From Ayinde Akintade, Osogbo

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke yesterday declared that nothing will distract him as he remains committed to transparency and accountability in managing state finance.Adeleke added that travelling costs being pushed around represent the near full year training allocation for the over 100 agencies of the state government.

He said, the public is also invited to note that a full breakdown of the state travelling cost showed that the amount connected directly to the Governor is very negligible as he mostly footed his expenses through the family private jet as in the case of his current visit to the United States. Spokesperson to the Governor, Mallam Olawale Rasheed clarified that many agencies undertook their local and international training in the first half of the year because of anticipated kick off of pre-2026 political activities in the latter part of the year, adding that the opposition’s sponsored reports about international traveling and training expenditures are not only misleading but also mischievous.“The sponsored publication is a failed attempt by the opposition to misrepresent and mischaracterise much needed expenditure on local and international training programmes for public servants, service wide facility maintenance cost and several critical overhead expenses across over 100 government agencies. The fact that the state government actually posted those details on her website confirms that there is no foul play or misapplication of state funds, he clarified.Olawale disclosed further that the amount quoted for international travels and trainings for the first two quarters of 2025 is the expenditure of the entire officials of the state government including, commissioners, agency heads, management staff of state owned tertiary institutions, Permanent Secretaries, Directors of over 100 parastatals which covers their transportation, accommodation, feeding etc.“The Governor is only the head of the government; there are several other sectorial heads and career officers whose expenditures on travels and training make up the state government expenditure. So it is incorrect to say Governor Adeleke spent so much on traveling. Also, one has to probe the importance of these travels and training and the value it brings to the state now and in the near future” Mr Olawale said.He highlighted key international events attended by officials of the Osun State Government in the first half of year 2025 like Commonwealth Business Investment Conference where Governor Adeleke led his team to meet potential partners in the creative sector and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ESG Management Services UK Ltd., a UK investment facilitation firm to source and facilitate investment opportunities from UK-based companies in the sectors of agriculture, manufacturing, solid minerals, and other strategic areas.Other key sectorial trips include the Ministry of Commerce and Industry; Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security; Ministry of Science, Innovation and Digital Economy; Climate Change and Renewable Energy; Ministry of Water Resources; Office of Mining and Natural Resources, State owned institutions among others.The Spokesperson further adds that “as a Governor committed to public service reforms to meet global standards, top permanent officials of the state have undergone several international training and engagements to improve their skills and enhance their productivity”.More importantly, Olawale argued that the current high exchange rate of the Naira has largely impacted the amount quoted as these trainings and travelings are mainly funded by the Naira, thereby significantly increasing the total cost despite marked reduction in number of delegates and frequency of traveling when compared to past administration in the states“The value of Naira is why the figure seems outrageous. We have compared notes with the records of the past administration and I can confirm that this administration is well positioned in terms of prudence and management of state resources. To get $1000 today, you will need about #1.6 Million, unlike some years ago when you only need about #400,000. One has to be objective when it comes to discussions like this so as not to be misled by the mischievous propaganda of opposition parties” he added.On Cleaning & Fumigation Services, and refreshments, Mr. Rasheed said “the expenditure represents the amount spent by the state to maintain a clean environment across the state secretariat, agency offices, the government house, several state institutions, several health facilities, several state agencies and parastatals, public schools etc.While reassuring the public of the Governor’s passion for transparency, the Spokesperson said it was the state government that posted the widely quoted figures as a mark of accountability and transparency.