BANIK, Osun Govt and Matters Arising

 

Our attention has been drawn to the puerile attempt by the Osun State Government, using one intellectually-challenged rapscallion from Ilesa, to underplay the strong governance issues elevated on a radio station by the Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in the state, Prince Adebayo Adeleke - Banik

BANIK, a former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in the state, had on Sunday, in the course of his discussion on a popular radio programme on Fresh FM, "Agbami Oselu," anchored by an ace broadcaster, Akinkunmi Alabi, questioned the Ademola Adeleke government's lousy handling of the state resources, shady procurement template  adopted by the administration, among other alleged infractions.

Specifically, BANIK faulted the claim of the state government about blocking financial leakages when in actual fact the state is losing revenue monstrously. He referenced the significant fall in the personal and direct taxes of the state which dipped from N14.6bn in 2022, when ex-Governor Adegboyega Oyetola was in charge, to N11.2bn in 2023 under the current regime. The former commissioner also found it strange that the Rent on Government Land fell from N4O7m of 2022 to N192m in 2023. "Why should the Investment Income of the state go down to misreable N50m in 2023 from the N1bn earned in 2023," BANIK also queried. 

In equal breath, the Iree-born politician revealed that the boast of the state government about a leap in the IGR was only on account of the excessive school fees levelled on the students of state-owned tertiary institutions, and not because of its financial creativity and accountability.

Prince Adeleke also raised serious concerns regarding the N12.1bn discrepancy in the 2023 IGR figure as shown in the Budget Performance Report and the Audited Financial Statement of the state. He wanted the state government to explain why N39.5bn was quoted as the IGR in the budget performance report published earlier in the year and N27.4bn in the recent audited financial record.

He also asked for an explainer as to the missing N550m park management revenue as  previously argued by Deputy Chairman of Osun Transport and Park Management System Committee, Wasiu Arogundade (Aroso), who in a trended video quoted the Chairman of the park management, an appointee of Governor Adeleke, Mr Nurudeen Alawonle, that at the take-off of the OSTMS, the ticket handed over to the committee was N600m and only N50m was remitted to the state government coffers. It must be noted that it was Alawonle, according to Aroso, who claimed N550Million, due to the state government, was diverted for personal benefit of the governor and his elder sister, Mrs Dupe Adeleke-Sanni, and not Prince BANIK. The former commissioner only pressed to know how the said N550m developed wings in the manner Aroso, quoting Alowonle, described it. 

But rather than summoning courage to address some of the pertinent questions generated by BANIK, the mediocre government in the state unleashed one of their illiterate leaders to rant on radio on Monday to obfuscate the serious conversation. One would have thought that a serious public discourse as initiated by BANIK would have been deftly and intellectually dealt with by the best hands in the government, and not by a hollowed mind and noise-making dreg they sent to Rave FM on that fateful day.

Let the clowns managing the affairs of the Osun State Government know that we in the APC are not perturbed by their name calling and harassment of our leaders and key media personalities. We remain resolute in our mission of exposing the shenanigans being institutionalized in the state by the political misfits.

We want the uncultivated  characters to know that we are aware of the plot and planned attacks on the Osun APC Chairman, Sooko Tajudeen Lawal,  Prince Adebayo Adeleke (BANIK), Ismail Omipidan, Comrade Kehinde Ayantunji, Elder Adebayo Adedeji (Instinct), Hon. Akin Adeyi, Hon. Jamiu Olawumi, Hon.Sunday Akere and many other individuals who, in the estimation of the political vulgarians in charge of statecraft, have been the troublers of the government with no inspiration and vibes.

We are also aware that the Sunday's interview has sent jitters into the spines of the anti-democratic philistines in the state, hence plots to wreak havoc on selected APC handlers have been heightened. However, it should be known that deploying Amotekun operatives by the Ademola Adeleke's government to persecute and embarrass our chieftains, as security intelligence revealed, will not dampen our resolve  to install good governance. Osun State is too important to be left in the care of mental dawdlers and economic buccaneers.

Sending hoodlums after BANIK and others at radio stations as planned by the state government would not muffle the idea whose time has come.

The Osun public ask earnestly for details of the touted tractors purchase in the state. The state government should lay to rest the troubling questions about cost of the tractors, the identity of the supplier/seller and the financing model. The good people of Osun want to know if the tractor was purchased on "credit" that would be repaid in future by the state government or by the farmers in the state through a lease financing arrangement.

The state government should also shed more light on the unfulfilled government scholarships to some selected indigent students of the Osun State College of Education, Ila Orangun, as well as massive withdrawal of notable hospitals from Osun Health Insurance Scheme (O'HIS) and the allegation of poor management of primary and secondary health centers. 

The Adeleke government should also endeavour  to dispel the claim that  N800Million grant was given to the state government by the Federal Government for enrolment of the poor and vulnerable citizens into the health insurance scheme. These were strong governance issues escalated by Prince Adeleke on the radio programme on Sunday to which all the PDP media bulldogs uncaged since Sunday have not been able to proffer answers. 

BANIK MEDIA TEAM