Adeleke assumes office

Senator Ademola took the oath of office at the Osogbo township stadium which was administered by the chief judge of Osun state, Justice Adepele Ojo.

In  his inaugural speech, Adeleke stated, “Since Osun people elected me as your governor on the 16th of July 2022, which the INEC announced on July 17th 2022, the former governor, Alhaji Isiaka Gboyega Oyetola, maliciously started putting roadblocks to make things difficult and almost impossible for the new administration to serve you.”

Adeleke stated that mass employments were carried out without budgetary provisions for salary payments for the new employees, even when the state was struggling to pay salaries and deliver other services. He said contracts were hurriedly awarded without budgetary provisions, while some were criminally backdated.

The new governor alleged that appointments of several Obas were also hurriedly done without following due process, stressing that all efforts to get his predecessor to set up a transition committee and submit hand-over notes proved abortive.

“It is, therefore, this administration’s desire to ask for people’s patience and understanding,” Adeleke said. He said his administration would in a few weeks review and sort out all actions and mischievous confusions the immediate past administration had created since July 17. He said those actions were vindictive measures against the people of Osun State for voting APC out of office.

Adeleke issued directives on  freezing all Osun State government accounts in banks and other financial institutions, and establishing a panel to carry out an inventory and recover all government assets.

He reverted to the constitutionally recognised name of Osun State, from the State of Osun, adding that all government insignia, correspondence, and signage should henceforth reflect Osun State rather than State of Osun, which he claimed was unknown to the Nigerian constitution.

Adeleke said he was aware of the fact that his responsibility as governor and chief security officer of Osun State entailed meeting the legitimate expectations of the people. He promised that the expectations of workers, traders, artisans, farmers, business owners, students, pensioners, traditional, religious leaders, and indeed, all residents of Osun State would be met.

He stated, “Let me state here that from the education, health, mining sector, agriculture, road infrastructure and supply of potable water, let it be known to all that it is no longer going to be business as usual. And I repeat, it is no longer business as usual.

“Our administration will demonstrate a high sense of urgency, transparency, justice and innovation to tackle and solve the problems of poverty, illiteracy, disease, and poor infrastructure.

“Your governor will be a people’s governor. I will be accessible, responsive, consultative and proactive in handling small and big matters of state governance. I know that as a product of the collective will of you, my people, there is a heavy weight of history on my shoulders and I accept the urgency of your expectations, the depth of your aspirations and your conviction in me to build a better state.”

Adeleke also listed his development agenda for the state, which included welfare of workers and pensioners, boosting the state’s economy, home-grown infrastructure policy, people-focused policy on education, affordable healthcare, security and social welfare, agro-based industrialisation for wealth and job creation.

On his priorities, he said, “It was disheartening to see our state at the bottom of the national educational ratings, especially, in public primary and secondary schools examinations. My administration will launch reform with direct focus on improvement of learning environment and outcome. Our target is to reverse the poor performance of students in public examinations within the next few years.

“To achieve this target, we will prioritise in-service training and welfare of teachers, enhancement of school environment, entrenchment of discipline in the school system as well as involvement of the Parents-Teachers Association.