NEWS
How I Manage Osun Palliatives, Resources – Gov Adeleke
Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke has shed light on his management of state resources including palliative measures initiated by his administration and those supported by the Federal Government.
Spokesperson to Gov Adeleke, Olawale Rasheed urged commentators to always avail themselves of publicly available facts about government’s programs so as not to be perceived as serving opposition interest.
He maintained that the administration had deliberately filled the public space with its plans and intentions across the sectors. The Governor has embraced openness and transparency. Our commentators should avail themselves of critical facts and figures instead of twisting and falsifying publicly verifiable details about state governance.
On palliative distribution in Osun State, we urge the civil society to always engage in thorough field review before taking positions especially as most of the questions raised could have been answered either through desk research or direct freedom of information requests to the relevant government agencies.
According to him, rice distribution was handled by a non-governmental committee chaired by Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and populated by representatives of various non-governmental groups.
The inauguration of the committee and its activities were widely covered by the media, he noted.
As for the N2 Billion palliative expenditure, ‘we urge the group to officially contact the government if it has legal fulfillment to do so within the framework of the Freedom of Information Act especially as the group has shown mischief and refusal to accept details severally released by the government on the administration of palliative measures in the state.’
He added that ‘Ongoing in Osun are multiple government programmes which have at its core palliative interventions such as the wage awards for pensioners and workers that is going to run for six months, sustenance of payment of half salary and pension debt inherited from previous government, the three billion naira plus cooperative loans for artisans and small businesses, the soft medical programs like free medical surgeries for pensioners, expansion of free grants to the poor of the poor in Osun state, and expected delivery of new buses to widen transport access, and affordability.
‘In the interest of educated discourse, it may interest the group to note that Osun is spending far above the said two billion naira which is a loan to states and which the Federal Government has even asked the state governments to start refunding.’
According to him, it was also false to assert that the Gov Adeleke added N2 billion to the N100 billion infrastructure fund as the state has spent far above the N2 billion in service of the needs and aspirations of her people in this hard time.
As a responsible government, the state project account has not in any way stopped the state government from implementing many laudable palliative programs listed above.
As to what Osun is doing with allocations to the state, we hasten to remind the group that there is an elected government in place with a mandate to govern and deliver on good governance within statutory structures and platforms and with appropriation laws to which all are bound, he stated.
The spokesperson pointed out that how government funds are being disposed of and expended are governed by laws and the group can reach the public account committee of the House of Assembly for the annual public account report or take hold of the 2024 budgetary act to read how state funds are allocated across sectors and projects.
Without ascribing bias, we further educate the group to at least read of the state Governor’s plan on food security which he has presented at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and for which he has impaneled a committee chaired by the Commissioner for Agriculture.
To whoever may be ignorant of publicly available reports on state plans on food security, the agenda covers farm security, strategies for expansion of food production, unclogging farm transportation logistics, easing food access at affordable prices, and hosting a back-to-farm event with government incentives.
On the issue of court closure, the facts are out as the implementation of the tripartite agreement for the resolution of the dispute depends on the Chief Judge calling a meeting of the State Judicial Service Commission especially as the Governor has ordered the implementation of areas that affected the executive arm in the agreement, he asserted.
He opined that why the group is blaming the Governor for failure to summon a meeting of the Judicial Service Commission beats all imagination.
Nigeria’s Folashade Adekeye has emerged as the Chairperson, Forum of the Directors of Oil & Gas Training & Vocational Education Institutes of the African Petroleum Producers Organization (APPO).
Biztellers reports that Adekeye, the Director, NNPC Academy, took over from Abdelkader Guenone, the Managing Director of the Algerian Petroleum Institute (API), during the second meeting of the Forum, in Abuja, at the weekend.
At the moment, Adekeye heads the NNPC’s oil and gas training arm, brings into the role over 30 years of experience, and is expected to work with her colleagues from APPO Member Countries in order to foster more collaboration towards addressing the challenges of competences, skill gaps, infrastructure, and poor funding in the organization’s training institutions.
Earlier in his keynote address at the opening ceremony of the meeting, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd., Mele Kyari, represented by Inuwa Danladi, Executive Vice President (Business Services), emphasized the importance of a standardized educational and training approach to meet the changing demands of the oil and gas industry.
Also in his keynote address, APPO’s Secretary General, Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim, charged the Member Countries to work towards further enhancing collaborative efforts to establish Oil & Gas Centres of Excellence across the African continent.
