Bamisayemi’s LIES On LAUTECH:
I read with dismay a comment of the Commissioner of Education in the State of Osun, Mr. Folorunso Bamisayemi, where he said on a Facebook post that “If Osun hadn’t accepted severance of joint ownership, Osun State would have been kicked out empty-handed through the court for failure to meet her obligations. Between 2014 and 2018 Osun defaulted in her obligations to LAUTECH to the tune of 8.2 billion naira and that was the time when our own civil servants were paid modulated salaries.”
He went further to say, “OSUN’s commitment to LAUTECH was 400 million per month for half of a year totalling 2.4 billion naira every year. Considering the humongous debt left by the previous administration, where do you think this state will get the resources to meet her obligations to LAUTECH.”
With all modesty, Mr Bamisayem has just told a lie in defence of the ill advice he gave to Governor Oyetola on LAUTECH while the governor is also running from responsibility as stated by the LAUTECH workers. One had been tempted to conclude that there was sinister move on the part of the Osun State Government for the severance of the LAUTECH joint ownership. The active actors in the negotiation of the ‘LAUTECH business’ actually got ‘something’ for themselves which was their ultimate expectation and desired gains at the expense of the millions of Osun indigenes.
To address Bamisayemi’s uninformed comment laced with ‘pull him down syndrome’, I will like to state that for over 29 years of the joint ownership existence of LAUTECH, Osun Government, the Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola administration in particular, had been living up to its expectations and performing its responsibilities as equal partner in the LAUTECH ownership, notwithstanding the obvious cheating from the Oyo State Government.
To be precise, since Bamisayemi wanted to paint the Aregbesola’s administration black as he has been doing, I will like to roll out the following fact, while I challenge the commissioner to controvert. In 2017, Osun committed a sum of N1, 250, 000, 000 to LAUTECH. In 2018, Osun paid N500, 000, 000 to LAUTECH. Between July 2010 and July 2016, Osun paid a total sum of N8, 692, 488, 234.04. In 2019, from June, Osun paid the LAUTECH workers salary till the end of the year.
When owner states were asked to pay N500m each for take-off after the visitation panel, Osun duly paid its own, while Oyo defaulted.
Mr. Bamisayemi should come and explain how Osun was indebted to LAUTECH to the tune of N8.2billion as he falsely stated. Since he has also chosen the path of disparaging the immediate past administration and making case for Oyo government, Bamisayemi should come and tell us what Oyo has contributed to LAUTECH between 2010 and 2019.
The commissioner should also explain the rationale behind the acceptance of N8bn compensation to Osun by Oyo Government when the LAUTECH asset was valued above N100billion naira. The secrecy of the terms and condition of the severance of the joint ownership tells the story all. If the LAUTECH deal was clean, why can’t the State Government come to the public with the MOU on the dissolution?
Bamisayemi and his co-travellers in the journey of perdition should desist from (directly or indirectly) casting aspersion on the person of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola to clothe their ‘akotileta’ paymaster in a garment of disputable integrity and respect which he cannot have.
What happened on LAUTECH is just a clear case of political naivety, inexperienced leadership, ineptitude and desperation for cheap popularity.
Abiodun Akanji
