By Peter Adedoyin
Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has debunked the claim by his predecessor, Ibikunle Amosun, that he renovated a Model School built for N830m with N3b.
Abiodun, in a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary, Kunle Somorin, and made available to newsmen in Abeokuta, said: "little doubt he is called 'Irokunle' by the people because he is known for dishing out putrid lies all the time".
Abiodun said, "as a governor, he promised to do everything and did virtually nothing. He abandoned most of them after claiming to have paid 100 percent for them. We are known as a promise-keeping administration. We promised only what we could do and did all that we promised".
The statement added, "it is not surprising that the former governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun has joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC)".
"What is surprising is that he has upped his deceit and political shenanigans by feasting on falsehood started last week by Biyi Otegbeye, his new party's candidate".
"While Otegbeye was awe-struck by the finesse of the Gateway City Centre and put a figure of N7b on a N350m project, Amosun at the flag off of Otegbeye campaign rally lied to have completed a Model School at Kobape and slammed a N3b as renovation cost on the said school".
"It is a shame that the former governor does not know the difference between converting an abandoned project to a socially desirable Tech Hub at this age and time".
"Rather than applauding the ingenuity of Governor Abiodun for converting the moribund Model School to a functional Tech Hub within three weeks of assuming office, Amosun is resorting to blackmail".
"It should be noted that barely 24 hours to the mark of his 100 days in office, Governor Abiodun launched the Ogun Tech hub in Abeokuta, the State capital".
"The conversion of the Model School to a Tech Hub facility was in the interest of the Gateway State".
"Governor Abiodun will want to reiterate that his administration would complete all inherited projects capable of improving the fortunes of the people".
The statement added that: “One major interesting aspect of these Tech Hub is that you will all recall that we have promised that any inherited projects that have bearing and will impact the development of our dear State will not be abandoned.
“Although, the facility being utilized for these Tech Hub was initially meant for another thing, but, the fact remains that even when the facility had been largely abandoned and could not be used for initial purpose, we are converting it to the advantage of our dear State.
“Let me therefore use this opportunity to reassure the people of Ogun State that this administration will not engage in unnecessary vendetta or self-aggrandisement. Our administration will complete all inherited projects that have the potential to benefit our people. They are funded with the commonwealth of the people of Ogun State.”
“Ours is an administration that is irrevocably committed to good governance based on prudent public financial management towards providing a conducive environment for individual prosperity of the people of Ogun State and the wholesome development of our dear State.”
Abiodun, however, assured that the Tech Hub has been training hundreds of tech savvy people to become ideas incubators and tech-prenuers that are positioning Ogun State as a key center for innovations in the country
“The long term vision is to make Ogun State the One-Stop-Shop for Innovation in Africa, thereby making our dear State one of the most conducive places to build a start-up company on the continent.
"It is on that of the 15 Model Schools that Amosun laid, it is Akin Ogunpola College that remains the only one of the proposed Model Schools used for academic activities. After the summer camp, the school admitted pupils for the 2017 and 2018 academic sessions.
‘But in 2019, due to dwindling enrolment and the fact that it was a fee-paying secondary school that charged higher than even most private schools in the State, government had to shut down the school that negates our free policy of the government", the statement concluded.
Meanwhile, a group, Ogun Political Watch, has advised Amosun to desist from spinning falsehood about the Dapo Abiodun administration, saying that such a strategy was doomed to failure.
The group gave the advice in a statement signed by its Secretary, Wahab Adeyemi, in Abeokuta.
Reacting to the sundry allegations levelled against Governor Abiodun by Amosun at the flag-off of the governorship campaign of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the state, the group described Amosun as a disgruntled and desperate politician who could not get over his failure to install a stooge at Oke Mosan as governor in 2019 and secure a return ticket to the Senate during the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries last year.
It noted that having failed woefully to achieve his inordinate ambition, Amosun pitched his tent with a moribund political party and an extremely weak candidate, adding that they will both fail woefully in the coming election.
It said, "Curiously, the same Biyi Otegbeye that Amosun is supporting now was the APC House of Reps candidate in his constituency in 2019 and Amosun fought tooth and nail to defeat his ambition".
"Now, because the guy has decided to share the patrimony of Ogun State with him, he has decided to support him, but they will both fail woefully."
Describing Amosun's allegation that Governor Abiodun had spent N3bn on rehabilitating the Model School he (Amosun) built with N830 million as patently laughable, the group urged the Ogun Central senator to get over his bitterness and anger, saying that officials of the Abiodun government had already shown that the figures expended on the said schools was less than 5 percent of the figure he (Amosun) quoted.
It said: "Amosun is bandying about unrealistic figures out of his desperate ambition to rubbish Governor Abiodun, who has clearly surpassed his eight-year achievements in just four years".
"Was Amosun really talking about the so-called Model Schools that failed structural integrity test and could not house a single student?"
"The Abiodun administration had to convert those of them that were fairly habitable to isolation centres during the COVID-19 crisis".
"It is unconscionable for an APC Senator to be repeating the anti-party activities he carried out to his utter shame in 2019, circulating bogus figures out of pure mischief, and with the intention to install the candidate of another political party in office while remaining in APC as a senator.
"We invite the APC leadership to sanction Amosun while he and his ADC stooge go into political oblivion," the statement read.
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