Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has directed that all bank accounts belonging to the state government should be frozen with immediate effect.
Mr Adeleke was sworn in as the 6th civilian governor of Osun State on Sunday in the presence of thousands of people of the state at the Osogbo township stadium.
The new governor and his deputy took their oath of office around 11:47 a.m. The oath was administered by Oyebola Adepele-Ojo, the chief justice of Osun State.
Mr Adeleke, while reading his inauguration speech, ordered that all bank accounts belonging to the state government be frozen with immediate effect.
“I hereby issue the following directives which will be backed up with appropriate Executive orders: Immediate freezing of all government accounts in banks and other financial institutions,” he said.
The governor, who claimed that the immediate past administration had looted some of the assets of the state, vowed that he will set up a panel that will probe the alleged looting.
He promised the “immediate establishment of a panel to carry out an inventory and recover all government assets.”
Witch-hunt?
Mr Adeleke also accused the Gboyega Oyetola administration of making things difficult for him.
He claimed that all the last-minute appointments carried out by the immediate past administration were done so as to make “things difficult” for him.
“My Good People of Osun, since you elected me as your Governor on the 16th of July 2022, which the INEC announced on July 17th 2022, the former Governor, Alh Isiaka Gboyega Oyetola maliciously started putting roadblocks to make things difficult and almost impossible for the new administration to serve you,” he said.
“Mass employment was 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,” the governor added.
Mr Adeleke said he will constitute a panel that will review all the last-minute appointments made by the Oyetola administration.
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He said his government would ensure “An immediate establishment of a panel to review all appointments and major decisions of the immediate past administration taken after the 17th July, 2022.”
State of Osun
The governor, in his inaugural speech, also directed that the state’s name should be reversed to Osun State.
During Rauf Aregbesola’s tenure as governor, the state’s name was changed from Osun State to the State of Osun. Mr Aregbesola was succeded as governor by Mr Oyetola. Both men were allies and members of the APC but later fell out.
On Sunday, Mr Adeleke said all correspondence should henceforth reflect Osun State.
“An immediate reversal to the constitutionally recognised 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,” Mr Adeleke said.
Earlier on Sunday, Gboyega Oyetola, who Mr Adeleke succeeds as governor, said he had transformed the state’s finances as governor.
Mr Oyetola, who lost his re-election bid to Mr Adeleke, said he improved the state’s internal revenue and did not borrow any money for the four years he was governor while ensuring regular payment of salaries.
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