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Full Inaugural Speech Of Osun State Gov., Adedamola Adeleke
Full Inaugural Speech Of Osun State Gov., Adedamola Adeleke
INAUGURATION ADDRESS DELIVERED BY THE GOVERNOR OF OSUN STATE, HIS EXCELLENCY, SENATOR ADEMOLA JACKSON NURUDEEN ADELEKE ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 27TH, 2022
Protocol,
1. Today, I stand on the podium of history with a sacred pledge to God and the good people of Osun State that my intellect, passion and strength will be devoted to nothing but the welfare, peace and security of our people.
2. As I accept the mantle of leadership entrusted upon me by the people of our dear State, I am conscious of the enormous challenges and responsibilities ahead of me and will beginning from this hour work day and night with deep sense of purpose to be a servant to you all.
3. Our gathering here to witness the materialisation of a new era is not an accident of history. We are all programmed by the Almighty God to be what we have been, what we are and what we will be in future.
4. Let me use this occasion to salute the founding fathers of our dear state, all the past administrators and Governors of Osun state as well as everyone who has contributed one way or the other to the growth, stability and progress of our state in the last 31 years.
5. I equally salute our fallen heroes both at the national and state level for the great sacrifice they have made to have a country and a state to call our own.
6. I am well aware of the fact that my responsibility as the Governor and Chief Security Officer of Osun State entails meeting the legitimate expectations of our people. Therefore, I promise that those expectations of the workers, traders, artisans, farmers, business owners, students, pensioners, traditional and religious leaders and indeed all residents of Osun State will be met by the grace of God and the cooperation of everyone.
7. Under my watch as the Governor of Osun State, I will boldly correct all past injustice, corrupt acts or policies by any previous administration which are against the collective interest of our people.
8. Let me state here that from the education, health, mining Sector, agriculture, road infrastructure and supply of portable water, let it be known to all that it is no longer going to be business as usual. And I repeat, it is no longer business as usual.
9. Our administration will demonstrate a high sense of urgency, transparency, justice and innovation to tackle and solve the problems of poverty, illiteracy, disease, and poor infrastructure.
10. Your Governor will be a people’s Governor. I will be accessible, responsive, consultative and proactive in handling small and big matters of State Governance.
11. I know that as a product of the collective will of you my people, there is a heavy weight of history on my shoulders and I accept the urgency of your expectations, the depth of your aspirations and your conviction in me to build a better State.
DEVELOPMENT AGENDA FOR OSUN STATE
12. Ladies and Gentlemen, you will recall that our party, the Peoples Democratic Party campaigned on a five point agenda namely:
a. Welfare of workers and pensioners;
b. Boosting the state’s economy
c. Home-grown infrastructure policy;
d. People-focused policy on education, affordable Health Care, Security and Social Welfare;
e. Agro-Based Industrialization for Wealth and Job Creation.
13. While a detailed programme of action will soon be unveiled on each of these 5-point agenda, let me quickly give you some insights into our policy direction.
EDUCATION
14. It is disheartening to see our State at the bottom of the national educational ratings especially in public primary and Secondary schools examinations. My administration will launch reform with direct focus on improvement of learning environment and outcome. Our target is to reverse the poor performance of students in public examinations within the next few years.
15. To achieve this target, we will prioritise in-service training and welfare of teachers, enhancement of school environment, entrenchment of discipline in the school system as well as involvement of the Parents-Teachers Association in our school administration system.
16. Our administration will soon convene an emergency Education Conference to articulate our blueprint on the restoration of the state’s education glory.
AGRO-INDUSTRIAL
17. We regard as critical the need to boost wealth creation, job opportunities and food security through innovative agricultural reforms covering all the agricultural value chains.
18. Aside the introduction of modern agricultural practices, we will shift attention to agriculture for export to take advantage of global markets.
19. While we target agriculture export earnings, we will establish modern farmers’ markets where producers and off takers can transact businesses.
TOURISM
20. In our desire to diversify Osun economy, my administration will target the tourism sector to boost our GDP and create new jobs.
