News

Public Expenditure: Financial Discipline Our Watchword – Osun Govt

Published

1 year ago

November 9, 2024

Eric

The Osun State Government has debunked repeated fake information from the opposition operatives, and an online platform which accused the government of recklessness in public expenditure. It described the news as false and a misrepresentation of facts, to be corrected by direct fact checking.

In a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, the State Government fingered such false reports with headlines as Adeleke blew N38bn in 21 months; splashed N8bn on vehicles in 2024; zero funding for gratuity, pension arrears; N38 billion spent on Governor’s Office; N8.09 billion on vehicle purchase; 500 million plus on entertainment among others.

Before puncturing the fake news, let me reiterate that the Osun State Government took a significant step towards fiscal accountability and transparency by making its budget implementation report accessible to the public on its official website as part of efforts to promote sustainability and Open Governance.

“The public release of the document is a clear confirmation that the government has nothing to hide and that all details provided in terms of expenditure are public spirited with high sense financial prudence and discipline.

On the allegation of huge expenses on vehicle purchase, the public is first reminded of how the Oyetola team carted away all government vehicles in 2022, making it imperative for the government to purchase vehicles for statewide operations.

This N8 billion figure represents the cumulative procurement of vehicles by the Bureau of General Services for all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to replace those carted away by the previous administration whose worth was ₦4,384,838,696.39 as at then and which ordinarily would have costed ₦18,488,312,413.88 to replace given the current value of the naira.

On pension and gratuity arrears, the current administration inherited a huge sum of ₦35bn pension and gratuity arrears from the previous administration and within just two years, the Adeleke Administration had cleared four years’ worth of ₦16.2bn pension and gratuity arrears spanning 2017 to 2020.

The public is invited to note that the immediate past administration ruled between 2019 and 2022 and the total pension paid within the period was N11b plus compared to Adeleke’s N16 billion plus under two years.

On expenditure in Governor’s office, a review of expenditure within Governor’s office between 2019 to 2022 when Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola governed the state showed a humongous amount running into several billions of naira.

While Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola spent ₦9,615,519,767.34 between 20I9 to 2020 when the average exchange rate was about ₦300 per Dollar, the current government expended the sum of 26,185,980,555.14 from 2022 to date, when the average exchange rate was ₦1,300 per Dollar, as capital and overhead expenditure in the Governor’s office.

It is however noteworthy to add that Office the Governor comprises several agencies and units including the Governor’s personal office as an infinitesimal portion. It is disingenuous to put legitimate expenditure of statutory agencies and units on the head of the governor.

On the issue of security votes , we insist that the state governor is not drawing any security vote but the state government spent money on security services and operations and emergencies in the state which are processed within the compass of due process and financial regulations.

On a report by an online news medium that Osun state spent over Five Hundred Million Naira on entertainment, we educate the medium that Osun Government in the last one year or so has hosted several high profile national events bordering on beneficial policy meetings, hosting of ministers, Governors and even top state officials from the Presidency.

The medium is invited to note that hosting states spent fund on transportation, accommodation and event organisation, all which were conducted under shoestring budget and within the context of hyper inflation plaguing the country.

The state benefited immensely as several developmental projects are attracted into the state while Osun state is gradually assuming the position of event hub of the South West, boosting the agenda of the administration on the cultural, creative and tourism industry.

We notice deliberate endeavour of the opposition to dent the image of the current government by misinterpreting, misrepresenting and fabricating financial conjectures especially after it has become overwhelmed by current good governance delivery. It is however gratifying to note that Osun people understand the gimmick of the unelectable opposition and are not falling for surveyors of fake news who failed miserably when they had opportunities to govern the state.

The public is aware through fact check that the increment in federal allocation to Osun state are being channeled to workers’ welfare, infrastructure upgrade, social sector renewal, small business financial supports as well as phased and liquidation of billions of naira in pension and salary debt inherited from the former administration.

We urge the public to ignore agents of fake news and to further fact check the preceding submissions from the state government to reaffirm that the current administration has shown exceptional prudence in resource management, outperforming its predecessor despite today’s challenging global economic landscape.

News

Gunmen Kill Driver, Abduct Passengers on Benin-Ore Expressway

Published

2 weeks ago

April 20, 2026

Eric

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have attacked a commercial bus operated by GUO Transport along the Benn-Ore expressway, killing the driver and abducting several passengers in what underscores Nigeria’s deepening insecurity on major highways.

Reports indicate that the assailants ambushed the South East-bound vehicle, opened fire on the driver, who died at the scene, and subsequently whisked away passengers to an unknown destination.

The incident is believed to have occurred along a notorious stretch of the highway linking the South-West to the South-South, long plagued by banditry and abductions.

While official confirmation from security agencies is expected, local sources and a circulating video showed that passengers might have forcefully been taken into nearby forests, a tactic commonly employed by kidnapping syndicates operating along the corridor. Similar attacks in the past have involved mass abductions, with victims later released after ransom payments.

News

Police Retirees Block Aso Rock Gate, Demand Action on Pension Scheme

Published

2 weeks ago

April 20, 2026

Eric

Some retirees of the Nigeria Police Force under the aegis of the Police Retired Officers Forum of Nigeria (PROF) have staged a protest at the Presidential Villa in Abuja demanding President Bola Tinubu sign the Police Exit Bill passed by the National Assembly in December 2025.

