By Joshua Amaugo
The Governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, has been accused of releasing a whopping sum of N140 million, for the celebration of the State’s 25th anniversary, despite owing workers’ salaries.
Emerging reports indicate that the Presidency is said to be under pressure, to call the Governor to question over the said report
According to a statement by the Civil Societies Coalition for Emancipation of Osun State, CSCEOS, the Governor’s action could be best described as unreasonable and unacceptable.
This was contained in a statement issued on Sunday, August 21, and signed by its Chairman, Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman, made available to Post-Nigeria.
“Such a celebration should not cost more than N10 million, when the State as part of the federating unit of the country is facing an economic recess. But to be spending N140 million, is sheer wasteful!”.
The group also challenged Aregbesola, to come out clean and explain to the general public what such amount would be spent on, during the anniversary, which is slated to hold on Saturday, 27th August, 2016.
Narrating the ordeal in which the State’s citizens have been subjected to, all these years under Aregbesola, the group said the Governor has been insensitive to the plight of the good people of the State, since November 26, 2010, when he came to power.
The statement added: “The release of the sum of N140 million, for the purpose of marking this event is something that calls for the concern of the well meaning people of the State, when thousands of workers and pensioners and by extension, millions of citizens are wallowing in hunger and misery, due to the non-payment of their bread winners, their legitimate salaries and pension due, for the period of seven to eight months.
“There is nothing to celebrate by Aregbesola’s government, because the government has been the source of sorrow to the people of the State in almost six years now, which they are praying fervently for, its winding up.
”We insist that this is another tactics being employed by Aregbesola and his cronies, to siphon the meager resources of the State, under the guise of anniversary celebration, when the same government is claiming that the purse of government is lean financially, as a result of huge debts on the neck of the State, but who is fooling who?
“The essence of government is to make life better for the masses, but Aregbesola has dashed the hopes of Osun people, and we cannot keep quiet in the face of tyrannical Aregbesola, so as not to be guilty of complicity”, the group stated.
