AMILOADED MEDIA HUB NEWS UPDATE
A group, The Osun Masterminds, says the boreholes constructed by the Osun State Government were not functioning, AMILOADED reports.
The Osun Masterminds made this known at a press conference addressed by its Executive Director, Prof. Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli, in Osogbo, Osun State on Monday.
The group said the discovery was made after its members visited several locations of the boreholes in communities across Osun State and interacted with the residents.
It said, “You will recall that at the time the State Government decided to embark on the borehole projects it executed in all the wards in the State, we criticized the step and advised that government instead channels its energy towards revitalizing the moribund water supply schemes in the State.
“For reasons of political expediency, particularly celebration of 100 days in office, government decided to implement the policy.
“As responsible citizens who are equal stakeholders in the Osun project, we visited numerous locations of these boreholes and discovered that, although government has informed the State’s people through several press releases and interviews that the boreholes were now completed and in service, majority of the boreholes are still not functional.
“We visited several wards across the state and interacted with many locals in those areas visited. Our findings revealed that upon completion of most, if not all of the boreholes, they did not work beyond the day the installed pumping machines were tested.
“In some cases, no provision was made for electrical connection that will power the boreholes, while in some cases poor arrangements that cannot serve a long term purpose were made. We also found that a lot of the boreholes had truly been completed way before the Holy month of Ramadan commenced, but are still not in service till this present day.
“We should cite some close examples, for the records. The Governor can even choose to commission an enquiry into the current state of the boreholes. We physically visited the boreholes in Ward 5 Olorunda LG, Wards 2, 6 and 14 of Osogbo Local Government, among many others across the State.
“The stories were the same all over the state. Boreholes were sunk and installed. The installations were tested, but since that day, more than 2 months ago, no drop of water has come out of the boreholes the Osun State Government spent hundreds of millions to construct. Taps have not even been installed at a lot of the locations and the contractors have not resurfaced since they left site. We have pictorial evidence to back our claims.”
The Osun Masterminds urged the Osun State Government, through its relevant offices, to get into action immediately to ensure that the boreholes the state spent on are made functional for the people of the state.
“Aside the boreholes constructed, we want to also advise the Adeleke-led government to ensure that in its drive to implement a local content policy in government procurement, it must not make the mistake of turning government projects to ‘job for the boys’ that will end up badly executed and injurious to the finances of our dear State on the long run.
“Government must also ensure that it does proper needs assessment of intended projects before embarking on them. This is to ensure that the State does not continue to execute projects that are not in tandem with new developmental realities and needs of the societies that make up the State. Projects should not be projects for projects sake, but for needs sake,” the group added.
Speaking on the government’s procurement, the group said it has unconfirmed reports that government procurement activities have not been straightforward since Governor Ademola Adeleke was elected, adding, “We have reports that the borehole projects were given out to friends and associates without executing any due diligence to ascertain whether they have capacity to deliver on the projects or not.
“We also have reports about the classroom projects that government has reportedly awarded to friends and political allies without due recourse to due process.
“It is pertinent that we put on record, our fear about this method of public procurement. While we agree that a new government needs to empower allies who have been out of government for a long time, the Osun State Government must not do this at the expense of quality service delivery.
“Every person whom the state government intends to empower with contracts, must first meet certain basic requirements before they are handed projects. This will help government ensure quality service delivery while also empowering those it seeks to empower. Osun is at a point in her history where we cannot afford to waste State resources or gamble on the little available.”
The Osun Masterminds, however, urged Adeleke to execute more robust engagements before taking actions, saying this would help to avoid situations where government activities appear “like vendetta or end up failing because of poor intentions or poor planning”.
“Governor Adeleke must avoid the allure of white elephant projects as he may be getting pushed to dabble into. At the moment, Osun requires a measured pace of development that is both pragmatic and realistic, considering the State of our finances that had been in bad shape since the Aregbesola years. We cannot move too fast, while trying to not move too slow. The Governor must therefore properly analyze every intention of government to avoid spending on frivolities that will further impoverish the State.
“Government must also be careful with the steps it is taking with the State’s educational institutions. Education is a sensitive matter that cannot be administered with political emotions. We must carefully manage the issues surrounding the administration of the State-owned tertiary institutions.
“We further advise the State Government to not be found acting in ways that can undermine the integrity of any other arm of government. The media space is awash with reports of the Governor’s insistence on installing a certain person as Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, against the established rules of the House,” the group said.
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