NEWS
Osun Debt: Oyetola’s Aide Challenges Adeleke To Publish Procurement Dates
Media aide to the immediate past Osun Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, Ismail Omipidan, has disclosed for the umpteenth time that his principal never took any bank facility for the four years he served as Governor.
He noted that the debt in question was incurred by the Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s administration.
Omipidan further described the claim by the new governor that Oyetola took an N18billion loan facility as not only outlandish but unfounded, insisting that the claim was made out of sheer ignorance and mischief.
He then challenged Governor Adeleke to publish details of the outstanding loan facilities he claimed his administration inherited and the years they were procured.
Omipidan said the Government is out to smear and blackmail Oyetola’s personality but that Osun citizens and Nigerians from far and near know the truth.
“When talking about loans, you cannot talk of maturity date without talking about the dates they were procured.
“It is either that those who prepared the speech for the Governor to read did not understand the implications of their position or they did it out of sheer mischief to expose their Principal or both. Otherwise, if they had read and understood my Principal’s Farewell Speech very well, they would not have alleged that he took N18 billion loan.
“Again, even in the table they released by themselves, they contradicted themselves. Take a look at item 7 on their list, they captured the N3 billion monthly as having commenced from December 2021 and that it came for six months. Yet, they claim the same N18 billion was accessed after the July election. You see why I said they are either confused or are out for mischief or even both.
“In the third paragraph of the speech from the rear, my Principal had said ‘for four years, we did not take any bank loan facility. But we benefitted from the N3billion monthly intervention from the federal Government for six months to cushion the effect of deductions of budget support facility and salary bailout accessed by the previous administration, just as we have paid N97 billion from the total debt we inherited in 2018.’ I want to believe that is what they have now twisted to call loan. This intervention was extended to all the 36 states of the Federation.And the monthly N3 billion for six months came before the July 16 governorship election. This is a fact that can be verified.
“Let me restate here that we never took any bank facility, and we challenge the Government to publish balances of all bank accounts belonging to the State as at November 26, 2022. When the Oyetola administration took over in 2018, we inherited humongous debt but we never complained or made excuses. What we did was to get to work and find means of making things work for the four years we have governed Osun and we reduced the debts we inherited by N97Billion.
“By the way, Governor Adeleke announced the freezing of all government accounts on November 27 when he took over. Till date, he is yet to announce that he has unfrozen the accounts. Yet, they have been spending from State Government coffers since then. So, where is the money coming from? This is where you will know that those around the Governor are a bunch of liars who are not prepared for governance but preparing grounds for excuses and non-performance,” Omipidan added.
Chuks Nwanne, general manager of The Guardian’s Abuja operations and former Saturday editor of the newspaper, has passed on.
Eniola Daniel, a senior multimedia reporter at The Guardian, announced Nwanne’s death in an X post on Saturday.
It was gathered that Nwanne died on Saturday after a protracted illness.
Daniel described Nwanne as a “prolific entertainment writer” and his teacher, saying he would be deeply missed.
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A native of Ogbunike in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nwanne joined The Guardian in 2008 as an entertainment reporter.
He later became an editorial assistant at The Guardian Life Magazine, the newspaper’s weekly lifestyle publication.
Nwanne also served as assistant editor, entertainment and lifestyle, while overseeing the youth, travel and tourism sections of The Guardian on Saturday.
He held a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu, and a master’s degree in communication studies from Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, Lagos.
He attended several training programmes and conferences in Nigeria and abroad.
Beyond journalism, Nwanne was the founder and creative director of the Ogbunike Cave Carnival, an annual three-day cultural festival established to promote the Ogbunike Cave, a major tourist attraction in Nigeria.
He was married and had three children.
Daniel expressed condolences to Nwanne’s family, describing his death as a loss to Ogbunike, Anambra, the music and entertainment industry, and journalism.
A road accident, involving a tanker truck conveying petroleum products opposite the Odukpani Local Government Secretariat, Cross River State, ignited a fire, leading to the destruction of several shops and affecting vehicles.
These transpired on Sunday, when the tanker accidentally overturned which led to the fire that spread to nearby shops and buildings.
Fortunately, the tanker driver was rescued and taken to a hospital for medical attention.
Confirming the incident, the Cross River State Police Command said that officers from the Odukpani Division were deployed to the scene to secure the area and prevent further harm.
The Command said the Fire Service had also been alerted and was expected to deploy personnel to contain and extinguish the fire.
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As of the time of filing this report, no death has been confirmed.
However, the police said a number of shops and vehicles had been affected by the inferno.
The Command urged residents and motorists to keep away from the immediate area and allow emergency responders unhindered access to the scene.
It also advised members of the public to exercise caution around the area because of the risk posed by the burning petroleum tanker.
The Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Eitokpah Sunday Akata, said further updates would be released as verified information became available.
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Joe Ajaero, has accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of failing to meaningfully engage with organised labour, alleging that the government has remained aloof despite repeated attempts to open dialogue.
Ajaero made the remarks during an appearance on the Mic On Podcast, where he spoke about the relationship between the labour movement and the Federal Government over the past few years.
According to the NLC president, the government has not been engaging with labour and only responds when workers and other groups take steps to force its attention.
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“For the past two, three years, you know, it’s not a government that is engaging. This government doesn’t engage,” Ajaero said.
He described the administration as “aloof”, stressing that meaningful engagement had been lacking between the government and organised labour.
Ajaero recalled that the NLC had, by December 17, 2025, announced plans to take its grievances to the streets after months of attempts to communicate with the President.
He said the labour movement had written to President Tinubu from June through December but received no response.
“Well, by December 17th, 2025, we pulled out that we are going to the streets. After writing a letter from May, sorry June, to December to Mr. President and there was no response,” he said.
According to him, the planned action eventually led to the intervention of some state governors, who facilitated an interface between labour and the government.
He said the intervention became necessary after other channels of communication, including the office of the Minister of Labour, had failed.
“Because the whole channel—whether through the Minister of Labour or any other office—failed, collapsed. So some governors met with us, and since that time we have talked once or twice,” Ajaero said.
However, the NLC president suggested that the situation had not significantly improved, alleging that the issues raised by labour since December had largely been left unresolved.
“And those issues… December last year to now, they’re just doing their business. Everybody is their enemy,” he added.
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