21. Osun State is the historical capital of the Yoruba people and it is my intention to develop a strong business model to transform this rich historical heritage into huge tourism. We will encourage and partner with the traditional institutions, business organisations and foreign partners to develop the culture and tourism industry which includes our beautiful waterfalls, the Osun Osogbo World Heritage site and many cultural festivals across the state.
WOMEN AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
22. Women and youths are important segments in our development programme. I had earlier set up a youth advisory council which has produced an impressive blueprint for youth development in Osun State. I plan to ensure speedy implementation of their recommendations. More importantly, let me assure our women that our administration will be gender – sensitive in all appointments.
HEALTH
23. The health sector in Osun State is in need of urgent attention. Our government will give premium attention to improvement of the Primary Health care services. We will improve the working conditions of health workers and expand the coverage of our health insurance scheme. We plan to establish a standard diagnostic centre using the Public Private Partnership model and adopt measures that will retain medical practitioners in Osun state.
CLIMATE CHANGE AND ICT
24. Our administration will collaborate with Development partners to address problems of environmental pollution and Climate Change. We will equally promote digital literacy, tech innovations and create opportunities for our teeming youths in the ICT sector.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORMS
25. In line with our campaign manifesto, our government will ensure local government autonomy in line with the provisions of the Nigeria constitution.
26. We will restore the lost glory of our local governments in order to make them more responsive to the needs of the people at the grassroots.
27. All policies that are not favourable to the growth of effective local government administration will be reviewed in accordance with the law.
28. No form of illegality will be allowed to stand and all acts of impunity committed by the immediate past administration on local government administration will be reversed following due process.
THE PUBLIC SERVICE
29. My administration will restore the integrity of the civil service which has been bastardised through favouritism and political considerations.
30. We will give the civil service a better orientation with a view to restoring its professionalism. In doing this, we will be fair and firm as we act only in pursuance of public interest.
31. Let me therefore announce an immediate return to status quo of all fresh appointments, placements and other major decisions taken by the immediate past administration with effect from the 17th of July, 2022.
32. I wish to assure all labour unions in the state of our administration’s willingness to protect workers interest and promote their welfare at all times. We will be a labour friendly government.
SECURITY
33. We will embark on a security sector reform that will target crime prevention, detection, neighbourhood policing and better synergy among security agencies. The Amotekun Corps will be strengthened while our administration will ensure operational linkage between local hunters and the Amotekun Corps. A “Know Your Neighbour” security initiative will be implemented. By the grace of God, very soon, Osun will return to its old nature of being a haven of peace.
EXECUTIVE ORDERS
34. My Good People of Osun, since you elected me as your Governor on the 16th of July 2022, which the INEC announced on July 17th 2022, the former Governor, Alh Isiaka Gboyega Oyetola maliciously started putting road blocks to make things difficult and almost impossible for the new administration to serve you.
35. Mass employment were carried out without budgetary provisions for salary payments for the new employees; even when the state was struggling to pay salaries and deliver other services. Various hurried and criminally backdated Contracts were awarded and again without budgetary provisions.
36. Appointments of several Obas were hurriedly done without following due process, just to mention a few.
37. All efforts to get the Governor set up a Transition Committee and submit hand-over notes in line with best practices proved abortive.
38. It is therefore my desire to ask for your patience and understanding to give my administration a few weeks to review and sort out all the actions and malicious confusions which the immediate past administration has created since July 17th 2022. Those actions were indeed vindictive measures against the people of Osun State for voting them out of office.
39. Consequently, I hereby issue the following directives which will be backed up with appropriate Executive orders:
i. Immediate freezing of all government accounts in banks and other financial institutions
ii. Immediate establishment of a panel to carry out an inventory and recover all government assets
iii. An immediate establishment of a panel to review all appointments and major decisions of the immediate past administration taken after the 17th July, 2022
iv. An immediate reversal to the constitutionally recognised name of our state, Osun State. All government insignia, correspondences and signages should henceforth reflect Osun state rather than State of Osun which is unknown to the Nigerian constitution.
