History was made on Sunday, November 27 2022 as Ademola Adeleke, a former senator, was sworn in as sixth executive governor of Osun state.
He is the second person among his siblings to become the Chief Executive of the state.
His elder brother, late Alhaji Isiaka Adeleke, who died on April 23 2017, had under his belt –a unique achievement.
He was the first civilian governor of Osun state , the late Isiaka Adeleke served as governor of the state between 1992 and 1993.
The late politician , popularly called ‘serubawon’ , represented Osun West in the senate between 2007 and 2011 and he returned there in 2015 while the new Osun state governor took over the parliament seat in 2017 following Alhaji Isiaka’s death.
Apart from being the second person to serve as governor among his siblings, he has also made history by being the first PDP governor in the state since the party lost control of the state government in 2010.
Party members and supporters therefore came out in large numbers to attend the inauguration ceremony held at the Osogbo City Stadium on Sunday.
It had been ‘a long road to victory’ for Governor Ademola Adeleke . He had gotten close to achieving his dream of becoming the chief executive of Osun state in 2018 but failed to eventually get this done.
He however remained undaunted and he joined the governorship race for the second time, came up with a new catch phrase ‘Imole’ and this time around it has ended in success .
.
PDP bigwigs including the party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and his wife, Hajia Titi Atiku , National Chairman, former Senator Iyorchia Ayu, former Senate President , Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, Governor Godwin Obaseki, Governor Duoye Diri, Governor Aminu Tambuwal, Governor Udom Emmanuel, former governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, former governor Ayo Fayose, Rep Bamidele Salam, Ogun state PDP gubernatorial candidate, Hon Ladi Adebutu, former PDP National Secretary , Professor Wale Oladipo, former Osun state PDP Chairman, Alhaji Ganiyu Olaoluwa, Osun West PDP Senate candidate, Akogun Lere Oyewumi, former Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Prince Diran Odeyemi, former Osun state PDP Chairman, Chief Sunday Bisi, Barrister Kayode Oduoye ‘Superkay’ and Hon Kunle Alao ‘Lele’.
Traditional rulers at the event include Ooni Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi , Timi of Ede, Ataoja of Osogbo and Oluwo of Iwo.
Members of the Adeleke family at the inauguration ceremony were business mogul, Dr Deji Adeleke, Yeye Modupe Adeleke-Sanni, Governor Ademola Adeleke’s wives; Titi and Ngozi, popular hip –hop act, David Adeleke ‘Davido’ and B-Red, Adebayo Adeleke.
Nollywood actors; Adebayo Tijani aka Golugo and Sanyeri were also there.
Gov Ademola Adeleke flanked by his wives; Titi and Ngozi as he gets set to take the oath of office .
The state Chief Judge, Justice Oyebola Adepele Ojo presided over the oath of office and this began with the Deputy Governor, Kola Adewusi who took his oath at exactly 11.36am while the governor had his own at 11.47am.
The event also featured moments of gratitude and appreciation as the governor after taking his oath and inspecting the guard of honour returned to the VIP section and moved straight to where Dr Deji Adeleke was sitting , removed his cap and gave him ‘prostration of gratitude’.
He later left to say ‘thank you’ to other dignitaries but when Ayu rose from his seat to greet him , he gave him a thank-you hug for almost two minutes , ditto Saraki .
Adeleke had since marked the start of the four-year term on Sunday by presenting himself as a revolutionary leader.
He has announced name changes and Osun that had been called ‘State of Osun’ for more than one decade now, will henceforth be known as ‘Osun state’.
That was not all, it will also return to being called ‘State of the Living Spring’ rather than the ‘Land of Virtue’.
The state that been known as ‘Osun state’ since its creation on August 27 1991 , was given a new name during the Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola administration.
Adeleke has also promised to look into what he called ‘actions and malicious confusions’ which ‘the immediate past administration had created since July 17th 2022’.
‘My Good People of Osun, since you elected me as your Governor on the 16th of July 2022, and my declaration as Governor-elect on July 17th 2022 by the INEC, the former Governor, Alh Isiaka Gboyega Oyetola maliciously started putting road blocks to make things difficult and almost impossible for the new administration to serve you.
Mass employment were carried out without budgetary provisions for salary payments for the new employees; even when the state was struggling to pay salaries and deliver other services.
Various hurried and criminally backdated Contracts were awarded and again without budgetary provisions.
Several Obas were hurriedly appointed without following due process, just to mention a few.
All efforts to make the Governor set up a Transition Committee and submit hand-over notes in line with best practices proved abortive.
It is therefore my desire to ask for your patience and understanding to give my administration a few weeks to review and sort out all the actions and malicious confusions which the immediate past administration has created since July 17th 2022.
Those actions were indeed vindictive measures against the people of Osun State for voting them out of office.
Consequently, I hereby issue the following directives which will be backed up with appropriate Executive orders:
i. Immediate freezing of all government accounts in commercial banks and other financial institutions
ii. Immediate establishment of a panel to carry out an inventory and recover all government assets
iii. An immediate establishment of a panel to review all appointments and major decisions of the immediate past administration taken after the 17th July, 2022
iv. An immediate reversal to the constitutionally recognized name of our state, Osun State. All government insignia, correspondences and signages should henceforth reflect Osun state rather than State of Osun which is unknown to the Nigerian constitution’ Adeleke submitted in his inaugural speech.
The new governor, who gave an overview of his five-point agenda; welfare of workers and pensioners; boosting the economy of the state , home-grown infrastructure policy; people-focused policy on education, affordable Health Care, Security and Social Welfare and Agro-Based Industrialization for Wealth and Job Creation, also noted that ‘ a detailed programme of action will soon be unveiled on each of these 5-point agenda’
Adeleke has also promised that ‘the selfless services of our late father ,Sen. Raji Ayoola Adeleke, our mother, Prophetess Esther Adeleke and our late scion of the Adeleke family, the first Governor of Osun state, His Excellency, Alhaji Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke will always guide my actions as I serve the good people of Osun state’.
Team@orientactualmags.com learned the newly sworn in governor had since announced the appointment of three individuals to serve in key roles.
Former Chairman of Osogbo local government, Hon Teslim Igbalaye has been named as Secretary to the State Government while upwardly mobile Alhaji Kazeem Akinleye has been appointed as Chief of Staff, Government House.
Mallam Olawale Rasheed , a veteran journalist and a one-time Political Editor of Tribune Newspaper has been appointed as the governor’s spokesman.
Mallam Rasheed had also played a similar role under former Senator Akinlabi Olasunkami while serving as Minister of Youth Development during the Umaru Yaradua administration- Team@orientactualmags.com Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08059100286, 09094171980. Thank you
