CONDOLE PRESIDENT TINUBU, THE ARMED FORCES, ILOBU PEOPLE AND FAMILY
OSOGBO – 06/11/2024 – Osunstate.gov.ng
Governor Ademola Adelele has described as a sad loss the untimely exit of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Taoheed Lagbaja, calling his transition “a huge misfortune”
“A huge misfortune has befallen the people of Osun State, the Nigerian army and the great Lagbaja family of Ilobu. We lost a rare breed, a gentleman and a true patriot to the cold hand of death.
“Our late brother has a big vision of operational reforms for the Nigerian Army. He launched out and commenced the implementation of root and branch reform of the Nigerian Army. Within his short stint in office, he enforced professionalism and battled terrorists and bandits with terrifying fierceness.
“Our late brother was a very hardworking officer, a true workaholic, a fierce soldier, a replica of the traditional army officer with an ambitious plan for modernization and integration of the Nigerian Army.
“In my last encounter with him, he exuded hope and aspirations of a better Nigeria with the military as a stabilizer and unifier of the federation. In late General Lagbaja, we had a great military leader with the poise, the confidence and the firmness to realize the vision of a new Nigerian Army.
“Unfortunately, the end came suddenly. We surrendered to the will of the Almighty creator. I commiserate with the Commander – in- Chief, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the men and women of the Nigerian Armed Forces, my people of Ilobu and the great Lagbaja family.
“We mourn together on this sad occasion. On behalf of the people and Government of Osun state, we extend commiseration to Mrs Mariya Lagbaja and the two children .”, Governor Adeleke noted in a statement he personally signed.
Signed: HE, SENATOR ADEMOLA ADELEKE, EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF OSUN OSUN STATE
Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has urged unity and harmony within the Southwest chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to deepen and widen the electoral fortunes of the party.
Governor Ademola Adeleke has directed immediate beefing up of security around the Ola Iya bridge area to protect the facility from vandals and reckless drivers.
A high-level delegation from Osun State actively participated in the just-concluded 11th German-Nigerian Business Forum at Lagos Continental, Victoria Island. The forum presented a strategic platform for fostering international cooperation, exploring investments and building partnerships across key sectors essential for Osun’s development.
Governor Ademola Adeleke while chairing the Treasury Board meeting for the 2025 budget, has issued a strong admonition to Ministries and Agencies to sustain budget performance on all fronts.
Members of the Treasury Board include the Deputy Governor, Prince Kola Adewusi; Secretary to the State Government, Hon Teslim Igbalaye; the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Hon Kazeem Akinleye; Head of Service, Elder Ayanleye Aina; Attoney General/HCJustice and HC Finance; the Accountant General; Chairman of State Internal Revenue Service among others.
The Governor scrutinised proposals of various Agencies submitted through the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.
The State Governor noted that presentations by the agencies are encouraging but called for a more innovative approach to Revenue and Expenditure process and practice in line with the fiscal procedures and extent laws.
According to the State Governor, the real value of federation allocations to the state has dwindled despite the slight increase in the nominal value but to have a sustainable budget performance for the good of the citizens, political heads and accounting officers should think out of the box by emphasizing high priority projects and programmes.
“I task heads of ministries and agencies to focus on high priority projects. The resources are limited, and our needs are much. So we have to balance both ends by avoiding frivolous programmes and emphasizing areas promoting the five point agenda of this administration.
“You are to conduct full due diligence on your various sectors and programmes. Revenue generation must be driven with vigour but with a human face. Value for money is also key in state expenditure”, the State Governor charged the various ministries and agencies led by the Commissioners and Special Advisers.
Earlier in his presentation, the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Prof. Moruf Ademola Adeleke assured that the report of the Treasury Board will be submitted to the State Executive Council for approval as a draft budget for presentation to the State Assembly.
He informed the Governor and other state officials that the budgetary process is on schedule to meet the timeline for final processing and approval by both the State Executive Council and the House of Assembly.
Sectors already covered by the Treasury Board meetings include Education, Solid minerals and infrastructure sectors. The board sitting continues today with the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Mrs Yetunde Esan, coordinating the process
Signed: Mallam Olawale Rasheed, Spokesperson to the State Governor.
Osun State Government has assured people of Osogbo Land that the dispute over the land belonging to Osogbo Technical College will be resolved in favour of the capital city even as it clarified that the dispute was inherited from the previous administration.
In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, the state government narrated that Governor Ademola Adeleke met a legal dispute over the land when he assumed office in 2022, informing the public that a consent Judgment ceding the land to land owners was on ground as at 2022.
The Commissioner narrated that the government was surprised that a school land could be returned to land owners when the school is still in existence and in need of such landed properties.
He explained that the government in its push to reclaim public land re-acquired the land, noting however that the subject is still in court which even sat on the matter yesterday.
“The government however wishes to state that only the best interest of Osogbo people must prevail in this matter. The government reassures Osogbo people that only their wishes will be supported and nothing will be done to negatively affect the communal interest of the state capital”, the Commissioner noted.
