Former Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has pointedly told Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State that his constant attack on him and other others just to curry the favour of the presidency cannot improve the lives of the people of the State.
Aregbesola, who stated this while responding to the vibes by Governor Adeleke, who described the tenure of the former governor as the ‘worst in the history of Osun State, noted that such attack was most unfortunate and only displays act of desperation.
The former governor of Osun state who spoke through one of his media aides, Ileowo Kikiowo, said he has no intention to trade words, insults and or respond to every deliberate provocation.
According to him; “What we stand for is clear, a people-friendly government and people-centred politics that puts the needs and aspirations of Osun citizens first.
“The essence of leadership is making tough decisions to protect the welfare of the majority. That is exactly what Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola did as Governor,” he said.
Kikiowo stressed that the results speak for themselves, adding that under the leadership of Aregbesola, Osun State recorded the lowest unemployment rate, lowest poverty rate, and lowest crime rate in Nigeria which are facts that were confirmed by independent institutions like the NBS and UNDP.
He further said; “This impact was made possible because we took bold steps: investing in over 1,200 km of roads, including 600 km of rural roads, building 3,685 new classrooms, supporting over 27,000 MSMEs, and empowering 60,000 youths through the OYES programme.”
“Over 700,000 people were lifted out of poverty, and 1.59 million jobs were created through our MSME drive. In tough times, instead of mass retrenchment, we protected jobs, the lower cadre received full pay, while higher-level officers made temporary sacrifices.
“That is leadership. That is Ogbeni’s legacy. What is theirs? Constant attacks on others just to curry favour from the presidency do not improve the lives of our people, they only reveal desperation,” he stressed.
Also speaking, Mr Sola Fasure, also a media aide to Aregbesola, described Governor Adeleke claims against Aregbesola as “a new low” and a ploy to be accepted in the All Progressives Congress (APC) that he is allegedly making moves to join.
Fasure said; “Attacking Aregbesola in order to be accepted by APC, I am not sure they still want you!”
