Osun Awaits Adeleke’s Palliative Programme •Coalition Calls For Inclusive Palliative Provision Committee

THERE are high expecta ons by residents of Osun State from Governor Ademola Adeleke on provision of pallia ves to cushion the effect of hike in fuel price as a result of removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as petrol.

The expecta ons riped when the Governors of neighbouring Oyo, Kwara, Eki , Ondo, Ogun and Lagos States announced different pallia ve programmes for their various ci zens to migate the economic hardship.

It would be recalled that the Ondo State Government, on August 4, announced that 18,000 “vulnerable” persons will get N10,000 monthly for three months, while all pensioners in the state will also get N10,000 star ng this August.

The government also restored free shu le buses for students star ng from resump on in September, ll December 31st, just as it declared that it will distribute free food packages to one million households across the 18 local governments of the state.

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State had also on Tuesday set up a commi ee for the Sustainable Ac on for Economic Recovery (SAfER), which is meant to mi gate the effects of the removal of fuel subsidies and the resultant economic difficul es on ci zens of the state.

Makinde had during a broadcast last Saturday stated that “Our SAfER package will ensure a so er landing for the poorest of the poor and the most vulnerable. It will also address the need for food security through direct interven on to our farmers.”

In Ogun, Governor Dapo Abiodun had on July 25 announced a cash pallia ve of N10,000 for public servants and pensioners for a period of three months in the first instance, beginning from July.

The Governor also approved hazard allowance for health and medical personnel in the state and peculiar allowance for public servants, payment of March and April, 2023 leave bonuses for public servants, and immediate cash-backing for the quarterly payment of gratuies to pensioners.

Also, the Ogun state’s ministries, departments and agencies are to work out modali es for ensuring that 20 percent of their staff strengths are off-duty daily to ease the subsidy situaon, while the government is to immediately begin distribu ng food pallia ves (rice, garri, beans, maize etc) to vulnerable ci zens.

In addi on, the Gateway Trading Company has been mandated to establish food distribu on outlets across the state, and sell the items at the rates obtainable in the market before the removal of fuel subsidy.

Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, had on July 24 approved a mul -sectoral pallia ve for the state to mi gate the effects of the removal of fuel subsidy

The pallia ve included cash support of N10,000 for every public sector worker in the state which began in July and last un l a new minimum wage is introduced.

Abdulrazaq also directed the leadership of the civil service to con nue a staggered work schedule, not exceeding three days a week, to reduce transporta on expenses for workers.

The Governor also approved the payment of new hazard and skipping allowances, and 100% CONMESS for consultants and medical doctors under the govern- ment’s payroll.

He also approved a new regime of allowances for nurses working for the state government.

On July 27, the Eki state government announced the forma on of a commi ee comprising cri cal stakeholders to devise modali es and measures for providing pallia ves to the people of the state, aiming to cushion the effect of subsidy removal.

But Osun State government is yet to speak on the pallia ve programmes it has in plan to mi gate the effect of the fuel subsidy removal.

This is just as some residents of the state, notably the civil servants are anxiously expectant of the pal-

Ministerial Screening: Our Senators Supported Oyetola To Redeem Himself - PDP

Kazeem Badmus

THE Peoples Democra c Party (PDP) in Osun State has said it supported the ministerdesignate, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola, because it believed the former governor will redeem himself and bring development to the state.

Reac ng to a statement by the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Tajudeen Lawal, the PDP said APC should at least appreciate its senators for their support when Oyetola was being screened at the Senate.

Lawal had in a statement issued by the party’s Director of Media and Informa on, Chief Kola Olabisi, said that the support of the three PDP senators given to Oyetola during the screening exercise was good but not spectacular.

The APC chairman said PDP’s support for the nomina on of Oyetola as a minister would not have prevented the former governor of the state from sailing through the screening exercise.

However, the Director of Media of the PDP, Mr Oladele Olabamiji, said that he was sure that the APC issued the statement without Oyetola’s consent, saying the former governor will no doubt appreciate what the party did for him.

Olabamiji said Oyetola who was on the hot seat will never come out to say he didn’t appreciate what the PDP senators did for him.

He said: “We believe that the former governor, being a minister, will also have one or two posi ve impacts on the economic well-being of the state if he makes the best use of it.

“We believe he must have learnt some lessons in his handling of the administra on of the state where he failed woefully and people also decided to fail him at the poll.

