Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has angrily reproached the state chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations for bestowing Award of Excellence on the state governor, Ademola Adeleke, saying the professional body wasted the prestigious honour.
For the party, the award is “frivolous, unmerited and wasteful.”
The party chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, in a statement issued by the party’s Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, on Thursday, argued that there was nothing spectacular to the credit of Governor Adeleke to have warranted his being dignified with such a prestigious NIPR award.
Lawal said, “Adeleke who has been copiously accused of employing deceit, lies and propaganda to run his government by the civil society organizations, the opposition parties, the discerning members of the society and the highest percentage of the people of the state who are the direct victims of the Adeleke oppressive and vindictive administration,” did not deserve the award.
“Something I don’t understand is if the co-ordinators of the NIPR in Osun State have not been living in the state for them to have the knowledge of the series of the allegations of mismanagement and misappropriation of public funds daily levelled against the administration of Governor Adeleke?
“Would it be justifiable for the Osun NIPR to have given the award of excellence in the public office to Adeleke despite his unrestrained wickedness in warehousing and hoarding the Federal Government fuel subsidy removal palliatives meant for the people?
“Would it be right for the Osun NIPR to have given the award of excellence in the public office to Governor Adeleke who since November 2022 has encouraged some partisan judiciary workers to shut down courtrooms and make the temple of justice in the state a laughing stock?
“Would it be right for the Osun NIPR to have honoured Adeleke who since inauguration has become a bull in the China shop and bastardized the traditional institution in the state?
“What could have qualified Governor Adeleke for the NIPR honour despite the lack of transparency and zero accountability of his government which he has been running as a secret cult and family business?
“Would it be right for the Osun NIPR to honour Governor Adeleke whose administration was recently accused of diverting Federal Government 1,350 bags of rice meant for the state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to celebrate the last Christmas and New Year?
“What would have motivated the state NIPR to have honoured a governor who, for the first time in the history of the state, evaded the celebration of his one year in office because he could not face the people of Osun to defend the shame and indignity his lacklustre government has brought to them?
“What would have motivated the Osun NIPR to have considered Governor Adeleke for its excellence award a state executive who hardly holds a state cabinet meeting where all his commissioners and Special Advisers could have the opportunity to discuss extensively how to develop the state?
“In our own estimation as a political party, we consider the award of excellence given to Governor Adeleke by the Osun NIPR as an anomaly and unjustifiable moreso as the dubious recipient is yet to give the cost of the touted flyover and road rehabilitation from Lameco junction-Okefia-Alekuwodo-Okefia-Old Garage which he awarded to himself through proxy.
“The list of the reasons why Governor Adeleke did not merit the NIPR award of excellence is inexhaustible.
“Taking into cognizance the traditional roles of the Public Relations profession which is responsible for building relationships, managing reputations, and promoting positive perceptions through effective communications, the award of excellence for Governor Adeleke was a misnomer, utterly misplaced and should be instantly withdrawn in the interest of the sustainability of the corporate image of the NIPR in the country,” the party chairman claimed.
