Expectedly every attention is on Osun State in the run-up to its gubernatorial election next week. Without a doubt, the contest promises to be keen. To the two leading parties, the ruling All Progressives Congress- APC and the Peoples Democratic Party- PDP- the election denotes different things.
While it is an avenue for renewal of the mandate it has enjoyed for close to 12 years in the case of APC, it signals a chance for the PDP to prove its claim that it won the 2018 version of the contest. Indeed, the earlier outing of the two parties was patently acrimonious. Apropos, both personalities, incumbent governor, Gboyega Oyetola of the APC and Nurudeen Adeleke of the opposition PDP and their two parties were the major protagonists in the two elections- 2018 and 2022. It is therefore a case of the present beaming its searchlight on the past.
On his campaign trail, Adeleke and PDP have made so many issues out of the promise of a better life for the people of the state. The party and its flag bearer stridently emphasised a plan of better deals for civil servants. This alone is huge in a state where life generally swirls around the financial well-being of public service workers. Despite the best of intentions and intervention by successive administrations particularly the incumbent in tackling poverty, deprivation is still very much with folks of the state. Adeleke probably had this in mind when at a campaign rally he boasted about his readiness to fight the election with money. “We are ready for them, money for money; dollar for dollar”, he had boasted.
APC’s Oyetola will be relying on the administration’s almost unequal transformation in the health sector, especially in rural communities. At the last count, a whopping 131 health centres have been constructed and operational in the state. The urban aspect of the health intervention witnessed four major projects. These include an upgrade of a general hospital in Ifetedo, Ife South Local Government; construction of 120-bed ward at the state hospital, Asubiaro, Osogbo; upgrade of the state hospital, Osogbo and upgrade of a general hospital in Ejigbo. A 30-apartment doctors’ quarter were also completed in Osogbo.
Oyetola administration has also been calling the attention of the Osun electorate to the 13 road projects among others it has done in the state. Among them are Ogbun Idio road in Ilesa; Odo Ori Adeeke road, Iwo; Ikirun-Iragbiji-Ororuwo-Ada road; Dele Yes Sir- Okefia road, Osogbo; Isare-Ifofin-Iloro- Akewusola road, Ilesa; Itakogun-Ayetoro road, Ife; Naira and Kobo junction Apomu- Ikire road and Orita Cottage- Okegada roa, Ede. Commencement of work is also underway after the rains in the case of Gbongan- Akoda- Oba Aderemi road as well as Osogbo- Ila Odo roads where contractors have been fully mobilised. State High Court Osogbo is also enjoying the attention of the Oyetola administration. In the same vein, the first phase of Light Up Osun has been completed in Osogbo.
This litany of accomplishment has indeed enabled the administration to obfuscate vestiges, if any, of misgivings arising from controversy about the 2018 gubernatorial election which the opposition still insists was rigged four years after. Despite heavy investment in infrastructure, Oyetola has managed to pay workers’ salaries in full and promptly throughout almost four years of his administration. It bears being recalled that the administration came into office with the limitation of partly unpaid salaries due to the denial of workers’ payment of their full salaries.
Rauf Aregbesola, Oyetola’s predecessor left a debt overhead of N170.6 billion. Of the sum, N141.1billion represent domestic obligation while N29.5 billion stands for the external deficit. To Oyetola’s credit, the nation’s Debt Management Office in March announced that the Osun government under Oyetola has succeeded in reducing the state debt profile to N134 billion having paid up the sum of N36 billion in less than four years.
Not leaving anything to chance, Oyetola in May pleasantly shocked the state workforce when he approved seven main demands of workers. The development which sent the entire labour group in the state into wild excitement consists of immediate implementation of cash backing of outstanding promotions for all categories of workers in the state; full implementation of Consolidated Polytechnics and Colleges of Education Academic Staff Salary Structure (COPCEASS) and approval of 65 years retirement age for all staff of tertiary institutions. The gesture also includes domestication of 65 years retirement age or 40 years length of service for teachers and reversion of the current system of designating heads of councils as council managers.
As demanded by workers, they are now to be called Head of Local Government Administration. Heads of departments are now Directors in the Local Government System. Similarly, establishment matters attracted the governor’s attention. Outstanding promotion since 2019 is to be conducted while approval has been given for the appointment of permanent secretaries to replace coordinating directors in government establishments.
An elated chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress, Osun Chapter, said Oyetola has put the state on a solid pedestal of socio-economic rebirth. He added that the state workforce was grateful that the governor has put smiles on the faces of workers.
Much as it may appear too early to hazard a guess as to who wins the election in the state, it will be apt to surmise that the connection of the candidates to the grassroots will play a major role in who wins. In this regard, Adeleke’s PDP must guard its loins well enough.
As a fact, the party is going into the election with a broken home. The past few months have witnessed acrimonious feuds among the leaders of the party in the state. This arose from issues originating from gubernatorial primaries of the party in the state. Dotun Babayemi who contested the primaries with Adeleke went to court in a move that split the party down the line. By the time the matter was decided in favour of Adeleke, the party had been crippled substantially. Earlier, the party received a more devastating blow when Akinlade Ogunbiyi, a popular figure in the party who contested its 2018 governorship ticket with Adeleke moved to another party, Accord. Pundits expect this development to negatively impact the chances of PDP.
- Lawal is APC chieftain and former publicity secretary of the party in Ogun State.