APRRECIATION
40. As I conclude this address, let me express my appreciation to the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR for allowing a conducive atmosphere for a peaceful, free and fair election in Osun state.
41. I thank the national leadership of our party, the Peoples Democratic Party under the able leadership of our Chairman, His Excellency Sen. Iyorchia Ayu and his National Working Committee for their immeasurable support.
42. I also thank our presidential candidate, His Excellency Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, GCON, Vice presidential candidate His Excellency Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa, CON, all PDP state Governors, the Minority caucuses of the Senate, House of Representatives and Osun State House of Assembly and other party stakeholders who stood by Osun state to reclaim our mandate which was stolen four years ago.
43. Let me also thank the state chapter of the PDP under the able leadership of Dr. Adekunle Akindele, the immediate past leadership under Hon. Sunday Bisi and all party leaders in the 30 local government areas and Ife East area office. I thank you for your steadfastness, loyalty and commitment to the ideals which the Peoples Democratic Party represents.
44. My deep sense of appreciation goes to my immediate family members beginning with my elder brother Dr, Adedeji Adeleke, my immediate elder sister Yeye Modupe Adeleke-Sanni, my wives Titi and Ngozi, my children, nephews and nieces especially David Adedeji Adeleke A.K.A. Davido for their love, support and sacrifice towards ensuring that we got this far. May your sacrifices never be in vain. I assure you that the selfless services of our late father Sen. Raji Ayoola Adeleke, our mother Prophetess Esther Adeleke and our late scion of the Adeleke family, the first Governor of Osun state, His Excellency Alhaji Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke will always guide my actions as I serve the good people of Osun state.
45. I must not end this address without appreciating the Nigerian judiciary and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for their uprightness, neutrality, professionalism and courage in protecting our democracy without fear or favour.
46. I commend our security agencies for providing a peaceful and conducive atmosphere before, during and after the electoral process.
47. Finally, I extend my thanks to party men and women, friends, associates, supporters across party lines, the Media and the courageous Osun voters who have stood resolutely to give and defend this mandate. I am most sincerely grateful.
CONCLUSION
48. Ladies and Gentlemen, I have a grand vision of a new Osun state. But I cannot do it alone. I therefore seek the support and cooperation of everyone to make this happen.
49. I hereby extend a strong hand of fellowship to the other arms of governments, the Legislature and the Judiciary. As a former lawmaker and a graduate of Criminal Justice, I appreciate the importance of collaboration among the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary.
50. I call on all political parties to unite in the best interest of the state. Election is over. Now is the time for governance. We are open to fresh ideas in line with our manifesto.
51. For the purpose of emphasis, I will be a Governor for all Osun people regardless of differences in language, faith, political affiliation or any other considerations.
52. Welcome to a new Osun State, The State of The Living Spring.
53. Thank you and God bless you all
IS WIKE AN ASSET OR A LIABILITY TO TINUBU?
By Rex Akindele
Sahara Weekly Reports That Politics, they say is a game of interest. No permanent friend, no permanent enemy but permanent interest. But in every sphere of life, there’s morality and a man is best respected by his principles and the values he stand for.
There’s this school of thought that says “if you don’t stand for anything, you fall for everything”. This is the crossroad where the former governor of Rivers State and incumbent Minister of the FCT, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike stands.
Loud, brutish and loquacious with a touch of arrogance, the APC as a political Party was always the butt of his not so funny jokes while he held sway as governor of Rivers State.
Wike rose from the ashes of the crisis that engulfed Rivers State in 2007 after the gubernatorial primaries of the PDP in the State which the then president, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo described as having a K-leg. The winner of that primaries, Rotimi Amaechi with a natural K-leg was not the preferred candidate of the powers that be and he was unceremoniously substituted with Sir Celestine Omeiha to fly the flag of the Party. What ensued after was a pre-election legal battle that went all the way to the Supreme Court. After the general elections which Omeiha won and was inaugurated as governor, the heat became unbearable for Amaechi and he escaped to Ghana on a self-imposed exile. It was Barr. Wike, a former Council Chairman of Obior/Akpor Local Government and close ally of Amaechi that stayed behind to coordinate the legal team and supporters of Amaechi until the case was decided by the Apex Court.
