15/12/2022
Sunshine State And The Hazy Oil Windfall
- Allen Sowore Esq
December 2nd, 2022, will remain a milestone in the history of Nigeria, particularly the nine oil producing states. It was a day the Presidency, through the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Alhaji Garba Shehu, made sparkling revelations about the release of the largest oil largesse accruing to states in recent time.
However, unlike Rivers state - where the Governor, Nyesom Wike voluntarily own up. Or Delta and other beneficiary states, where the Governors, Commissioners for Information as well as other Senior Government Officials have come on national television or even organized press conferences to explain and give accounts under intense scrutinies, in Ondo State, the sun has not been able to shine through the hazy oil windfall - government is yet to give details about what it actually got.
Expectedly, one can easily exculpate Governor Akeredolu because of his usual shrug off and disregard for the people. Nonetheless, it's unpardonable for the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mrs Bamidele Ademola- Olateju, since the oil windfall was actually released to the government and not the governor.
The reason is simple. Mrs Bamidele Ademola- Olateju is the Chief Information Officer of the state. In order words, she is expected to speaks lucidly and authoritatively too, for and on behalf of the State Government. I have argued in my earlier intervention that the wishy-washy press statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary, to the Governor, Olabode Richard, which deliberately shrouded the oil derivation fund in secrecy was inadequate, insufferable and accordingly rejected.
Earnestly, l say so with all sense of responsibility and patriotism chiefly because the said statement was contradictory, speculative and below standard. Not even when we pride ourselves as the intellectual base of the Southwest ! The conjecture clothed in official press statement didn't contain the total amount received from the Federation Account; details of amount allotted to each of the projects highlighted and ridiculously, some of the listed projects had been captured in the 2018 and 2019 budgets while the money under review was received between 2021-2022.
Interestingly, there's a big discrepancy between what the Federal Government released and the presumptions circulating within the state. Moreso, it was alleged that the Commissioner for Finance, Mr Wale Akinterinwa is manipulative and economical with the truth. The summary of the money released so far according to the press statement issued by Garba Shehu and the confirmation of data obtained from the Federation Account Department, Office of the Accountant General, revealed that Ondo state has received N19.4billion+ N3.7billion+ N4.7 billion, totaling N27.8 billion - TWENTY SEVEN BILLION EIGHT HUNDRED MILLION NAIRA ONLY between 2021-2022. Each of the 18 local government councils in the state also got N3.52billion in November, 2022.
Ultimately, the responsibility and duty of clearing the air and providing basic facts about the oil largesse rests squarely on the shoulders of the NUMBER ONE INFORMATION OFFICER.
Noticeably, since her redeployment to the Ministry of Information, it seems she enjoys dwelling on trivial issues rather than attending to pressing state matters.
Hold it there ! I have no intention to attack her personality or query her qualification and competence. A holistic assessment of the contents on her official page shows that she either writes about her father's goat that ate sardine or other saucy comic reliefs. A Commissioner for Information who has been in office for over a year without the record of convocation of a press conference with less than two press statements to her credit should be reminded that governance is not a tea party.
Until the Akeredolu led administration yields to the popular demand of the people and properly accounts for the 2021-2022 Oil Derivation Refund, Arakunrin's name and reputation will go into history with the badge of foggy oil windfall. In this case, the Honourable Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mrs Bamidele Ademola- Olateju is the baddie !
Allen Sowore Esq
Director, Media & Publicity,
PDP Ondo South Senatorial District Campaign Council
15/12/2022.
