From Richard Akintade, Osogbo
Osun Masterminds, a coalition of Civil Society Organization, on Saturday raised the alarm over abandonment of infrastructural facilities at the Osun State House of Assembly despite the Parliament gulping over N2billion in 2024 alone.
According to the group’s Executive Director, Professor Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli while fielding questions from journalists at the press conference, the legislature has abandoned renovation of its quarters and construction of new gate house, despite adequate flowing of cash into the assembly.
“Recently, we raised questions about the quantum of funding being pumped into the State House of Assembly, for no genuine reason. In 2024 alone, the Assembly has spent close to two billion Naira, according to the Budget Performance Reports of the Osun State Government itself, yet, the renovation of the House of Assembly Quarters that was commenced more than six to seven months ago, has been abandoned without any cogent reason.
“The quarters, with their roofs presently open to the elements, have been abandoned for more than three months while the contract for the renovation was itself shrouded in secrecy, abandoning the project, while huge sums continue to go into the coffers of the Assembly, suggests profligacy and raises questions about the fiscal transparency of the Governor Adeleke’s administration.
“Also, the gate house reconstruction at the same House of Assembly complex has been abandoned aside from the Quarters, yet money continues to flow into the coffers of the Assembly in hundreds of millions.
“While several productive sectors of the State, including Agriculture, Tourism, and a host of others, continue to be under-funded, the House of Assembly is getting humongous sums for doing next to nothing, yet abandoning projects. This is the same House of Assembly where twenty-six (26) Members of the House received SUVs worth over fifty million Naira each”.
