By; Anita Abu
House of Representatives member representing Ede North, Ede South, Egbedore, Ejigbo federal constituency, Bamidele Salam has stated that his party, the People’s Democratic Party handed over a viable state to Governor Rauf Aregbesola-led All Progressives Congress in Osun.
Salam Nigeria was healthy and more united when former President Goodluck Jonathan left in 2015 compared to what we have now.
The lawmaker said the APC should be blamed for the backwardness of the Osun State in terms of economy and decadence in infrastructures.
He said ex-Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola was paying salaries and taking care of education, health and water supply to nooks and crannies before he left in 2010.
Salam said, “For the first time, we had the best policies of education. Osun was giving students textbooks and notebooks. But when the Aregbesola administration came on board, you all know what happened. They introduced a tablet called Opon Imon, eight billion naira went down the drain.
“In the area of staff welfare, PDP had the best policy on public service. No labour crisis at all. During Aregbesola, I counted seven times that medical doctors alone went on strike. Teachers and other civil servants went on strike severally.
“Olagunsoye Oyinlola administration frontally addressed the issue of public water supply. Ordinarily, every nook and cranny of Osun had water supply, but when Aregbesola came on board, he neglected that project and brought one man from Lagos State to head it, who bastardized the project.
“If you talk about the debt profile, Oyinlola borrowed 18bn and paid over half of it before he left. But Osun State was plunged into huge debt by Aregbesola that his successor, who was his Chief of Staff could not publicly state Osun debt profile.
“The Osun state and Nigeria that PDP handed over to the APC were healthier and prosperous compared to what we have now. So what I can say to Osun people and Nigerians is to return us to power in 2022 and 2023 and we will take the state and the country back to how it was before APC took over.” Salam said.