“We don’t see these people as enemies. Where we have our differences was just the way they handled the affairs of our state, nothing more. If as a sinner, the former governor now has a second chance to at least redeem a bit of himself and show that he can bring some development at that level to the state, why wouldn’t we support his nomina on?

“I think they should know, as we speak, that there are some of these nominees that have problems. If our senators wanted to play polics of bi erness as the APC chairman and his media boys are playing, they would have stood up because they have the right.

“The least they should appreciate such mature gesture of his excellency direc ves to the senators represen ng the state under the banner of our party, but that they chose not to appreciate it, it does not mean our sena- lia ve measures by the state government. tors did not do the right thing.

OSUN DEFENDER observed that some of the cizens of the state, par cularly the youths, have taken to their various social media handle to ask ques ons and call on Governor Adeleke to announce the government’s plan for pallia ve.

The Coordinator of Peoples Welfare League, an Osun State based advocacy group, Mr Rafiu Agboola, tasked Adeleke to ‘make haste while the sun shines’, no ng that the people of the state are anxiously wai ng to know what he has in stock to cushion the economic hardship on them.

Agboola, in an interview with OSUN DEFENDER yesterday, advised Adeleke to be guided by the needs of the people of the state on its pallia ve programmes.

“Governor Adeleke should make haste while the sun shines. Other states in the South-West have rolled out different pallia ve measures. The people of Osun are anxiously wai ng for what our Governor will do to cushion this economic hardship; the Governor should please do something on me.

“However, I want to advise the Governor to be guided by the needs of the people. His pallia ve programme must be what the people will appreciate and he should note that majority of the residents of the state are not civil servants”, he stated.

Commen ng on the pallia ves expecta on, the Chairman, Osun Civil Socie es Coali on (OCSC), Comr.Waheed Lawal, tasked Adeleke to be judicious on the pallia ves, warning that it must not be turned to poli cal affairs.

“I believe the former governor, Oyetola, will never come out to say that he didn’t appreciate what our senators did for him. Oyetola was the one on the hot seat and he knows what such gesture gave him in terms of mileage.”

While expressing confidence in Adeleke’s administra on to be transparent on the pallia ve programmes, Lawal called on the Governor to set up an inclusive Pallia ve Provision Commi ee that will ensure that the needy and others who deserve support of the government cons tute majority of the prospec ve beneficiaries.

Lawal in an interview with OSUN DEFENDER yesterday said: “We are all expec ng the government to come out with its plan on pallia ves. Osun is the only state that has not rolled out pallia ve programme; we believe the Governor is working on it, but should understand that a long awaited hope weakens the heart.

“On behalf of the people of the state, I want to warn that the expected pallia ve programmes should not be poli cised; it should not be turned to party affairs. We

THE death of doctor Vwaere Diaso, a brilliant young Babcock University medical graduate just two weeks away from comple ng her housemanship at Lagos State medical facility is a tragedy, afore to it brings up once again Nigerians chronic ins tu onal deficit.

The infrastructure defeat is interwoven with the in adequate and undermining of ins tu ons. This is not a me for shedding crocodile tears and the issuing vacuous postula ons. Searching ques ons must beamed on the lapses that led to the death of Dr. Vwaere Diaso.

The public and the medical guild should be enlightened as to the processes of the engagement of the facility managers. What was the basis of recruitment, was there a competi ve bidding process, or was it done on the basis of “Man knows man”?

Highlighted here is a key fault line in the Nigerian process, this is the debilita ng refusal to separate policy from procurement.

This failure is at the act of naonal malware manifes ng himself in among other areas “abandoned projects, collapsed buildings and a myriad of vanity projects which have nothing to do with the process of sustainable development.

Avoidable Tragedy Should Be A Wake Up Call

Lagos State law makes a Corona’s inquest impera ve; this must be proceeded upon immediately in full glare of the media and civil society groups. The forge must be lied and full transparency ensured.

Every medical facility at federal and state level must now be inspected for physical deficit is disgraceful, akin to criminal negligent that warns about in structural defects of the medical facility in which Dr. Vwaere Diaso lost her life were ignored for over a decade. We call upon our own government in the Osun State to take the lead in ex- amining all public medical facili es. The private sector must also do the same or be compelled to do so.

Following common sense and interna onal best prac ces, a Clinical Governance must be swi ly at the Federal level biding on the states. Such an act of parliament will instu onalised the inspec on of facility managers and management as well as their liabili es. It will enforce the complaint of users of the facilies and in the process safe guarding the interest of the public and ensuring public safety. All tenders for facility management in the health