While some residents praised the Adeleke administration for its performance, particularly in workers’ welfare, infrastructure and education, others said the government had fallen short of expectations in areas such as healthcare, security, tourism, investment and equitable distribution of infrastructure.
During the campaigns for the 2022 Osun State governorship election, Governor Ademola Adeleke repeatedly assured residents that his administration would chart a different course if elected.
Addressing thousands of supporters at a rally in Osogbo on 14 May 2022, Mr Adeleke unveiled a five-point agenda as the blueprint for his administration from 2022 to 2026.
Mr Adeleke’s agenda promised improved welfare for workers and pensioners, economic expansion through business partnerships and support for enterprises, and a homegrown infrastructure policy aimed at ensuring “Osun money serves Osun people.”
The agenda also prioritised people-focused social policies centred on skill-based education, affordable healthcare, security, and social protection, alongside agro-based industrialisation to create jobs and wealth for the youth and women.
Barely two months later, he defeated the incumbent governor, Gboyega Oyetola, the All Progressive Congress (APC)’s flagbearer, in the 16 July 2022 governorship election by more than 28,000 votes.
Nearly four years into his administration, Mr Adeleke, who was inaugurated on 27 November 2022, maintained that his government has delivered on its campaign promises.
Last month, he said his administration had recorded achievements across key sectors, including the construction of more than 300 kilometres of roads, the rehabilitation of over 200 primary healthcare centres and more than 150 public schools, as well as the continued payment of salary arrears and pension debts.
He also cited the disbursement of nearly N2 billion in cooperative financing, the provision of tractors and other farm inputs to support agricultural production, and the ongoing development of a standard stadium.
The administration had earlier, in November 2024, announced that it had cleared more than N47 billion in inherited pension liabilities within two years in office.
The government also stated that it approved the implementation of the N75,000 minimum wage for state workers as part of its commitment to improving workers’ welfare.
Mr Adeleke, who is seeking a second term under the Accord Party umbrella in Saturday’s election, said his administration fulfilled its pledge to make the University of Ilesa fully operational through the commissioning of several landmark projects.
He also pointed to investments in infrastructure at Osun State University (UNIOSUN), the advancement of the state’s ICT and digital economy agenda, and initiatives aimed at improving education and student welfare.
Some residents of the South-west state, in separate interviews with PREMIUM TIMES, evaluated the government’s performance in the last three years and nine months.
While some praised the Adeleke administration for its performance, particularly in workers’ welfare, infrastructure and education, others said it fell short of their expectations in areas such as healthcare, security, tourism, investment and equitable distribution of infrastructure.
Maryam Adaranijo, a private-sector worker residing in Osogbo, the state capital, acknowledged the administration’s efforts on workers’ welfare but said she had seen little difference between the Adeleke-led government and its predecessors in overall performance.
“However, three and a half years down the line, I cannot see much of a difference. He did a lot for workers’ welfare and payments of pensioners; I’ll give him that. It’s just that there’s too much bias and nepotism in his style of governance.
“He focused too much on his hometown (Ede) in terms of infrastructure. Obviously, that should be expected, but it shouldn’t be at the detriment of the state capital (Osogbo). The only two projects he commissioned in Osogbo, Lameco Flyover and Oke-Fia Flyover, were unnecessary in my opinion when there are roads that need urgent intervention,” she said.
Ms Adaranijo specifically criticised the condition of the road linking Orisumbare Market, Station Road, Oja-Oba, Ayepe and Ilesha Garage, saying the route was narrow and in poor condition despite connecting Osogbo to Ilesha, one of the state’s major towns.
She also said the government should have paid greater attention to tourism and maintained projects inherited from previous administrations, arguing that such projects were funded by taxpayers.
“The annual Osun Osogbo festival is in a couple of days, yet the road leading to the groove is nothing to write home about. Mind you, this is a globally recognised festival by UNESCO. We should not still be clamouring for more investments in tourism in 2026.
“A lot of schools also built by APC have also been abandoned. It is taxpayers’ money, and they should be maintained,” Ms Adaranijo added.
However, Abdulmujeeb Tadese, a resident of Iwo in Osun West Senatorial District, gave the administration a more positive assessment. He commended its record on workers’ welfare and infrastructure, although he said his expectations were initially low because of what he described as “the maladministration of the previous Aregbesola-led government.”
“However, Adeleke came on board and not only cleared the half salaries for virtually all the workers but also increased the salaries being earned by the workers significantly. Promotion in Osun used to be merely on paper, without commensurate funding.
“On infrastructure, he did remarkably well, touching all 30 local governments in no small measure. Iwo, Ila, Ilesha and Ede now have their first-ever dual carriage roads, amongst several others,” Mr Tadese explained.
On concerns over the concentration of infrastructure projects in Ede, the governor’s hometown, Mr Tadese said other parts of the state had also benefited from the administration.
“The rest of us in other parts of the state are not left out at all. We are all beneficiaries, but we demand more. I will score him 85 per cent.”
Abiola Oyetade, a sales representative residing in Modakeke, also praised the administration for its handling of workers’ welfare.
Having two civil servants as parents, he said he had personally witnessed the difficulties faced by workers under the previous administrations.
“Both my parents were civil servants, and I remember vividly what happened to civil servants during the regime of Governor Aregbesola. To cut a long story short, I think this present government is doing well. They have started paying all those outstanding debts,” Mr Oyetade said.
