Aftermath of altercation between Gov.Aregbesola and Tribune Correspondent: Govt Says Workers Drive Is Not UNESCO project! Fingers Omisore

Mild drama ensued at the commissioning of the 2.8 kilometre workers drive between Governor Rauf Aregbesola and the Osun state bureau chief for Tribune newspaper Oluwole Ige on tuesday.

The near altercation according to eye witnesses happened at the Olaiya axis of the road where Oluwole Ige sought clarification from the governor on the funding of the re-constructed road. While Oluwole Ige was said to have held on to the opinion that in a 2014 address by the governor, he (Gov.Aregbessola) made mention that the re-construction was funded partly by UNESCO with the state goverment providing the counterpart funding. Governor Aregbesola was said to have quipped at Oluwole Ige emphasising that Ige's account was not what he said in 2014.

This different positions according to eye witness made the governor ask Oluwole Ige to admit that he did not get his facts right but the latter stood his ground which led to some sort of standoff lasting about two minutes.

In clearing the air however, the state goverment through a press statement has explained that the  project was not that of UNESCO. The governemt also fingered PDP governorship hopeful Iyiola Omisore as the one responsible for the mischief and misinformation been spread round town. Read the press statement below:

"It has come to the attention of the State Government of Osun that an embattled former deputy governor of the state, Senator Iyiola Omisore and some unscrupulous elements are lying around on the funding of the just commissioned Workers Drive, making attempt to misinform members of the public that the former Olaiya-Odi-Olowo- Ita-Olookan reconstructed was financed by UNESCO.

To set the record straight, the reconstruction of the Workers Drive was financed by the State Government of Osun, and the fund was sourced from the Omoluabi Infrastructure Conservation Fund. Moreover, the Workers Drive is not Osun groove road; it is the road that leads to Osun groove road.

Governor Rauf Aregbesola had in March 2014 during the flag off of the road construction categorically declared that the fund for the commencement of construction of the road will be sourced from the Omoluabi Infrastructure Conservation Fund, with the help of the state House of Assembly.

This is the reason behind the commendation of members of the House of Assembly by Governor Aregbesola during the commissioning of the Workers Drive on Tuesday. He appreciated their legislative role in the finance of the project.

UNESCO is not in any way involved in the finance of the project at all. It becomes imperative to state that rather than providing fund for the road, UNESCO had requested the government to re-work and change the course of the road that leads to Osun groove so as to retain its being a World Heritage Site. UNESCO made some other demands in this regard.

As much as the government would not mind fulfilling the UNESCO requests, State Government of  Osun does not have the financial wherewithal to so do now for obvious economic reasons.

Besides, it is a known fact that UNESCO as an organization do not give money for any counterpart project funding; rather, such is given in kind and not in cash as the debased personality of the impeached Deputy governor would want the people to believe.

It is disturbing that a man who has been a perpetual aspirant to the exalted seat of Governor could lack knowledge of running of an organization such as UNESCO and what the true situation is with the state he so desperately desired to rule. It is also pitiable and ridiculous that somebody aspiring to rule the people of Osun cannot differentiate between the road leading to Osun Groove and the one that links the road that leads to the Groove. Omisore is likely to turn the progress march of Osun back if (and God will forbid that) he should mistakenly become Governor with his clear lack of basic knowledge of governance.

He should be told in clear terms that getting so mischievous is not a good trait that endears an aspirant to the heart of the electorates while lying so blatantly makes one a reject by God and thus, the desperate impeached deputy governor should desist from deliberate efforts at misinform the people of the state and face his disgraceful and ignoble charges with the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).

Government of the State of Osun challenges Omisore or any of cohorts to substantiate their claims with relevant documents to the effect that the now elegant Workers Drive was funded by UNESCO as they unscrupulously claim.

Omisore and his ilk that are spreading the lies are political jobbers who are jolted with the success recorded on the completion of the Workers Drive and Governor Aregbesola’s achievements at large. The set of mischief makers are making failed attempt to discredit the Governor Aregbesola’s administration and divert attention from the deserved glory and credit derivable from the successful construction of the road despite financial hard time.

These naysayers are jittery of the Aregbesola’s magic wand of embarking and completing infrastructure projects in spite of the paucity of fund. The good people of Osun would recollect that these set of ‘bad belle’ people had embarked on vandalisation of some of the projects some months ago. There stock in trade is violence, vandalisation, corruption, lies and mischief.

We urged the good people of the state to disregard the lies and leave Omisore, and his co-mischief makers to their irresponsibility."