Oyetola directs Osun APC Chairman to discontinue case against TOP leaders

.Says at 30, ‘We’re changing Osun narrative from civil service’  

BLESSING AKOROWOSI, Osogbo

Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola has directed the State All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker Chairman, Prince Gboyega Famodun, to discontinue the court case against some chieftains of the party who had invaded the party secretariat with armed thugs a fortnight ago.

This directive is contained in a press statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Ismail Omipidan, on Tuesday.

Some leaders of a caucus, The Osun Progressives, TOP were on Monday arraigned over assault of party members at the State Secretariat in Osogbo.

The Governor, who was away when the incident occurred had, in the wake of the crisis, directed security operatives to take charge of the party secretariat to prevent any further breakdown of law and order, just as he had also condemned what he termed “unruly behaviour exhibited by some aggrieved members of the party at the APC Secretariat in Osogbo.”

He stated that no sane society would condone any act of lawlessness.

Oyetola had summoned an emergency meeting of the party stakeholders and insisted that as members of the same family, whatever differences that existed could be resolved without necessary resorting to litigation.

To this end, he directed the party chairman in the state to withdraw the complaints and take necessary measures to discontinue the matter.

The Governor, who sympathised with individuals who sustained injuries during the said invasion, further condemned the invasion and appealed to party members not to resort to self help whenever there are disagreements among them.

“The invasion of the party secretariat by armed thugs stands condemned as no sane society will condone the resort to self help in settling disagreements within a family.

“But as the Governor, I have directed our party chairman to discontinue the matter in the interest of peace and harmony within the party” the Governor said.

Meanwhile The Governor of the State of Osun, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola, has said one of the contributions of his administration to Osun’s journey is changing the narrative of the State from a civil service State.

He explained that economic diversification had been one of the drivers of his administration, with Agriculture, Tourism and Mining (ATM) being important diversification instruments.

This, according to him, informed the decision to organise the Osun Economic summit in 2019 which brought critical stakeholders and potential investors to the State.

Oyetola, while fielding questions during a live broadcast as Guest of the Month on the Osun State Broadcasting Corporation (OSBC), as part of events to mark the 30th Anniversary of the State’s creation, assured that in a matter of years, Osun will thrive significantly in mining.

“I’m not contesting whether or not the State was known as a civil service state, but we are changing the narrative. The essence of the Osun Economic summit of 2019 is to talk about the possibility of economic diversification.

“We sought to diversify the economy from a civil-service-reliant economy to one that is buoyant. We identified agriculture, mining and tourism as our growth sectors and we have indeed done well in these three sectors, particularly in the area of mining.

“It will amaze you that we have interested investors coming from Canada and other foreign countries to explore the possibilities of responsible mining in the State, as against previous activities that gave rise to degradation, low remediation and the likes.

“Now, we have responsible miners like Segilola Gold Project. And a number of them are still showing interest. So, I can assure you that in a matter of years, Osun will be able to thrive significantly on mining”, he said.

Commenting on the State of Osun at 30, Oyetola described the progress of the State as one that is steady yet setting enviable precedence of good governance.

He commended the efforts of the founding fathers and former governors who had served in the course of the State’s history, adding that they all contributed positively to the development of the State.