Dr. Ibrahim, also from Nigeria, said having good knowledge of the Forum’s challenges would enable APPO Member Countries to make recommendations and provide solutions in areas such as Oil & Gas project funding, technology adoption, and the formation of Africa Energy Bank.
He concluded that such collaboration by all member countries will guarantee Africa’s energy accessibility, affordability and sustainability, which overall, will strengthen her economies and bring prosperity to its citizens.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against the governors of Nigeria’s 36 states and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nyesom Wike over failure to account for Federal allocations dating back to 1999.
It was gathered that action followed reports that the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) disbursed N1.123 trillion to the federal, state, and local governments for March 2024.
They shared N1.208 trillion in April, which saw the states collect N398.689 billion in March, after they collected N403.403 billion in April.
In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/666/2024 filed last Friday at the Federal High Court, Abuja, the SERAP is asking the court to “direct and compel the governors and Mr Wike to publish spending details of the FAAC allocations collected by their states and the FCT since 1999 including the list and locations of projects executed with the money.”
The SERAP also asked the court to “compel the governors and Mr Wike to invite the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission [EFCC] and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission [ICPC] to probe any allegations of corruption linked to the allocations and to monitor how the money is spent.”
In the suit, the SERAP argued that, “Nigerians ought to know in what manner public funds including FAAC allocations, are spent by the governors and FCT minister.”
According to the SERAP, “Opacity in the spending of the FAAC allocations collected by the governors and Mr Wike would continue to have negative impacts on the fundamental interests of the citizens.”
According to the SERAP, “trillions of FAAC allocations received by Nigeria’s 36 states and the FCT have allegedly gone down the drain. The resulting human costs directly threaten the human rights of socially and economically vulnerable Nigerians.
“Without the information on the spending details of the FAAC allocations, Nigerians cannot follow the actions of their states and the FCT and they cannot properly fulfill their responsibilities as citizens.
“Directing and compelling the governors and FCT minister to provide the information sought and widely publish the spending details of the FAAC allocations collected by them would serve legitimate public interests.
“The failure by the governors and the FCT ministers to account for the spending of the FAAC allocations collected by them is entirely inconsistent and incompatible with the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] and the country’s international anti-corruption obligations.”
The suit filed on behalf of the SERAP by its lawyers Kolawole Oluwadare, Kehinde Oyewumi and Andrew Nwankwo.
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
Prince Ajibola Afonja, a former Minister of Labour and Productivity under the Interim National Government, has passed away.
He died on Sunday night at the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan, Oyo State, at the age of 82.
Afonja served as a minister during the brief administration of Chief Ernest Shonekan.
He was also a former Chairman of First Bank and a notable industrialist in his Oyo community, where he was recognized for his company, Integrated Dimensional Systems (IDS).
Afonja sustained injuries from a single-vehicle accident in Ilora, near his country home, and was subsequently taken to UCH in Ibadan for treatment, where he passed away.
Prince Ajibola Afonja, who passed away on Sunday night, was a beloved figure in his hometown, known for his dedication to the peace and development of Oyo.
He was a former senatorial candidate for the Oyo Central Senatorial District under the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).
The Oyo Global Forum (OGF), a prominent community-interest group, through its chairman, Taiwo Adebayo, confirmed the former minister’s passing in a late Sunday statement.
Adebayo described the late Afonja as a unifier.
The statement reads “On this dark day in Oyo, we mourn the loss of Prince Ajibola Afonja, former Labour Minister and Chairman of First Bank Nigeria, who passed away on Sunday night, aged 82.
“Although a national figure with tremendous influence, he was particularly light for the Oyo community where he made pioneering efforts as an industrialist. His legacy of generosity and open-heartedness touched countless lives, and his presence will be profoundly missed.
“Until his last month, Daddy IDS, as he was affectionately known, as a reference to his manufacturing company, remained hardworking, dedicated to realising one of the most transformative business visions for the country’s economy. It was the E-Customs project,”
“For all of us that he inspired, we shall honor his memory by carrying forward the values he embodied and continuing his legacy of service and compassion, the values that guide OGF, which he supported during his lifetime.” It added
He added that his absence leaves a void that will be difficult to fill, but noted that his spirit of generosity and leadership will continue to inspire the community.
The OGF leader extended the group’s deepest condolences to the deceased’s family, the entire Oyo community, and his friends and associates during this mourning period.
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