A civil society group, The Osun Masterminds (TOM), has accused the administration of Gov Adeleke of playing a dangerous card over the appointment of the new Olojudo of Ido-Osun, Prince Jokotola Olayinka Tunde.
The group, in a press conference address by its Executive Director, Prof Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli in November, also condemned the relocation of the airport project from Ido-Osun to Ede.
According to the group; “On the Airport relocation, we are aware that the Aregbesola Government, according to statements made publicly by people like Kolapo Alimi (who was then Commissioner for Local Governments and is today Commissioner for Information) expended about 3.5 billion of Osun State’s funds on the Airport Project before concessioning to AWOL Limited. We will love to know, was there a probe of the purported 3.5 billion spending, to verify if indeed such amount was spent on a project site that the Adeleke Government has just told us cannot house the Airport? If indeed the site cannot house the project, would it not amount to a waste of State’s resources, which should normally warrant a probe?
“We are curious to know how the Osun State Government came about the choice of Ede as the host community for their proposed Airport. Was there any form of stakeholder engagement to forestall a crisis that such decision could lead to? Does the choice of Ede, without proper consultation, not further lend credence to accusations of Nepotism that a lot of stakeholders have earlier accused the Osun State Government of? Where Government speaks so highly of its ‘Ipade Imole’, would such huge decisions not have made better sense if it was subjected to deliberations at such a community engagement?
“Can the proposed construction of an Airport stand in the face of Economic logic, knowing that Osun does not currently have a high population of air travellers given the obvious economic incapacity of many Osun dwellers? A quick look at the air traffic in the Akure and Ibadan Airports would easily point to the non-viability of an Airport in Osun State. Did we think of this?
“Is the Osun State Government drawing up any scale of preference in its decisions to expend the State’s very scarce resources on projects that will clearly not affect the livelihood of the average Osun dweller immediately? Is there any economic plan in place or we are simply taking decisions off the hat?
“Just while the Airport relocation issue is ongoing, Government also seems to be playing a dangerous card with the selection process of the Oludo of Ido-Osun, by attempting to foist warrant Chiefs on the Kingmakers. At a time the community has lost a critical infrastructure to Ede, the attempts to manipulate the Oludo selection process looks like an additional attempt to plunge the peaceful town into crisis. Is anybody in government thinking of the long-term implications of all of these?
“While we await answers to these questions, we implore the Osun State Government to get more committed to careful planning and more responsible policy communication, to avoid crisis in our peaceful State.”
On the issue of the shooting of the Osun Transport Management Chairman, Alowonle, the group condemned the act, while stating that the manner in which the state government mounted pressure on the Police raises suspicion about the true intentions of the government.
The group said; “It is also instructive to note that the same Osun State Government under Sen. Adeleke, which appointed a known extra-judicial killer, Omoyele, as the Commandant of the State’s security outfit, Amotekun, is trying too hard to interfere with the correct dispensation of justice in the allegations raised against Alowonle. The emerging pattern compels us to ask if the Osun State Government has a plan to use both State and non-State actors to unleash violence on persons and groups in the State.
“We emphasize that we strongly condemn the shooting of Alowonle, and we must state that the Officers responsible must be thoroughly prosecuted if found guilty of any wrongdoing.”
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