The bill seeks to withdraw the Nigeria Police Force from the Contributory Pension Scheme.

The protesters, under the scorching sun, walked from the Three Arms Zone in Abuja through the street in front of the Police Headquarters.

They carried placards with various inscriptions, in addition to the Nigerian flag and the flag of the Nigeria Police Force.

Led by its National Coordinator, CSP Raphael Irowainu, the protesters described the retention of the NPF in the Contributory Pension Scheme as fraudulent and illegal.

They also said the CPS is inhumane and obnoxious.

According to them, the protest seeks to prevail on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to give assent to the Police Exit Bill passed by the National Assembly on 4th December 2025 and transmitted to the President on 16th March 2026.

They said that when signed into law, the Act will totally exempt the police from what they called a “slavery and untimely death-inducing pension scheme.”

The protesters, accompanied by some of their spouses and children, also blocked Gate 8 leading into the Presidential Villa, causing obstruction to vehicular movement.

Efforts by Villa security personnel to dissuade them from the protest proved abortive as they insisted on seeing the President.

They laid their mats in front of the gate, singing songs of solidarity, while some of them lay on the floor.

As of the time of filing this report, no one from the Villa had addressed the protesters.

CSP Irowainu said that their main purpose is to prevail on President Tinubu to sign the bill exiting the Nigeria Police Force from the CPS, which he said has been passed and transmitted to him by the National Assembly.

He lamented that while other security agencies in the country such as the Army, Navy, Air Force, SSS and others have all been exited from the scheme, the police remain trapped in it.

“Our major aim here is to prevail on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to sign our bill—the bill exiting the police from the Contributory Pension Scheme—passed by the National Assembly on 4th December 2025 and transmitted to him on 16th March, 2026, into law, nothing more than that.

“The soldiers have been exited, the SSS has been exited, the Air Force has been exited, the Navy has been exited, the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) has been exited. The police, who are the father of them all, are trapped in this obnoxious Contributory Pension Scheme,” CSP Irowainu said.

It is not the first time retired officers are staging a protest over the CPS. In July last year, they demonstrated at the National Assembly to demand their removal from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).

The demonstrators, mostly elderly, stood in the rain holding placards and chanting anti-government songs.

Some of the retired police officers also besieged the Force Headquarters in Abuja to protest against the CPS.

Addressing the protesters at the time, the then Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, said the welfare of retired police officers was being addressed, but that the exit of the Force from the Contributory Pension Scheme was not something that could be implemented immediately.

He, however, advised the leaders of the protest to refrain from spreading misinformation, stressing that the Force could not abandon its own.

News

IGP Disu Orders Ban on Illegal Checkpoints Nationwide

Published

3 weeks ago

April 13, 2026

Eric

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, has issued a sweeping directive to Commissioners of Police nationwide, ordering an immediate end to extortion, illegal checkpoints, harassment of citizens and other misconducts.

He declared that restoring public confidence in the Nigeria Police Force is now a top operational priority.

The order was contained in a signal to members of the police management team including Commissioners of Police (CP) and other operational commanders.

In the marching order, the IGP acknowledged the deep mistrust many Nigerians feel toward officers, describing it as “painful” and unacceptable.

He said citizens now fear encounters with the police as much as they fear criminals, warning that such a reputation cannot continue under his leadership.

According to him, the directive marks the beginning of a determined effort to rebuild discipline within the police and re-establish its legitimacy in the eyes of the public.

The order specifically outlawed the routine collection of money from motorists on highways, the operation of unauthorised checkpoints, and the practice of arresting citizens and forcing them to withdraw cash from Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) or Point of Sale (PoS) devices.

The IGP also condemned the use of officers for private duties in homes and businesses, describing such deployments as abuse of authority and a violation of existing presidential directives on VIP protection.

Officers were further directed to comply strictly with approved dress codes, remain clean-shaven and adhere to established uniform regulations.

The police boss warned that harassment of citizens in any form would no longer be tolerated, stressing that the Nigerian public is not the enemy of the Force but the reason for its existence. At the same time, he assured officers that the institution would equally defend them against intimidation or disrespect from members of the public, noting that the dignity of the uniform must be protected on both sides.

Holding command leaders directly accountable, the IGP said Commissioners of Police would henceforth be responsible for misconduct within their jurisdictions.

He ordered them to demonstrate measurable improvements in discipline within seven days or face formal queries and possible transfers where lapses persist.

He emphasised that supervisory failure would no longer be ignored at any level of leadership. To ensure compliance, the directive introduced new oversight measures, including independent monitoring of field operations and public reporting channels through which citizens can lodge complaints directly with Force Headquarters.

A Citizens Commendation System will also be established to recognise officers who demonstrate professionalism, with monthly honours to be drawn from public nominations across commands.

Describing the directive as a decisive turning point, the police chief said Nigerians have grown weary of promises and now expect visible change. He ordered all commanders to brief personnel under their authority within 72 hours and confirm compliance in writing, declaring that the process of cleaning up the Force has begun and will be sustained until public trust is restored.