In appreciation of the job Wike did while he was away, Gov. Amaechi appointed him as his Chief of Staff during his first term in office. The Chief of Staff in the current system we practice wields a lot of powers and Amaechi, seeing how powerful and ambitious Wike was becoming, decided to cut him to size by not re-appointing him when he won his second term in 2011. Amaechi in one of his interviews, confessed that Wike was getting depressed and when an opportunity came to nominate a Minister from the State, a mutual friend of theirs pleaded with him to consider Wike in order to save him from a mental crisis. That was when Wike was nominated, and appointed by President Goodluck Jonathan as Minister of State for Education in his government.
When Governor Amaechi and President Jonathan fell apart, Wike took advantage of the crisis to build a parallel structure for Jonathan in Rivers and when Amaechi joined forces with 4 other PDP governors to create a faction within the PDP known as the New PDP, which later joined the APC, Wike, a cabinet Minister, took charge of PDP in Rivers State as the leader being the highest political office holder from the State. With the entire Party structure in his kitty and as the right hand man of President Jonathan who was contesting for a second term in office, the Governorship ticket of the PDP was an easy pick for Wike and despite the opposition from the then incumbent and his estranged friend, Rotimi Amaechi, Wike rode on the South-South sentiment and the popularity of President Jonathan in the region to clinch the governorship seat. This was Wike’s journey to limelight.
I have taken time to explain this to let you see that Wike is a crisispreneur and among active politicians in the country today, he has benefited from crisis the most. That’s why he rejoices whenever he sense a crisis anywhere as crisis to him is like the green grass to the green snake. His involvement with the APC during the last general election was as a result of the crisis that engulfed the PDP after their presidential primaries of 2022 in which he was an aspirant. His role in President Tinubu winning Rivers in 2023 can never be overemphasized but while he presented himself as someone fighting for the interest of Southern Nigeria, he lost what could have been a tremendous goodwill from such act by accepting a ministerial appointment from the president and the Party he had bad-mouthed for 8 years. It means it was all about his personal interest all along, which on its own is not bad if only he can swallow his pride and show some respect for others.
Mr Wike’s brazing use of his vantage position as a cabinet Minister in an opposition government to interfere with the governance of his home State of Rivers without reservation is becoming a moral burden for the Tinubu administration. Crisis of mistrust and disloyalty is common between successive governors and their predecessors in Nigeria since the inception of this democratic dispensation and on all occasions, the sitting governor always have the sympathy of the people.
At present, like Rivers, there’s a cold war in other States between governors and their benefactors, particularly in Benue State where Senator George Akume, a former governor of the State and incumbent Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), and his anointed governor, a Catholic Priest turned politician, Fr. Hyacinth Alia are fighting for supremacy. Senator Akume has maintained a dignified silence and conducted himself in a manner befitting of a high profile government appointee while allowing his men to battle it out with the governor. In the case of Mr Wike, he talks at every given opportunity in a demeaning language directing his missiles not only to his State governor but also to any elder that dare to associate with the governor. Some of those words are not even good enough to be used on an opponent not to talk of members of the same political Party. His supporters continue to abandon him on daily basis as it seems the communities are now turning against those fighting the governor.
Rivers State is a very delicate State. One of the oil producing States in the country that has the privilege of serving as the operational base of most oil companies in the region. It used to be the hotbed of militant activities until the intervention of late President Umaru Yar’Adua who introduced an amnesty programme to appease aggrieved youths fighting many years of neglect and insensitivity to the plight of their people. Today, anything that threatens the peace of Rivers State is a threat to national security and it’s becoming obvious from the tone of Elders, traditional leaders and stakeholders of the region that the Minister of the FCT is seen more as a threat to peace in the State, a character unbecoming of someone who served as Chief Security Officer of the State for 8 years.
