a group within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State of Osun. We are compelled to join the discussion on the refund of billions of naira received by Governor Gboyega Oyetola from Federal Government on the Federal roads constructed by his predecessor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.
It is shocking that the state government received such amount of money and decided to keep quiet – it is shameful and hypocritical. The forced admission of Governor Gboyega Oyetola’s administration that it had received a sum of N11.9 billion refund for the Federal Roads constructed by Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola when he was the governor of the state was very embarrassing to the government and the good people of the state of Osun.
It is more embarrassing to see two Commissioners working for the same government quoting different figures. While the Commissioner for Works and Transport, Engr. Remi Omowaiye claimed that N13billion has been refunded, his counterpart, the Finance Commissioner, Mr Bola Oyebamiji quoted N11.9billion. One sure fact is that, there were refunds. The quoted figures were perhaps for political correctness. It would not be out of place to ask the governor whose employees are quoting different figures to officially inform the good people of the state of Osun, the total refunds by the Federal Government on the Federal roads constructed by Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.
The Governor should come forward and summon the courage to declare the actual amount that the state government have received on the assets left behind by Aregbesola. We believe that there are other accruals to the state that the Oyetola administration is not disclosing because of the politics of bitterness the governor and his team are playing. If the former Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mr Sikiru Ayedun did not state that Oyetola had received N48bn refund for the roads constructed by Aregbesola, the government would not have disclosed any refund.
We consider the silence of the state government on the refund as not only hypocritical but irresponsive, and irresponsible of a government claiming to be transparent and prudent on finances. It is also morally wrong for Oyetola and his co-travellers not to disclose the refund on the projects done by Aregbesola when they are bitterly casting the previous administration on the controversial debt profile of the state.
Instead of the misleading notion that all Aregbesola left for the Oyetola’s administration is debt, a fair and sincere person with conscience would have come out to state that the former governor also left assets that have so far yielded N11.9 billion (according to the Finance Commissioner) or N13billion (according to the Works and Transport Commissioner) on roads alone. We are sure that there are other billions of naira that the Oyetola’s administration would have collected as refund for some of the Aregbesola’s interventions in health, agriculture, education etc.
As a matter of fact, we know that the much talked about rehabilitation of Primary Health Centres in the state was part of the assets left behind by Aregbesola. It is a known fact that the Aregbesola’s administration won the $20million Save One Million Lives (SOMIL), a World Bank Project, at the tale of his administration in 2018. The fund is currently being used by Oyetola administration to rehabilitate Primary Health Centres and presenting it as a major achievement without giving credit to Aregbesola.
We challenge the state government to make full disclosure of amounts it has received on the projects done by Aregbesola in roads, health and other sectors. It is obvious that the Oyetola administration is reaping the profits of the Aregbesola’s projects and programmes, but does not have the courage to disclose it because of the politics of hatred and pull-him-down being played against his benefactor.
Sunday Oriowo
Coordinator
Progressive Minded Forum
