Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo
Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State yesterday denied an allegation that he has taken a loan of over N10 billion.
Reacting to the allegation, the spokesperson to the state governor, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, said: “Our attention has been drawn to a report by The Nation newspaper on the allegation of which we strongly affirm that the story is not true.”
He noted that Governor Adeleke has not at any point, since assuming office, taken any loan either through a resolution of the State Executive Council or that of the state House of Assembly.
According to him “The ongoing multi-billion naira infrastructure projects across Osun State have no loan components. They are all being financed through state resources. The dualisation of roads, the overhead bridges, the school and health centres upgrades, and several roads projects are being funded through a special project account created by the state government.
“What the newspaper report referred to as loans taken by Governor Adeleke were World Bank Development financing which were inherited from the previous administrations and which are national projects operated through the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the National Economic Council among others.
“Such programmes of World Bank and multilateral development institutions include Ilesa Water Project; establishment of Osun Investment Promotion Local Business Offices across nine federal constituencies; O-Cares For Agricultural Support Services; World Bank on Saber for Development of PPP; World Bank on Saber For Establishment of Osun Investment Promotion One-Stop-Shop.
“Others include World Bank on O-Cares Projects For Coordination of State Cares (O-Cares) Activities; World Bank On Rural Access And Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP 3) for Rural Development Projects; World Bank For Community And Social Development Project on O-Cares; World Bank For Labour Intensive Public Workfare on O-Cares and World Bank For Social Support Programme (Cash Transfer to Indigent Elderly on Osun COVID-19 Action Recovery And Economic Stimulus) – (O-Cares).
“As can be seen from the above, all the projects are related to the World Bank country programme for Nigeria which target subnational entities using the mechanism of the Nigerian Governors Forum and the National Economic Council. Previous governors in Osun State joined in the implementation of the projects which Governor Adeleke inherited.”
He stressed that in line with his principle of continuity of policies favourable to the public, the governor sustained the projects as Osun State cannot opt out of a national scheme in which all states of the federation are involved.
The governor aide posited that no responsible government would abandon a series of World Bank projects which are already household names across the federation and which have benefited so many residents.
He, however, reaffirmed again that Governor Adeleke has not borrowed a kobo since assuming office, contending that the governor inherited liabilities and contracts cannot be tagged on the Governor of the Year on infrastructure.
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