Too much idleness, a 19th century philosopher, Edmond Burke, observed “fills up man’s time much more completely, and leaves him less his own master, than any sort of employment.” And looking at Ismail Omipidan and his penchant for empty rhetorics, one cannot but agree with Burke’s observation. From the time Osun people rejected his principal, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, Omipidan has made it a habit to create a wrong image of the state under GovernorAdemolaAdeleke, using conjectures, and most time, false statistics.
A typical instance is in his latest article, where he exhibited, as usual, a fierce denial of reality. Let us, for a start, examine his assertion that Osun IGR in 2023 fell short of what was inherited. Although, the past has shown that Omipidan has strong avarice for the truth, but did not know he is this bad with numbers. His assertion that Osun IGR is leaking is too pedestrian, especially for the fact that information on IGR receipt is well in the public glare.
According to the audited financial statement of Osun state for 2023, the state’s internally generated revenue (IGR) for that fiscal year was N27.72 billion. In the preceeding year, that is 2022, Osun earned N24.47 billion revenue locally. In 2021, it was N21.86 billion; N19.67 billion in 2020; N17.6 billion in 2019 and N15.68 billion in 2018. That was the time Omipidan’s principal was the Governor.
From the above figure, it is only illogical for anyone to assume that Osun IGR is leaking because what the numbers showed clearly is the opposite. Omipidan trying to make foreign direct investment under Governor Adeleke an issue is why people say talk is cheap. This is because all through the time of his principal as Governor of Osun, no investment was recorded, despite that Oyetola was touted to the Osun people as richer than the state.
Attracting investments, especially from overseas, rests on factors beyond a sub-national as the objective of every investor is to make returns and safe repatriation. Even though some of these factors are not something a state have power over, it does not however means that efforts should be made to persuade investors to choose one’s state should they decide to look the way of Nigeria. That was what Governor Adeleke has been doing and hopefully, will yield positive outcome in no distant time.
It is even appalling to note Omipidan’s subtle admission that his principal make no effort to drive investment into the state. This goes to show that Osun does not matter to them, and as the four years the administration lasted clearly showed, their interest is solely power and feasting on the commonwealth of the people. This explains the shabby outlook of things, with almost every sector in the state left in a state of disrepair.
The funniest thing in the treatise of Omipidan is on the presentation of the 2025 budget. In one breadth, Omipidan suggested that Governor Adeleke did not say anything, yet in another breadth, attributed some words to the Governor. Does that not show how confused he is? To make matters worse, Omipidan claimed no journalist of note was present at the event. So ridiculous, to say the least. What did Omipidan meant b ‘journalist of note’, because reputable mediums like AIT, OSBC, NTA, ARISE among others covered the budget presentation. The event was even aired live on OSBC Television, dispelling the lies of a media blackouts.
Only recently, Sahara Reporter, one of the leading online newspaper in the country, published a troubling findings on some expenses in the Ministry that Omipidan’s principal is supervising. The most concerning thing in the publication was that over N600m was blown by the Ministry on travels and feed in just four months, and contended that some of the monies were sent to private accounts in clear breach of Chapter 7, Section 713 of the Financial Regulations 2009, forbids paying public fund into private account.
No effort has been made to address the concerns of the public on this weighty issue, instead, the focus is the inanities which the recent article portrayed. This is actually shameful and bring back the ugly memory of the miserable phase that Osun endured under them. Quite unfortunate.
As against the erroneous insinuation of Omipidan, the Osun State Government at no time rationalise criminality. It is even worrisome that Omipidan try to justify extrajudicial action of an overzealous, which our laws clearly forbids. Our laws, which the State Government emphasised, requires an officer to make arrest and charge an accused to court, not carryout summary execution. Looking at the narrative of Omipidan, which has been flown by many others in the Osun APC, it cannot be too much to suspect that there was a conspiracy to kill the accused. That is evil, if that was the case.
By Yoruba culture and even religion doctrines, using foul words on an elder or someone in position of authority is a sign of bad upbringing. It is rather unfortunate that someone has chosen this ignoble path as a way of life. Only those who are blind to reality will deny the incredible turnaround that Osun has experienced in the last 23 months.
It is even shameful that someone who was part of a government who failed to pay any part of owed half salary to workers and pensioners will claim nothing is happening when Governor has is paying it. The five months cooperative deductions to workers owed by the previous administration has been paid off by Governor. Yet, nothing is happening in the mind of those who failed yesterday. Governor Adeleke paid the financial implication of promotion Oyetola gave workers in 2019 but Omipidan thinks nothing happening. Laugh!
In term of infrastructure, Governor Adeleke has invested heavily in transforming the rot that Oyetola left behind. From Ede to Iwo, Ilesa to Ife, Osogbo to Iresi, every parts of Osun is experiencing unprecedented road construction. Unlike the Oyetola administration which Omipidan was a part of, there is no local government in the whole of Osun state that does not have a road project going on.
Even though Oyetola administration got a $20.5m grant from the World Health Organisation (WHO) to rehabilitate primary healthcare centres (PHCs), it did a terrible job as they failed too meet the specification of the donor. It is Governor Adeleke that is fixing this mess, ensuring that all that is required to enhance healthcare delivery are provided. Yet, Omipidan sees nothing happening. That is nothing but self deceit.
In 23 months, Governor Adeleke has done incredibly well, touching almost every sectors in the state. Only recently, Governor Adeleke approved a N75,000 minimum wage for civil servants in the state. When Omipidan’s principal was in charge of the affairs of the state, it took him nearly 20 months to implement the N30,000 minimum wage after President Muhammadu Buhari signed it into law. Omipidan should stop listening to himself because obviously, he has been lying to himself. He should go out and hear the people of Osun state who are acknowledging the outstanding performance of Governor Adeleke in the 23 months he has been in office.
Lest I forget, Omipidan should tap his principal to get to work as nothing is happening in his ministry. He should not end up ineffective in that role as he was as Governor of Osun state. He should show working and justify the faith of President Bola Tinubu in him and not damage the image of Osun to the very end.
● Oluniyi Isamotu writes from Isale Oba quarters, Iwo.
