PRESS RELEASE

on.

–Promises openness, transparency
of the process

OSOGBO 29/7/2024
Osunstate.gov.ng

Osun State Government has started the receipt of the expected 43 trucks of food

Out of the total of 43 trucks being expected, 4 are Garri of 25kg with each of the trucks containing 1260 bags and another 39 trucks of 50Kg bag of Corn, containing 600 bags each.

It is to be noted that, the Osun State Government is being charged the sum of #67,422,000,00( Sixty Seven Million, Four Hundred and Twenty Two Thousand Naira) by the F.G as haulage fee out of which ,the State Government, has paid the sum 45,000,000,00( Forty Five Million Naira) leaving it with a balance of 22,422,000 ( Twenty two Million, Four Hundred and Twenty Two Thousand) to be offset before the delivery of the remaining consignments would be effected.

This current food parliatives which consists of Garri and Corn was originated from the office of the National Security Adviser ( NSA) and being distributted by National Emergency Management Agency Office (NEMA), Abuja, and it’s being received by Osun State Government through the office the of Osun State Emergency Management Agency ( OSEMA),

However, for transparency, record and accountability, the
Officials of Nigeria Police, ICPC, DSS and EFCC and NEMA are readily on ground to monitor the offloading and documentation of the consignments of the food palliatives.

Accordingly, the distribution of the food palliatives to the would be beneficiaries throughout the State will commence, tomorrow, Tuesday, 30th July, 2024 and it is going to be carried out in line with an already spelt out template given by the FG which is in concomitant with the one also already mapped out by the Osun State Government.

Osun State Government started receiving and offloading the trucks of the two edibles of Garri and corns from Thursday,11th of July, 2024 at OSEMA warehouse in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.

So far, as at Sunday, the 28th of July, 2024, 4 trucks of Garri of 25kg and 21 trucks of Corns of 50kg bag, have been received. While all the 4 trucks of Garri and the 16 trucks of corns have been offloaded, the remaining 5 trucks of corn will be offloaded today as Osun State Government is still expecting 1 truck of corn today, Monday, the 29th July, 2024.

In line with the agreement earlier reached with the FG, Osun State is also to offset the cost of both offloading and distribution of the food palliatives to the would be beneficiaries in the various Local Governments in the State.

Consequently, the present administration in Osun State under the leadership of His Excellency, Senator Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke, with all sense of responsibility, is glad to announce that, the formal distribution exercise will commence with immediate effect,tomorrow, Tuesday, 30th of July, 2024 through a clean, clear, thorough and transparent process.

We wish to use this opportunity to assure the people of the State,
especially the targeted most vulnerable population, of the readiness of Senator Ademola Adeleke Government to adhere strictly to an already laid down templates for the distribution by both the State and Federal Governments.

While we also count on the continued support and cooperation of the people of Osun State, we are equally using this medium to state that, no one, especially the most targeted vulnerable population will be shortchanged whatsoever during the distribution of the food items.

Signed
Oluomo Kolapo Alimi
Hon.Commissioner
Information and Public Enlightenment, Osun State.

Governor Ademola Adeleke has fixed tomorrow Monday for a comprehensive dialogue with organizers of upcoming national protests alongside stakeholders from the security and civil societies.

NEWS RELEASE

OSOGBO – 26/07/2024 – Osunstate.gov.ng

Governor Ademola Adeleke is governing Osun State without borrowing a single kobo and without drawing any security votes, Spokesperson to the State Governor, Mallam Olawale Rasheed has clarified.

He made the clarifications in response to questions from reporters who quoted some opposition figures alleging the state Governor of increasing Osun debt and of accessing security votes to the tune of billions of naira.

Mr Rasheed attributed such allegations to pure mischief, ignorance of public finance and deliberate misinterpretation of state data, noting that Governor Adeleke is pursuing his many governance initiatives within the confines of available resources from federal allocations and internally generated revenue.

According to the Spokesperson, the state Governor is achieving so much through fiscal discipline, deliberate curtailing of overhead cost and widening of revenue nets, all which resulted in fiscal and financial health of the state.

Mr Rasheed posited that opposition figures displayed ignorance by ignoring the impact of the exchange rate crisis on the inherited external debt stock of Osun State, explaining that the weak naira increased the naira value of the state debt stock.

“The Debt Management Office is the national debt data repository. According to the DMO, Osun owed foreign lenders the sum of $91,779,393.97 as of December 31, 2022, and by December 31, 2023, the external debt profile of Osun stood at $87,247,488.51.

