By Oyetola, on how he maintained the Osun economy without borrowing

Adegboyega Oyetola, the outgoing governor of Osun State, said over the weekend that his administration had paid off N97 billion of the debt it had inherited when it took office in 2018.

Additionally, he claimed that his administration had left the state with N14 billion in cash in the state’s coffers for the new administration.

The former governor said that his government did not borrow money to support the state’s economy and added that, ever since taking office, he had effectively kept his word and remained faithful to his campaign pledges.

In his farewell address to the state’s citizens, Oyetola made the point that the projects his administration implemented to improve the quality of life for its residents were people- and mass-focused, which had stabilized the state’s economy.

He claimed that the state was economically stable while he was governor, as shown by the state’s GDP skyrocketing since he took office.

He stated that Osun State’s economy is more stable than when he first arrived there in 2018, and he added that despite all the obvious socioeconomic issues the state is facing and their effects, he was able to address the worries and evil of fiscal irresponsibility and lack of implementation, which impede projects and services in the country’s public service.

“I thank God and I thank you for your support, cooperation, and prayers throughout the years as I stand down today at the end of the four-year term you freely granted me.

“I remember how the adventure started four years ago; how you exercised your right to vote for me because you believed in me and our party’s ideas and programs.

“As we conclude our first term, we are certain that we didn’t break our pledge to you or let you down. We stayed true to our election pledges and to our word to you. Although it was our intention to continue serving you, we are unable to do so because to the results of the July 16 gubernatorial election, which we are now contesting in court.

“As a law-abiding government and citizen, we are standing aside to let the legal system work its way out.

“However, we hope to continue helping you in the near future. We have complete faith in God that we will return soon, just as we have implicit faith in the legal system to uphold the law in the case at hand.

“We are optimistic that this brief political eclipse will end. The sun will rise once more, brighter and warmer, and the participatory governance and sustainable development that we enshrined, which have been praised by regional and international organizations, will be restored and placed on a more secure and solid foundation.

“In a democracy, there is no substitute for people-centered and development-savvy governance. The unprecedented good governance, inclusive, and participatory governance that we established—which resulted in the delivery of sizable equitable projects and programs—has too deep of a root system to be uprooted.

“Relax as we finish our first term.”