BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, on Tuesday, denied sacking any worker or traditional ruler in the state, saying that he only put a panel to review the appointments of staff and traditional rulers.
The governor had issued six Executive Orders covering chieftaincy matters, appointments issues, setting up of a review panel, staff audit and employment matters in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed.
The Executive Order number 3 on Employment had read, “All employments in the service of Osun State Government made in any capacity into any capacity in all the Ministries, Departments, Agencies, Commissions , Boards and Parastatals after July 17th, 2022 be and are hereby nullified.
That of 4 on Appointments read, “All appointments in the service of Osun State Government made in any capacity into any capacity in all the Ministries, Departments, Agencies, Commissions, Boards and Parastatals after 17th July, 2022 be and are hereby reversed.
Executive Order Number Five on chieftaincy affairs and appointment of traditional rulers read, “”All appointments of traditional rulers made by Osun State Government after 17th July, 2022, are hereby ordered to be reviewed to ensure there was strict compliance with due process of chieftaincy declarations and native law, custom and tradition relating to such chieftaincies. In the case of Ikirun, Iree and Igbajo, to avoid further breakdown of law and order, the appointments of Akinrun of Ikinrun, Aree of Ire and Owa of Igbajo are hereby put on hold pending review. Subsequently, the palaces of Akinrun of Ikirun, Aree of Iree and Owa of Igbajo should remain unoccupied, while security agencies are hereby ordered to take charge.”
But, recanting on Tuesday, while speaking on a radio programme, Rave FM in Osogbo, monitored by The Point, Olawale said, “There was never sack of any worker or traditional ruler. We only set up a review panel. It is impossible to sack and put a review panel in place.
“The review panel is to look at the numbers of the people that were employed, due processes of the employment, and qualification among other things.
“The executive orders are involved; it is like a package, the initial orders read out the intentions of the administration to review, nullify, set aside and all those but the instrumentality, for effecting 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 orders were now the order six which are the review panel. This is why we are ordering a staff audit, it will look into these issues from July 17th to our taking over.
“Before our taking over, there were issues of backdating of employment, even till last year.
So order 1-5 will be operationalized by order 6 which are the panels.
Those that were employed from July 17 till our takeover are still at work presently, they have not been sacked. The staff audit will review the employment. The governor has hit the ground running and we don’t want all these to be a distraction because we have a 5-point agenda to deliver. Within 4hours, Adeleke has dismantled the illegality of 4 months, all the bobby traps he has dismantled,” Olawale said.
In another development, Adeleke has approved the dissolution of all non-statutory boards in the state with immediate effect.
The directive was conveyed to heads of ministries, departments and agencies by the Secretary to the State Government, Teslim Igbalaye in a statement issued by Adeleke’s spokesperson, Rasheed Olawale.
The memo directing the MDAs to give effect to the dissolution reads, “As a follow-up to the pronouncement of His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke, on Sunday, 27th November, 2022, all non-statutory Boards, Commissions and Parastatals including those of Tertiary Institutions (with exception of UNIOSUN) are hereby dissolved in the State forthwith”
“Consequently, all Accounting Officers of such Boards, Parastatals and Commissions are to take charge with immediate effect”, the directive noted.
Meanwhile, the state government has sworn in four review committees and panels contained in Adeleke’s Executive Order 6.
Swearing in members of the panels on Tuesday in Osogbo, the Deputy Governor, Kola Adewusi said setting up of the panels became imperative to review actions of the last administration so as to give the new administration insight and enable a smooth take off.
Highlighting some of the reasons why the panels must be put in place, Adewusi alleged that some assets and property of the state were mismanaged by the immediate past administration of Gboyega Oyetola.
While speaking on behalf of other panel members, Chairman of Staff Audit/Appointment/Promotions Review committee, Muyiwa Oladimeji assured that the panels would ensure quality jobs.
The panels are: Staff Audit/Appointment/Promotions Review committee headed by Muyiwa Oladimeji, State Assets Inventory and Recovery Committee headed by B.T. Salam, Contracts/MOU/Agreements Review Committee, headed by Niyi Owolade and Chieftaincy Affairs Review Committee Chaired by Reverend Bunmi Jenyo.
Meanwhile, the Osun All Progressives Congress in the state has described the setting up of various review panels by Governor Adeleke as an afterthought and one designed to arrive at predetermined outcomes.
In a statement signed by its Director of Operations, Sunday Akere, the APC said: “We told you from day one that these people have nothing to offer. We can all see from their first action that they are even confused.
“They had told us long ago that they were coming to sack. They came and announced it. Why set up a panel after taking a decision? What they are doing can be likened to doing ablution after observing prayers. Who does that?
“You have asked traditional rulers to step aside, yet you want a panel to do a review. Are they taking up the role of the judiciary as well because we are aware that some of the cases are already in court? Furthermore, we know for a fact that our government enthroned over 20 monarchs before we left. Why focus on just three? And of these three, one was our former party chairman. Is there no political undertone in all of these?
“Nigerians must be aware that the panels are going to work from the answers. And since the answers are known, why waste taxpayers’ money unnecessarily? The governor should be humble enough to admit his blunders. He appears to lack the basic understanding of how governance works,” the APC added.
Also, the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Timothy Owoeye, on Tuesday, met with the governor.
Their meeting was confirmed by the media aide to Owoeye, Kunle Alabi.
