By Tunde Olamilekan
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has disclosed that he is spending his security vote on ending the communal crisis in the state.
Adeleke said, unlike other states, Osun’s security votes are used for supporting security agencies operating in the state, support for communal peace activities, and funding of the state security outfit, Amotekun, among others.
The governor disclosed this in a statement by his spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, on Friday.
The statement said the state expenditure on security services is undertaken within the confines of the public finance law and regulations through the security vote.
Such expenditures, the Governor posited further, are processed within the context of the statutory approval process, which involves raising memos and compliance with the government payment process.
“I am proud to declare that the Osun state government under my watch does not operate a slush fund that our media friends call security votes. Our security needs are met through the approval process. I face resistance over the policy but I stick to it even at great cost.
“My motivation for insisting on the policy was the situation I met on the ground in November 2022. I believe Osun needs every kobo to meet her numerous developmental challenges. Our earnings from FAAC allocations and internally generated revenues are channeled to key sectoral projects from infrastructure to agriculture to health among others.
“We also target payment of workers’ emoluments, pensions, and outstanding salary debt. We maintain a delicate balance on expenditure across human and infra sectors and within less than three years, we have good records widely verified by local and national stakeholders”, the statement quoted the Governor as saying.