Adeleke refutes N8bn LAUTECH refund claim, details fund usage under Oyetola

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has clarified that his administration did not receive an N8 billion refund from Oyo State for Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH). He revealed that the previous administration, under Governor Gboyega Oyetola, received N3.5 billion from the fund, spending nearly N2 billion before leaving office.

Governor Adeleke addressed circulating reports suggesting his government had received N8 billion from Oyo State as part of the LAUTECH settlement. He dismissed these reports as false, stating in a press release signed by his spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, that, “The sum of Three Billion, Five Hundred Million Naira (N3,500,000,000) was received during the last administration. By November 30, 2022, a balance of One Billion, Five Hundred and Sixty-Two Million, Four Hundred and Forty Thousand, Four Hundred and Thirty-Six Naira (N1,562,440,436.80) remained, indicating that N1,937,559,563.20 was spent by the previous government.”

Since taking office, Adeleke’s administration has received only an additional N500 million from the LAUTECH refund, bringing the total funds received from Oyo State to N4 billion. Part of this fund has been allocated to ongoing infrastructure upgrades across various sectors in Osun State.

Governor Adeleke emphasized his administration’s commitment to transparency, stating, “All inherited and newly generated funds are carefully managed by the state’s financial managers, and expenditures are made in line with the Appropriation Act.”

Adeleke reiterated his commitment to transparency, accountability, and anti-corruption in the management of state resources.