According to Oluomo Alimi, the government of Governor Ademola Adeleke is always for the interest of Osogbo in particular and Osun people in general, assuring that securing the disputed land for public good is paramount to the state leadership.
Signed: Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment.
On Monday, something remarkable that will change the trajectory of Osun finances forever happened. The Spokesperson to the Osun State Governor, Mallam Olawale Rasheed announced that Thor Exploration Limited, the parent company of Segilola Gold Project, has conceded to the plank of the Osun State Government dispute with it and that Governor Ademola Adeleke will soon be “hosting the federal meditation team for the formal presentation of the share certificate to the state government..”
It is a cheering news because this is a victory not just for today but also the future. However, this victory did not come easy, and in fact, was possible basically because of the character of Governor Adeleke, who chooses not his personal benefit, but the collective interest of the entirety of Osun people. This was the highlight of the Governor’s message that was conveyed by Mallam Rasheed.
“Our dedication not to do under the table deal with Thors Explorations has paid off. From the beginning, I said I don’t want gold bars for myself or my family, I want Osun shares as asset of the state and that the taxes be paid into her treasury,” Governor Adeleke noted. What Governor Adeleke clearly indicated, is unusual, and indeed, will leave many, especially those who are conversant with Nigerian politicians attitude to collective interest of the people, speechless.
But the thing with Governor Adeleke is that, he is different, and this truth about him continues to manifest in all his conducts since assuming office nearly two years ago. While some other interest holders settled for “cash and smelter during the acquisition by Thors”, Governor Adeleke chose the side of the people, fighting fiercely to ensure that Osun is not cheated of what actually belongs to it.
That was a resolve from Governor Adeleke and a moment, I tried to picture what the scenario would have been if someone other than him is seating in the state’s top seat at a time like this. Just imagine a Governor who prioritizes personal benefit was presented with an opportunity to look the other way and maneuver the system to fill his own pocket at the detriment of the people.
Your guess is as good as mine. Segilola Gold Project is a multi-billion investment and a 5% stake is a whole lot, and the benefit will extend beyond the administration of Governor Adeleke. This is why I could not understand what the main opposition, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, was thinking when it chose the side of a firm that tries to deny Osun what belongs to it.
This can never be politics because what Governor was fighting for was not for himself but the Osun people. Infact, the question that must agitate minds would be that what could the outcome had been if Governor Adeleke was not the Governor. And, if the past should be the guide, the outcome is better not imagined because it will be unpleasant.
By all measures, Governor Adeleke has done well and history will be kind to him. This is not just because he retrieved Osun shares in Segilola Gold Project, but also demonstrating the immense benefits that comes with having the right leadership. Governor Adeleke did not just press for Osun to get its due financial entitlements from the firm, he was critical about pollution caused by mining activities, which undermines the environment.
“We will submit our environmental inspection report. We will show the world that even a billion dollar cannot achieve the remediation and rehabilitation of our damaged environment. It is actually worrisome that an internationally quoted mining company will neglect and attempt to evade the care for environment it violated,” Governor Adeleke noted.
For quite sometime now, there has been concerns on the environmental impact that the operation of Segilola Gold Project has on the people. In a 2022 report, Aljazeera provided an idea on how deep the problem is, quoting Anthony Adejuwon, head of Osogbo-based civic advocacy group Urban Alert as noting that “In Osun, the contamination is through water which flows through communities with over two million people.” The paper added that separate physiochemical test conducted by it and Urban Alert on water samples on the area revealed the presence of high levels of heavy materials.
By making the protection of the environment a core of his objective, Governor Adeleke is making sure that natural resources doesn’t turn to harm the people. That is the purpose of leadership and Governor Adeleke is showing not to only understand this, but also working towards that direction.
● Sarafa Ibrahim is a Special Assistant to the Osun State Governor on Print Media and writes from Osogbo, Osun State
Governor Ademola Adeleke did not receive any Eight Billion Naira as LAUTEC refund from the Oyo State government. Rather, the former Governor Oyetola government actually received Three Billion, Five Hundred Million and spent almost Two Billion Naira from the fund before leaving office.
Contrary to the fake news, the Oyetola administration actually got a payment of Three Billion, Five Hundred Million from the Oyo state government as part of the LAUTECH settlement payment before leaving office.
To put it more directly, the sum of Three Billion, Five Hundred Million Naira (N3,500,000,000) came in during the period of the last dispensation. The credit balance stood at One Billion, Five Hundred and Sixty Two Million, Four Hundred and Forty Thousand, and Four Hundred and Thirty Six Naira (N1,562,440,436.80) as at November 30th, 2022. It therefore means that the sum of N1,937,559,563.20 was expended during the last administration.
From November 2022 till date, the Adeleke administration received only Five Hundred Million Naira on the LAUTECH refund since assumption of office.
When added to the N3.5 Billion paid by Oyo government during the Oyetola administration, a total of Four Billion Naira has so far been received from Oyo state government by the Osun state government.
