Osun State clarifies appointment of SSAs for Government House Pool, Oranmiyan New Town

The Osun State government has clarified what it described as “deliberate, mischievous misrepresentation and misinterpretation of the appointments of Senior Special Assistant on Government House Pool and Oranmiyan New Town.”

A statement by Mallam Olawale Rasheed, Spokesperson to the State Governor, said that the two appointments are “necessary and required.” He stressed that “they were never frivolous jobs for the boys as some partisan critics have termed it.”

According to Olawale, “Government House Pool is a term referring to the transport unit of Government House” and is a section that “deals with drivers and vehicles within the Government House.”

The Spokesman said further that Oranmiyan new town, on the other hand, is a new diaspora estate programme, created by the immediate past All Progressives Congress (APC) government and that the newly appointed SSA is charged with ensuring achievement of government’s goals concerning the estate, “especially ensuring protection of investment of Diasporans.”

Full text of the statement reads:

Clarifications on Appointment of SSAs on Government House Pool and Oranmiyan New Town

The attention of the Executive Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke has been drawn to a deliberate, mischievous misrepresentation and misinterpretation of the appointments of Senior Special Assistant on Government House Pool and Oranmiyan new town.

We appreciate those who truly need to be educated on the appointments. We also commend those who have personally and collectively explained the role of the two offices to the members of the public. It is true some people are truly ignorant of the offices.

We also note that some people are simply mischievous and deliberately twisting facts for political reasons. Those critics are those seeking to gain political capital out of nothing by making mountains out of molehills.

We therefore seek to clarify that Government House Pool is a term referring to the transport unit of Government House. The section deals with drivers and vehicles within the Government House. The office, a creation of the previous governments of the All Progressives Congress(APC) has been in existence for the past twelve or so years.

Members of the public are aware that there are hundreds of drivers and vehicles (both old and new) in the Government House. In the interest of sustainable management of those assets, an SSA is appointed to coordinate and even oversee activities and operations in that sector.

We also wish to note and clarify another misrepresentation on the appointment of an SSA for Oranmiyan town. Again, the previous APC Government created a diaspora estate programme involving a new settlement named Oranmiyan new town. There is actually a new town development body. The newly appointed SSA is charged with ensuring achievement of government goals in those areas, especially ensuring protection of investment of Diasporans.

The two appointments are therefore necessary and required. They were never frivolous jobs for the boys as some partisan critics have termed it. While those offices were inherited, it is also worthy of note to state that Governor Adeleke has demonstrated strong will to retain what is good and jettison what is bad.

In the two cases under consideration, the two offices are necessary to protect and effectively manage public and private assets.

Signed
Mallam Olawale Rasheed,
Spokesperson to the State Governor