“From the figures above, Osun’s external debt dropped. The noticeable difference in the naira value of Osun external debt was due to the significant devaluation of naira. In 2022, a dollar averaged at N460, and so. The naira value of $91,779,393.97 Osun’s external debt in 2022 was N41bn compared to 2023 when a dollar averaged N1,400, which is essentially why despite the fact that Osun debt reduced to $87,247,488.51, the naira equivalent was N78bn”, the Spokesperson narrated.

“On the allegation of security services votes included in the uploaded budget performance report, let me clarify that the subhead only referred to the cost of various security services and operations across the state which is different from the conventional concept of security votes as drawn by most state governors.

“The security service funds in the identified subhead were used among other interventions to service special peacekeeping operations, provide logistics support to quench inter communal clashes and support the operations of the different security agencies across the state”.

“The funds meant for various security related services are accessed through normal approval processes with appropriate records kept. We however firmly affirm that Mr Governor did not and is not drawing any personal security votes as is the convention before his assumption of office. This is in line with his avowed commitment to free state resources to execute his ambitious five point agenda”, the Governor’s Spokesperson noted.

He described as defeatist the recent penchant of the opposition to twist state finance data to support false narration, submitting that such failed strategy confirms the opposition has run out of ideas and initiatives in the face of Governor Adeleke’s widely acknowledged exceptional performance.

Signed:
Mallam Olawale Rasheed,
Spokesperson to the State Governor.

NEWS RELEASE

● Direct Food Security Implementation Committee to Fast Track Assignment

OSOGBO- 26/07/2024 – Osunstate.gov.ng

Governor Ademola Adeleke has thrown his weight behind the traditional approach to food price control introduced by some traditional rulers in Osun State, describing it as “a local innovation to lower increasing food inflation across the state”

In a statement issued on Friday in which he tasked the State Food Security Implementation Committee to move faster, Governor Adeleke expressed happiness that traditional rulers in Osun State have acted to regulate food prices and curtail negative activities of middlemen in the marketplaces.

Governor Adeleke who condemned artificial inflation induced by market middlemen lauded the traditional rulers for moving against deliberate increment in food prices, noting that the state government supports consensus building to lower food inflation across the state.

According to the Governor, the actions of some members of the Osun State Council of Traditional Rulers on price control has assisted the government in its quest to address food insecurity in Osun State.

He praised the traditional rulers for impressing on market leaders the need to avoid unnecessary price increase, calling on all other traditional rulers in Osun State to engage market leaders on the urgency of price moderation.

“I task our royal fathers to engage market associations and stop exploitation of our people. We must engage market associations to ensure that voluntary price control is introduced.

“We recognise the importance of market associations. We see them as strong partners in governance. To that end,we call on them to join hands with government and traditional institutions to lower food inflation.

“ I am also directing my Special Adviser on Markets to move quickly to support our royal fathers in this new drive to institute traditional price control. The Iyalojas and Babalojas should be integrated into the implementation process”, the Governor directed.

● Direct Food Security Implementation Committee to Fast Track Assignment

Meanwhile, Governor Adeleke has directed the Food Security Implementation Committee to move faster to ensure realisation of a secured and accessible food supply value chain in Osun State.

He tasked the committee to quickly come up with actionable plans, deliverables and timeliness, noting that food security is a matter demanding urgent attention.

“ The Committee is composed of tested experts. It is time for action. We already have a well thought out food security report. We only need a roadmap to execution.

“ I commend the Commissioner for Agriculture for rising to the occasion on our agro-industrialisation agenda. We have started with a supply of tractors which I will be unveiling at a ceremony soon. We have embraced traditional price control through our traditional rulers.

“ We must implement a holistic agenda which addresses all segments of agric value chains. That is what we have in our Food Security Committee report and the actualisation is what I demand from the implementation committee”, the State Governor declared.

Signed:
Mallam Olawale Rasheed,
Spokesperson to the State Governor.

The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations has rated Governor Ademola Adeleke and eight other Governors excellently in its just released reputation performance Index on Nigerian Political Governance 2024.

The Governor Ademola Adeleke led administration in Osun State has put to action his effort on food security in the State.

Based on the communal clash between Orile Owu and Araromi Owu communities in Ayedaade local Government, which had led to loss of properties, Osun state Government has called for calm in the two communities.