26th January, 2016
Eromosele Ebhomele
The Osun state government on Tuesday came hard on some protesters who earlier marched against the state governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, calling them scoundrels who have allowed themselves to be used in an attempt to make the state ungovernable.
The statement through its Bureau of Communication and Strategy in the Office of the Governor, said the less than 15 hired hands who carried placards claiming to be protesting against Aregbesola were “no more than shameless individuals who have exhausted all their wits in the evil plot to set the state ablaze.”
It further said that with the examples of good governance and financial prudence that had been in place in the state, Governor Aregbesola had indeed put in place a template for solving most of Nigeria’s complex problems.
The Bureau said it was not surprised that after several months after the idle group of disgruntled individuals had been boxed to a corner of irrelevance, they found another avenue “to demonstrate their ignorance of public finance and the workings of governance in its entirety because one of their paymasters was summoned to Abuja on Monday over certain allegations.”
Signed by the Director, Semiu Okanlawon, the Bureau asked those who spared time to listen to the allegations by the group to see how the protesters have sounded like a broken record over the same allegations with no substances since they commenced their anti-Aregbesola journey in Osun.
The Bureau said: “we have no doubt in our minds that they have become butts of jokes and no one of repute listens to them again.
“When they started, they deceived some people into giving them audience but since all they have presented against Aregbesola are no more than the same unsubstantiated hogwash they have been purveying, they have lost the confidence and audience of reasonable Nigerians.
“But for ignorance, how could anyone accuse Aregbesola’s government of the debt profile this bunch of people parade for Osun?”
The statement said a little knowledge of finance and banking is enough to make the protesters know that even 10 banks put together cannot borrow a single entity the amount they keep alleging as Osun’s debt profile.
“At the height of their allegations against Governor Aregbesola, they got a judge in the state to write a petition to the House of Assembly with a litany of spurious allegations. When called upon to substantiate her allegations, she developed cold feet.
“The same petition was abandoned at the office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) when the anti-graft agency called on her to provide evidence.
“This same hired individuals claimed to have submitted a petition to the EFCC but have failed to provide evidence. Wherever this few individuals turn, they meet rejection because it takes no special skill to detect the fabrications inherent in their allegations,” the statement noted.
The Bureau said it was not surprised that all the group wanted to do was carry placards for few minutes of photo opportunities before disappearing from the scene.
It called on Nigerians to continue to disregard the group, noting that what Aregbesola has given Osun in good governance is a template and inspiration for solving many of Nigeria’s complex issues.