Olaiya Flyover bridge: Osun People, APC/Oyetola Should Not Take Governor Adeleke Seriously- Akin Adeyi

Akin Adeyi, a security expert and public affairs commentator, has counselled the All Progress Congress (APC), Osun Chapter, former Governor Gboyega Oyetola, and the generality of the good people of Osun to ignore what he terms as false alarms by Governor Ademola Adeleke, specifically regarding the Olaiya Iconic Flyover Bridge built by Oyetola's administration.

Governor Ademola Adeleke,it will be recalled, has directed the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure to ban heavy duty trucks from plying the Olaiya bridge at the state capital, citing safety reasons arising from the technical reports on the state of the bridge. The Governor made the restriction while presiding over a security council meeting at Osogbo. 

Akin Adeyi commented on the matter, advising the APC to disregard Mr. Ademola Adeleke's false claims going forward. "The governor's tendency to raise unfounded alarms is becoming increasingly unbecoming, particularly considering his history of such behavior in last few months ," Adeyi stated.

“The frequency and number of false alarms and allegations made by Governor Adeleke within the past year exceed those of any other individual in the state's history, a disturbing trend”.

History will notably recall how the same governor previously raised concerns about surviving assassination attempts at the Oke Baale Eid ground during a Muslim festival prayer, which was later disproven. Similarly, the governor again raised another alarm, claiming to have survived another attempted assassination at the airport due to a bird being found in the engine of his private aircraft bound for Abuja. This later proved to be false. Going further in the same year,the governor and his party, despite their history of spreading misinformation, once again falsely claimed that the opposition party in the state had amassed arms and ammunition at various locations, which was later proven to be untrue.The apex of this situation occurred when the state's purported Chief Security Officer convened a meeting with key security stakeholders to share unverified intelligence suggesting that Boko Haram terrorists had encircled the state, with plans to initiate kidnappings of farmers and school children, which ultimately proved to be unfounded, much like his previous alerts.

“This time around, facing a dearth of legitimate concerns to warrant his alarmist approach, the governor is now pointing to the iconic Olaiya bridge, erected by his predecessor, as his primary justification for panic. 

This move to undermine the bridge's credibility, possibly precursor to demolition under his governance, raises questions about the governor's understanding of his obligation to foster trust and stability among his population, instead of repeatedly inducing panic and confusion through critical security issues”, Akin Adeyi said.

*Ayeniromo Orunogbeke*

23/10/2024