TheCable

The Osun government says the office of Ademola Adeleke, governor of the state, did not spend N8 billion on meals and running costs for the third quarter of the year as recently reported. 

In a statement on Tuesday reacting to a media report, Kolapo Alimi, Osun commissioner for information and+ public enlightenment, said the governor’s office has seven agencies and departments in addition to many government-wide operations and activities.

Alimi said the allocation to the governor’s office caters to the capital, recurrent and overhead costs of all agencies, departments, and units operating under it with several government-wide responsibilities.

“This is false and mere fabrication arising from deliberate misinterpretation of budget data, the government affirmed, listing several departments under the governor’s office, including the Bureau of Social Services, Office of Sustainable Development Goals, Security Department, Osun Investment Promotion Agency, Osun New Town Development Agency, Osun Signage Agency, Osun Agric and Osun Land bank among others,” Alimi said. 

“Government expenditure across the various departments includes refurbishment of vandalised government quarters, procurement of official vehicles, replacement of vehicles carted away by the previous government, refurbishment of offices of agencies that make up the Office of the Governor which were left in terrible states by the previous administration; provision of funds for the execution of Imole medical outreach series;  provision of funds for emergencies in the welfare of the citizens as individuals and groups.

“The N6.01 Billion referred to in the publication therefore encompasses the entire expenditures (Personnel, Overhead & Capital) of the Office of the Governor including the agencies and parastatals under it, for the period in question.

“The statement posited further that the personnel cost which was a sum of 209m was for the 771 staff of twelve Bureau and Offices under the Office of the Governor while the overhead which was a sum of N4 billion represented the amount spent on acquisition/replacement of vehicles and financing of Imole Medical outreach.  

“The 1.7Bn on Capital represents the amount spent on the refurbishment of quarters and government offices.

“In the same vein, the N800m referred to in the publication represents the entire expenditure of the State House of Assembly for the period.”

The commissioner added that the amount quoted in the “false publication” was meant for all the ministries, departments, and agencies— including all tertiary institutions — in the state.

Alimi said the governor’s office did not spend “any money outside his statutory salaries and allowances”.