The state spent part of the fund on ongoing infrastructure upgrade projects across the sectors of the state economy.
As a transparent administration, all inherited and newly generated funds are properly managed by the state financial managers while state expenditures are drawn from the state accounts as stipulated in the Appropriation Act.
Report of an alleged Eight Billion Naira (N8B) payment on the LAUTECH settlement is therefore fake news from an opposition that has lost all its credibility and electability.
Governor Ademola Adeleke remains committed to transparency, accountability and anti-corruption practices in the management of state resources. We call on the public to ignore the baseless report from those merchants of falsehood.
Signed: Mallam Olawale Rasheed, Spokesperson to Governor Adeleke.
Governor Ademola Adeleke has commended progress so far recorded in the state’s dispute with Thor’s Explorations Limited, affirming that mediation so far have confirmed the reality of most demands by the state government.
Responding after receiving preliminary report from the state team led by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Mining and Mineral Matters, Prof. Lukuman Adekilekun Jimoda, the State Governor said it is great news that Thors Limited has eventually produced a written certificate of Osun state shares in the Segilola Gold Project. The intermediation has also made Segilola, the operator of Thor Explorations to accept the responsibility of opening all its accounting records for examination on the 3.25Billion Naira tax assessment by Osun state, in line with Personal Income Tax Act section 58 (2).
“We finally have an open and direct confirmation of Osun shareholding at five percent of what Tropical Mines Limited got. I look forward to hosting the federal mediation team for the formal presentation of the share certificate to the state government, although, our demand is five (5) percent of the value of the gold asset, when it was acquired by Thor Explorations from its interest holders. We also have additional economic interest, coming from Thor’s partnership offering, when it took 88 cadastral units, out of Osun’s exploration license”.
“Our decision not to do under the table deal with Thors Explorations has paid off. From the beginning, I said I don’t want gold bars for myself or my family. I want Osun shares as asset of the state and that the taxes be paid into her treasury”.
“We know other interest holders got cash and smelter fees during the acquisition by Thor, we are also insistent on immediate payment to the state treasury of the full amount due to the state from her interest in the gold project. The financial implications of our holding must be redeemed without further delay”, the Governor was quoted as saying.
On the update on payment of tax indebtedness to the state by Thors Exploration Limited which required further documentation from the state, the Governor directed his team to submit all required data and records, insisting that “Osun has legitimate PAYE tax demands which Thors firm must fulfil.
“I commend the federal mediation team for acting to enforce compliance with local tax and environmental laws. We are opposed to companies operating with impunity by neglecting observance of state laws. We are only asking Thors to comply with state laws as much as the federal laws. There are other asset classes in Nigeria that are registered with corporate affairs Commission. MTN and Airtel are telecom asset classes and they are registered in Nigeria, let Segilola Gold Project be registered in Nigeria.
“We will submit our environmental inspection report. We will show the world that even a billion dollar cannot achieve the remediation and rehabilitation of our damaged environment. It is actually worrisome that an internationally quoted mining company will neglect and attempt to evade the care for the environment it violated”, the Governor lamented.
Earlier, Prof. Jimoda had submitted a report of the mediation meeting between Thors’s management and the state government under the supervision of the intervention team set up by the Federal Minister of Mines Development, Mr Dele Alake.
He told the Governor that the meeting achieved significant milestones for Osun state especially on the issue of shareholding , payment of monetary implications, continuous discussion on the exact tax indebtedness as well as consensus on the need for environmental remediation.
The adviser however said the meeting did not address the many court cases over the disputes. A follow up meeting by disputing parties is to be held in Osun state in due course.
Signed: Mallam Olawale Rasheed, Spokesperson to the State Governor.
Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun state has convened a meeting of the State Security Council for next week to assess and take action on recent security developments in the state including an open clash between some policemen and civil defence officials.
The Council meeting is to receive briefings from the various security agencies as well as top state officials led by the Deputy Governor, Prince Kola Adewusi who had intervened in the matter before its current escalation.
Governor Adeleke expressed surprise at the open brawl between the two security agencies, urging the services to strictly adhere to their codes of operations in the law enforcement process.
He also noted rising cases of police- civilian confrontations across the state, urging all service commanders to enforce discipline within their ranks and file to sustain the widely acknowledged civil- security cordial relationship in the state.
While warning against high handedness in law enforcement, the Governor further urged all stakeholders to avoid actions and inactions capable of jeopardizing the records of Osun state as the most peaceful state in the federation.
“I task our commanders to enforce discipline and operational rules among their men and women. Rogue operation is increasing, civilian harassment is on the rise and now service to service confrontation is added. We must restore normalcy.
“All these matters of urgency will be tackled at the next security council meeting. Our Service Commanders have been wonderful. We must not relax in our quest to restore closer inter- agency partnership and collaboration”, the Governor was quoted as saying in the statevent.
Signed: Mallam Olawale Rasheed, Spokesperson to the State Governor.
