Gov Adeleke neither borrowed nor drew personal security votes, says Spokesperson

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has neither borrowed a single kobo nor drawn personal security votes since assuming office, according to his spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed.

Responding to allegations that Governor Adeleke has increased the state’s debt and accessed billions in security votes, Rasheed clarified these claims as baseless. He attributed the accusations to mischief, ignorance of public finance, and deliberate misinterpretation of state data.

Rasheed emphasized that Governor Adeleke is managing the state’s resources prudently, utilizing federal allocations and Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) without resorting to borrowing. He highlighted the governor’s fiscal discipline, reduction of overhead costs, and efforts to expand revenue sources, which have collectively contributed to the state’s financial health.

Rasheed also addressed misconceptions about Osun’s debt, pointing out that the state’s debt profile had actually decreased in dollar terms. He explained that the increase in the naira value of the debt was due to the depreciation of the naira.

“The Debt Management Office is the national debt data repository. According to the DMO, Osun owed foreign lenders $91,779,393.97 as of December 31, 2022, and by December 31, 2023, the external debt profile of Osun stood at $87,247,488.51. The noticeable difference in the naira value of Osun’s external debt was due to the significant devaluation of the naira,” Rasheed stated.

He explained that the naira equivalent of the state’s debt rose from N41 billion in 2022 to N78 billion in 2023 due to the devaluation, despite the reduction in dollar terms.

Regarding the alleged security votes, Rasheed clarified that the budget performance report’s subhead referring to security services funds was for various security operations across the state, not personal security votes as commonly drawn by state governors.

“The security service funds were used for peacekeeping operations, logistics support to quell inter-communal clashes, and to support different security agencies across the state. These funds are accessed through normal approval processes with proper records kept,” Rasheed explained.

He affirmed that Governor Adeleke has not drawn any personal security votes, consistent with his commitment to freeing state resources to implement his ambitious five-point agenda.