BY SARAFA IBRAHIM
I was at a social event this Saturday when a debate on the Osun state 2026 governorship election ensued. Although, the election is some fifteen months or so away, but it is already gaining tractions in the public sphere as opposition candidates have taken to social media platforms to project aspirations. So, it is not unexpected that people will debate about the suitability of those
Into the debate, one person asked a rhetorical question that immediately changed the course of the debate. “What will the Osun APC use to canvass voters?” he asked. On the surface, this should be a simple question, but the silence that greeted the question tell a discomforting truth about the Osun APC that is buried deep in the mind of the people.
To understand why this is the case, consider the twelve-year that the APC was in the saddle in Osun state and the monumental damage done to the state in that period. By the time the APC left power in 2022, Osun was on the edge, with generational debt headlining the state. The effect of this failings was so collosal, throwing the state’s future into uncertainty and making the people go through needless pains.
By all accounts, the Osun APC was a problem than solution to any of the challenges facing the state. And this was not so hard to understand. For the twelve-year that the APC administration in the state lasted, the experience was that of pains and anguish as little or no interest at all to what actually count for the people.
To refresh your memory on what the past with the the APC looked like in Osun state, you should consider the situation of pensioners by November 2022 when it exited power. Pension liabilities alone at that time stood at about N75 billion and there was no serious interest in offsetting it. These are people who gave the better parts of their lives to the service of the state, yet that did not matter to the APC administrations as their benefits was not getting the necessary attentions, causing undue pains and disturbingly, untimely deaths in some case.
In hindsight, it is clear that the Osun APC was deliberate in creating the scenario that made pensioners go through hell. After all, Governor Adeleke has shown in less than three years that commitment was what was missing under the APC administrations because not only has he been able to offset the inherited pension liabilities to a greater extent, he also launched a free health coverage scheme to cater for the health need of senior citizens at no cost to them. The health coverage for pensioners was the Governor’s little way of acknowledging their past contributions and to simply tell them that the state they gave everything to in its service will not forsake them as they aged.
For active workers, the story isn’t any different. The question of whether Osun workers as a whole are better off now than they were when the APC was in charge of the state is a needless one. By all measures, workers are having it good under the Adeleke administration than they ever had in the twelve years of the APC in the state. Between November 2022 and now, wages of workers in Osun state has gone up by more than 150 percent, highlighting a bold step at ensuring a better living conditions for them.
What is more is that months of owed half salary by the APC administration is being repaid by Governor Adeleke. He could have looked the other just as those before him did, even though, they were part of the administration that accumulated the debt, however, Governor Adeleke consider the overall bearing of such default. Paying the money not only restore the damaged trust of worker in the state government, but also put cash into the hands of workers, thereby boosting their spending power, which thus, stimulate the economy of the state. I’m very sure that the workers knows so much the difference.
Even on infrastructure, the record of the APC in Osun was abysmal, leaving a deficit of more than 70 percent by the time it left power. For twelve-year, the Osun APC created a myth around infrastructural renewal, ignoring genuine needs for connectivity to power the state’s economy for cheap political sentiments. Hundreds of billions in revenue during that period were mere figures to the hearing of the people as bad and inaccessible roads were the reality they face everyday. And when the humongous loan accessed by the APC administrations which is costing Osun more than N2bn every month to service is taken to account, there is no reason for anyone to want a return to that sordid past.
By contrast, Osun has seen a robust infrastructural plan in action in less than three years under Governor Adeleke. In fact, many of the things the APC had presented to the people as impossible are what the Adeleke administration is daily making a reality. While the APC accumulated debts to transfer to the unborn generations, Governor Adeleke is building roads, bridges and upscaling schools and healthcares infrastructure to give hopes and power their aspirations.
When Governor Adeleke disclosed his intention of transforming five major towns in Osun state, only a few people gave him the benefit of doubt. And you can hardly blame the skeptics because failed promises by the APC shadowed the past. But today, most of what Governor Adeleke promised is manifesting.
In Ile-Ife, for example, the first-ever overhead bridge being constructed by the Adeleke administration is almost completed just as the first dual carriageway in Ilesa is nearing completion. In Osogbo, the state, a 10-span overhead bridge in Oke-Fia and a four-span flyover in Lameco are at an advanced stage, while the dual carriageway in Ede is almost delivered. Meanwhile, the construction of the first-ever dual carriageway in Iwo and Ila will commence shortly, adding to the growing list of infrastructural strides by the Adeleke administration. And he’s not borrowing a kobo to achieve any of this.
And something roughly like this is happening in other sector. Take, for instance, the investment of the Adeleke administration in disaster management. It is shocking to know that no fire-fighting truck was bought for the state’s fire service in the twelve years of the APC, making it almost impossible to fight fire incidents, which has caused people of the state loss of valuables. In less than three years, Governor Adeleke has procured about seven fire-fighting trucks, strengthening efforts to tackle fire incidents in any part of the state.
This trend is also reflected in the agriculture sector, where the APC failed to procure a single tractor to aid farming activities in the state in twelve years. Just as he did with the other failings of the APC, Governor Adeleke has procured tractors and they are now aiding farmers across the state in their operations. In short, the APC was more big on empty talks than making real impact on the people while it held sway, reason why its record in governance is uninspiring.
From the look of things, the APC’s apast record of governance in Osun state is too poor to sway the voters. Those aspiring on the platform of the party knows this and this is why they are doing everything not to attach themselves to that horrible past, even though, they were an integral part of the failures. But they can only try as Osun people cannot be lured into the same ugly past they voted against not so long.
And, good enough, Governor Adeleke is matching the aspirations of the people with results as the broader strength of his deliveries outweigh weakness. Fixing the failings of the APC was always not going to be easy, however, Governor Adeleke is showing that having the right leadership can make a big difference. The progress made so far are assuring that Osun is on the path for sustainable development.
But I understand why opposition elements are averse to this development, especially those who nearly ran Osun state aground, are making all sorts of efforts to draw the state back. The challenges they will however face is that, Osun people are too politically conscious to relapse into the very ditch they fought so hard to avoid a few years ago.
•Sarafa Ibrahim is a Special Assistant to the Osun State Governor and writes from Iwo, Osun state
