Oyetola’s first year in office is that of ineptitude, failure – SPN

The Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) has described the one year reign of Governor Gboyega Oyetola in Osun State as one of ineptitude and failure.

A statement issued by the SPN, Osun State chapter and signed by Alfred Adegoke, party’s governorship candidate in the last election and Kola Ibrahim, party’s State Secretary, said since Oyetola assumed office on 27 November, 2018, it had been a government of failure.

According to the party, the government of Oyetola seemed to be non-existent in most areas of governance, except through extortion of poor residents and workers, and diversion of public resources, through legal and illegal means, to private ends.

“For instance, the public education sector is in shambles, no thanks to deliberate neglect by the Oyetola/APC government. Currently, most public primary and secondary schools are in decrepit state, with little or no facilities. There is a serious personnel crisis in most of these schools today as thousands of retired teachers are not being replaced through new employment of teaching and non-teaching staff.

“There is chronic shortage of teachers for critical subjects such as English, Mathematics, Biology, etc. in most public secondary schools. Most of the schools now rely on non-conventional and part-time teaching staff such as NPower Volunteers, NYSC Corps members and PTA teachers. Yet, this could not address the chronic under-staffing of most schools,” it said.

In terms of public infrastructure, SPN said the Oyetola government was a monumental failure, saying while the Aregbesola government left most of the roads in the state in terrible conditions, the few functional roads in the state had witnessed dilapidation under Oyetola/APC government.

“Aside roads, most other infrastructures are in poor state. Public water supply seems to be non-existent. The state water supply agency, Osun State Water Corporation, has become agency for levy collection rather than water supplying agency, no thanks to under-funding by the government. Majority of the residents now rely on private water supply systems that are mostly unhygienic,” it stated.

According to SPN, while the government claimed that the state did not have enough resources to fund many of these sectors, the reality was that “this is self-inflicted, as the government is profligate, just like the past Aregbesola and Oyinlola governments. For instance, currently the government has a bloated cabinet comprising thirty-five members with many of the appointments only meant to enrich party members.”

SPN alleged that the Oyetola’s government “is now forcing the working people and the poor to pay for its failure. This is reflected in several extortionate policies being introduced. For instance, the government owes workers and retirees over 30 months arrears of half salaries and half pensions, yet the government is saying nothing on this. Many workers have seen stagnation in their career as there has not been financially-backed promotion in the last five years.”