A former commissioner for finance under the administration of the immediate past governor of Osun state, Bola OyeBamiji has released figures showing that the government of Gboyega Oyetola’s predecessor, Engineer Rauf Aregbesola, was responsible for the 407 billion naira debt of the state.
Oyebamiji, in a statement made available to the media on Friday, exonerated the Oyetola government of procuring any debt for the state.
He faulted the statement on Thursday by the incumbent governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, describing it as vindictive campaign of calumny stating that the Oyetola administration accrued a lot of debt for the state.
Executive Director, Journalists for Democratic Rights (JODAR) Adewale Adeoye said one thing is lacking and that is institutional structure for political transition. If a government wants to transit from one government to the other, there should be institutional structures so that we save ourselves from all these kind of figures, backstabbing and others.
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“We were talking about a transitional committee with people from Oyetola, his commissioner of finance, the incoming government bringing some financial experts, the state accountant general will be there, and maybe about a month before the handover, they will sit down, look at all the figures, and come up with a document that is acceptable to all parties, but that didn’t happen.
“In this situation, there was no transition committee, and all of the other parties were participating, so we are now hearing contradicting figures.
“Aregbesola claims that most debts have been settled and that the only money remaining are for long-term infrastructure.
He noted that the statement by Oyetola’s commissioner of finance saying Aregbola should be blamed is itself a self defeating statement.
Mr Adeoye noted that Account General of Osun state should come up with correct figures together with the debt management office in Abuja because for now it is difficult to ascertain what exactly is happening.
“The new governor started on a very wrong footing, he should have taken the time to study the books.
“Studying the books of the office is not something you do in 24 hours, it is painstaking but what we are currently is a continuous political battle that we are seeing in Osun state.
Speaking further on the issue, Assistant Editor, The Nation, Dare Odufowokan likened politicians to actors and actresses who sometimes over act that is why we have dramas like these.
“All the gladiators in Osun State are playing to the gallery.
A good look at all the arguments, you will realise that the three of them are saying the same thing.
“While Adeleke is trying to pin it on Oyetola and excuse Aregbesola, Oyetola’s people are eager to remind Adeleke that, that is the man you should be holding.
According to him, neither Aregbesola nor Oyetola borrowed funds rather it is the government of Osun state that borrowed money.
He added that Adeleke is showing a lot of signs that makes one have doubts that he may not have the readiness to actually govern the state.
“Aregbesola took loans for certain projects, some of them immediate, others, long-term, agreed that successive governments will continue to pay.
“Oyetola inherited those loans, did his bit with it and now that Adeleke is in office, he should sit down, look at the loans thoroughly and see what these monies were used for.
“Adeleke should sit down and govern Osun state.