On the political side, Wike is lost between the devil and the deep blue sea. After the 2023 general election where the PDP failed woefully due to some decisions and miscalculations of her presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Wike was supposed to be the rallying point of aggrieved stakeholders and frustrated supporters of the Party. He was being looked upon, along side members of his G-5, to become the new face of the opposition in the country and give the Party new direction until he tumbled from his Olympia height. He had Governor Ortom, the former governor of Benue State who was a torn in the flesh of the Buhari led APC administration with him. But by choosing to serve as minister in an opposition government, he lost the trust of his fellow ‘comrades’ and the first to abandon him was the only remaining governor among them, Seyi Makinde of Oyo State. His appointment as Minister from Rivers, with Mr President not giving extra consideration to the State in order to accommodate someone from the original APC family, threw the APC into confusion. Today, while the national secretariat of the APC dissolved the State Working Committee and installed Wike’s loyalists in a caretaker capacity, Wike remained a PDP member in the day and APC at night thereby allowing both Parties to suffer in the State as he continue to play the double game. Lovers of multi-Party democracy will definitely question President Tinubu’s democratic credentials on the account of this. A virile democracy strives on the foundation of a strong and healthy opposition and the President will do his image in the international community a lot of good if he concentrate on strengthening his Party rather than being seen as destroying the opposition.
Regardless the number of State Assembly members standing with the minister, it’s a near impossibility to impeach the governor as the State will go up in flames. Seen as the first person to emerge as governor of the State from the riverine communities since the return of democracy in 1999, Gov Fubara has played the ethnic card very well to his advantage. He has also succeeded in harvesting all the other former governors who were also at the receiving end of Wike’s arrogance, vindictiveness and winner-takes-all approach to politics.
It has now come to the public that with all the noise from Rivers during his time as governor, Local Government workers were denied the statutory minimum wage of ₦30,000 and for 8 years, their promotion was stagnated. The national leadership of NULGE had to send a powerful delegation to governor Fubara to commend him for righting the wrongs of the past by implementing minimum wage for local government employees in the State and effecting their backlog of promotions. If these and more is been done to ingratiate himself to the people, Fubara has succeeded to a great extent as it continue to eat into any godwill left of Mr Wike as his former trusted allies throng the government house in Port Harcourt on daily basis to pay homage to the governor and pledge their allegiance.
If an election were to be conducted in Rivers State today, can Wike still be able to deliver for Mr President? The answer is a big NO and the situation will get worse with time.
It is therefore high time President Tinubu begin to see Wike as a political liability and social disaster by reaching out to other stakeholders and making new friends in Rivers State in order to safeguard his political future in the Niger Delta.
Akindele wrote this piece from Kubwa, FCT and can be reached at rexakindele2000@gmail.com
*Will Primate Ayodele’s Prophecy On South Sudan Election Come To Pass? (VIDEO)
Although the government of South Sudan headed by Salva Kiir has disclosed its intention to hold a presidential election in December 2024, popular Nigerian prophet, Primate Elijah Ayodele revealed that the election date will be changed.
In a video which went viral, the prophet made it known in 2023 that he doesn’t see the election being held on the proposed date due to security issues that would threaten the election process.
The prophet who has sent several fulfilled prophetic messages to the country stated that the election will cause destabilization in the country and an imminent danger lies in wait if the election holds.
He also revealed that the country will come under international pressure once the date is shifted while reiterating that the election date isn’t realistic.
These were his words
‘The date for the South Sudan election will be changed, the election isn’t realistic because of insecurity in the country. If the nation goes ahead, the election will cause destabilization. Once the election date is shifted, the international community will begin to put pressure on the country. If the election is held, there will be danger. The election isn’t realistic.’’
WATCH VIDEO BELOW:
@primateayodele #africantiktok #africatiktok #African #Africa #iescworldwide #primateayodele #southsudan #southsudantiktokers🇸🇸 #south #English #elections #southsudantiktokers🇸🇸
It’s nine months to the proposed presidential election, there is not much preparation for the election due to the crisis in the country. Will Primate Ayodele’s prophecy come to pass?
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