RAUF AREGBESOLA; A SECOND TERM OF DISASTER IN OSUN STATE

By Eneh John

Aregbesola, the Governor of Osun State who rode on the mandate of his people in his first term in office, have not been able to sustain the goodwill of the people of the state. The court presided over by then president of the court of appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, delivered an historic judgment that eventually brought Rauf into office as Governor.
He changed the name of the State to the State of Osun, when nothing has actually changed about the state.

When Rauf Aregbesola, then a commissioner for works in Lagos State used to visit Osun State, he had promised the citizens of the state, that he will transform Osun State and make it a mega city to be reckoned with, and also industrialize the state.

In Rauf Arebgesola’s first one hundred days in office, he gave the people of Osun state, a road map, which had signaled the beginning of good things to come in the state.

Although he came up with a program tagged; Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme,(O-YES), which created employment for the youths in the state, all that comes to nothing with Rauf’s non -payment of workers in the state.

Rauf who was instrumental to the development of Lagos state as commissioner for works, was drafted into the governorship race by his benefactor and political godfather, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Yet, years after he promised a rapid turnaround in Osun state, Residents have continued to bit their fingers on how Rauf emerged as governor.

He has failed to replicate the experience he brought in from Lagos to the state. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state had advised the governor to sell the state owned private jet and pay workers in the state, but how do we expect someone who lives in luxury of office and comfort of government house to sell what helps him competes with his fellow rich governors.

Rauf has come out to say he will pay workers in the state before June, but all of these are empty promises that hold no water because only the vulnerable will believe his story.

Like the Biblical Thomas, I join thousands of Osun workers to cast doubt on this fake promise of Rauf.
Some weeks ago, it was widely reported how a pastor of a church told his members to bring food stuffs and donate, including money, so it could be given to the civil servants in the state to alleviate their sufferings. This is how far Rauf Aregbesola has ridiculed the state workers who now feed on goodwill from spirited citizens of the state.

Now that Rauf has cancelled the school feeding program, it leaves us with lots of questions as to the real intent of his administration or if Osun State is on autopilot without a direction.

Rauf’s non-payment of workers even when he had collected the monthly federal allocation, tells us to be careful about the persons we bring into power who are desperate like Rauf was, in ousting Oyinyola through the court pronouncements.

The Governor has enough in his personal bank account to pay workers in the state. There is no way the commissioners in the state ministries have not been receiving allocation into their ministry. Only in Nigeria is where we see all sorts of anomalies.
With characters like Aregbesola in APC, the true manifesto of the party is seriously in doubt and brings to contention the party’s intent in delivering the dividends of democracy to the masses.

Seven months’ salary arrears is enough debt to be cleared by the state government. Salary is not a favour and the very idea that any state will owe her workers for seven months is not only repugnant but begs the question of the very essence of the existence of such state.
The constitution of Nigeria when administered to an elected official says “To the best of my ability.”

If a Governor cannot pay workers, such Governor has breached the oath and should go.
The workers in any state grind the oil which runs the engine of any state. The state is like titanic whose captain refuse to abandon the ship when it hits the rock. But in Nigeria, there’s no titanic. The captain is everywhere on the state money.

Let the governor not only pay the workers, let him fixed the roads in Osun and deliver in his second term in office and not continue to take the people of the state for a ride.

A REPUTATION FOUNDED ON INTEGRITY MUST BE NURTURED BY TRUTH
Eneh John is the Managing Editor of Secrets Reporters News.
E-mail: enehjohn33@gmail.com