By Sarafa Ibrahim
There is something amusing about politics in Nigeria, and that is how a complete mess is often repackaged as the real deal for the people to embrace. This, is unfortunately the scenario playing out in Osun state chapter as the All Progressives Congress (APC) is doing everything to whitewash the public service record of its candidate Mr Bola Oyebamiji, and make him seem as the ideal choice for the electorate in the August 15 governorship poll.
Since he was railroaded on his party as candidate, promoters of Oyebamiji have pushed so hard to create an entirely different impression from the reality of his past service record in the minds of an average voters. They were in such a hurry to play up his suitability for the office he is aspiring for that they either forgot or deliberately ignored that Mr. Oyebamiji’s uninspiring records in public service are too glaring to be manipulated.
Governorship seat is a huge responsibility and the measure of capacity is to look into the past service record of whoever is aspiring for such position. And, good enough for Mr. Oyebamiji, he had ample opportunities to prove himself in the past but what the records are saying are not anything pleasant.
In 2012, Mr. Oyebamiji had his first shot in governance after Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola appointed him to lead a state investment arm, Osun Investment Company (OSICOL). While his promoter have tried to sell the narrative of achievements, the reality on records highlighted a disturbing pattern of the many failings that marred Oyebamiji’s time in the leadership of OSICOL.
In context, Mr. Oyebamiji’s supposed achievements exist more on papers than in reality and the reason for this is not farfetched. In January 2016, Mr. Oyebamiji as the Managing Director of OSICOL claimed that the agency “cultivated no fewer than 1,500 hectares of cocoa with 623 hectares in Ibokun and 523 hectares in Iwo”, but there is little to nothing to suggest the true existence of such plantation, not to talk of harvesting their produce.
But that was not all. Apparently trying to present an impression that all was well with OSICOL under him as its chief, Mr. Oyebamiji disclosed that “34 three-bedroom flats are under construction in GRA, Ikeja. We also have 19 in Ikoyi, Lagos. We have also completed 14 flats in Abuja all for rent.” But beyond the pages of the paper that reported them, there is nothing that suggests that the benefits of those assets is felt in Osun.
In fact, the cloud of uncertainty over those assets became more evident not so long ago when questions about their locations took the center stages and expectedly, triggered deep concerns that Osun may have been short-changed over the Lagos and Abuja assets as insinuations were rife that they were sold off in a controversial manner.
And making up for the odious record at OSICOL is the exaggerated assertion that the OSICOL under his watch “assemble phones, laptop and TV screen factory in Ilesa. It is the biggest assembly plant in West Africa and the technology and trading aspects of OSICOL’s investment programmes.”
The eventual collapse of the plant underscores Oyebamiji’s incompetence and poor management capacity, and how terrible he will perform with a bigger responsibility that a governorship seat represents.
The troubling thing here is that this uninspiring record was extended to his time as the Finance Commissioner in the state. And you don’t have to take my words for it, just take your time to review his role in some of the bad decisions that inflicted untold pains on the people in the past and you will have no much trouble agreeing with my submission.
Not so long ago, a document that captured his signature as one of the signatories to the reprehensible half salary regime imposed on workers and pensioners went viral and up till this moment, he is yet to dispute the authenticity of the document. Beyond that, picture of him watching with keen interest moment when Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, who at that time was the Chief of Staff to the Governor, supposedly appended his signature to the document on half salary is also on the internet, making the attempt by Oyebamiji’s promoter to absolve him of role in that bad decision too narrow to sell.
Beyond exposing his poor attitude to the welfare of workers and pensioners, the development revealed a sobering reality about Oyebamiji’s ability to manage tough situations. As Commissioner for Finance, Oyebamiji management of the state’s treasury exposed his inadequacies, which makes him unsuitable for the current position he is aspiring for.
Leadership is not just about cherry moments but must be able to navigate troubling situations without making the people suffer. This was something that Oyebamiji failed to demonstrate and as a result, watched helpless workers and pensioners to bear the brunt of the reckless financial decisions made by the government that Oyebamiji was an active participant.
To make matter worse, Oyebamiji did almost nothing to make up for the pains that civil servants and pensioners were made to go through as there is nothing that suggests that he persuaded his Principal, Alhaji Oyetola, to pay part of the owed salary related debt. The excuse of paucity was a clever way of dodging responsibilities, which in a way revealed Oyebamiji’s disposition to the welfare of the people, and that is not something pleasant.
But that is not all. Going by what the financial books of the state in the four years of Oyetola is telling, money is not actually the problem, the challenge appear to be the judicious allocation of available resources for the benefit of the people. And that is a red flag of a leadership flaw, especially in a state like Osun, where the economy revolves around the prompt settlement of benefits of workers and pensioners.
In four years of the Oyetola administration, receipts stood at over N417 billion and that is aside N11.9 billion refund from the Federal Government, which Oyebamiji acknowledged and the $20.5 million grant from the World Bank for the rehabilitation of the primary healthcare centres. That is a whole lot of money at that time given the economic conditions and the nominal value of the country’s legal tender, and Oyebamiji holding the keys to the treasure, had more than enough opportunity to show that he can make available resources count for the people. But what we saw was the exact opposite of that and the fallout of his inadequacies in managing Osun’s treasury is part of the mess that Governor Ademola Adeleke is working so hard to clear.
In 2021, for instance, budget support credit stood at N17.427 billion and by 2022, it was N17.294. External liabilities was N19.523 billion, and by 2022, it stood at N22.172 billion. Excess Crude Account (ACA) Facility was N7.295 billion in 2021, and by 2022 it has grown to N9.060 billion. Infrastructure loans was N3.988 billion in 2021 and by 2022, it amounted to N4.298 billion.Contract Finance and Finance lease were N3.741 billion; N1.089 billion in 2021 respectively but paid off by 2022. However, in 2022, a fresh credit, Bridge Finance, which amounted to N15.035 billion was added to Osun debt binge as there was no such debt before.
The figures are some of the highlights of what Oyebamiji’s public service record looks like and as we can all tell, it contributed to the strained economic conditions faced by the state. If the records are telling us anything, it is that Oyebamiji is unsuitable for the topmost political office and the state. No amount of whitewashing can take the place of the truth, and as the past clearly showed us, Oyebamiji will do a terrible job as a Governor and will return Osun back of misery and pain. Osun cannot afford such tortuous experience and that is why it must choose to go forward with Governor Ademola Adeleke by voting for him ACCORDingly.
- Sarafa Ibrahim is a Special Assistant to the Osun State Governor and writes from Iwo, Osun State. He can be reached via neyoclass09@gmail.com
