Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo
Former Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola has berated his successor, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola for the worrisome debt profile of the state declared by Governor Ademola Adeleke.
Adeleke claimed the state owed N407.32 billion, blaming the administration of Oyetola for incurring the debt.
But Oyetola denied the allegation, maintaining Aregbesola’s administration obtained the loans.
Osun State House of Assembly on Friday announced it would investigate the debt profile by inviting the relevant agencies to seek clarifications.
Aregbesola, in a statement by his media aide, Sola Fasure yesterday argued that Oyetola caused the problem for himself because he allegedly refused to cooperate with Adeleke for proper handing over.
He stressed that the Osun State Accountant-General should be in a better position to give the true particulars of the indebtedness of the state, adding that the impasse was between Adeleke and Oyetola, and so he should not be in the picture.
He explained that the two major loans he took had been liquidated while the other ones are long-term concessional facilities by the federal government with minimal monthly deductions.
Aregbesola said: “I will suggest that you look at all the loans and get to the Accountant-General of the state at Abere. I think the Accountant General or the Permanent Secretary (Finance) would have better information because it is the Accountant-General that raised a memo based on the query of the governor.
“The matter is between Adeleke and Oyetola administrations because the Aregbesola debts have been liquidated. It was not Aregbesola that took the N18 billion loan that was taken after the election. Oyetola took some other loans, including salary support from the federal government.
“They caused the problem for themselves. If they had set up a transition committee and if they had cooperated well with the incoming governor after they had lost the election, there would have been a smooth change of government.
“They would have compared notes and there would be no rancour. But he was busy sowing mines on the path of the incoming governor, creating problems for him, and spending money with reckless abandon. What did he do with N18 billion? Now the new government is fighting back. If the new government takes the matter up to the EFCC, there would be problems for the Oyetola’s administration.
“They should count Aregbesola out of their problems because out of the three loans he took, two have been liquidated. It is only the long-term debt that is remaining and only the Accountant-General can give us the status of the loan because it is no longer what it was because deductions are being made.”
