Ogun State Government has said it sympathised with former Governor of the state, Otunba Gbenga Daniel over the mischievous comment he made on the infrastructural development and urban renewal in the state while launching the secretariat of his faction of the Labour Party in Abeokuta at the weekend.

The government equally expressed disappointment at the unguarded and uninformed statement made by Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko while speaking at the same occasion.

In a statement by Alhaji Yusuph Olaniyonu, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, the government said Daniel’s statement was merely trying to justify his failure to execute any tangible project in the state in the eight years that he was governor while the state lost billions of Naira.

Governor Amosun: government replies Daniel, Mimiko

“In some more developed democracy where the machinery of justice move swiftly, Mr. Daniel will not be in a position to be grandstanding and making empty claims. He should be ashamed that in his lifetime, what he failed to achieve as governor is now being accomplished with ease.

“He was talking of roads being constructed at high cost. We say it with all sense of responsibility that contracts in today’s Ogun State are being awarded at the best possible cost in the country and ours is an administration that is extremely frugal with the resources of the state. Mr. Daniel thought he was being smart and playing to the gallery when he was reeling out false figures about the cost of road projects during his tenure and now. We challenge him to mention which of the road projects he constructed could match what we now have across the state”, the government stated.

The government also challenged Daniel to provide concrete evidence on the contracts whose cost he believed were inflated and that he would get appropriate response.

It further noted that Daniel was forced to be making the false claims because he needed to explain and justify why for eight years he left major roads in the state unattended to. One of the neglected roads by his administration is the Ojere -Onikolobo road on which the secretariat of his faction of Labour Party is now located.

On the issue of the state debt, the state government reminded Daniel that if he left billions of naira debt without anything to show for it, he should not believe the present administration is taking a similar devious route.

“The allegation of throwing the state into debt is not only an old one but is unfounded. The House of Assembly investigated it and found out it is baseless. In any case, the executive in today’s Ogun State cannot take any loan without recourse to the House. The massive construction work going on across Ogun State is surprising to Daniel and his ilk and the only conclusion they have reached is that the state must be accessing some secret funds. Our debt portfolio is an open one and the figures are already in public domain. The people of Ogun State know that their money is being well utilized and so Daniel and his visitor, Mimiko can drive smoothly around Ogun State on good roads, a luxury we cannot all afford when he was governor”, the government stated.

While commenting on Mimiko’s statement, the government expressed surprise at how a state governor will make ignorant statement just because he wanted to play politics and say something to please his host.

“What does Mimiko know about the wishes and aspiration of the good people of Ogun State? What is elitist in having modern roads in a state with sophisticated people like Ogun State? If he is looking for a place to extend the reach of his bat-like party, he should go to another place. Our people are happy that the present urban renewal programme in the state will lift the infrastructure from the ancient state it has been since the creation of Ogun State in 1976.

The Ondo State governor should stop making comments that are unbecoming of the position he occupies”, the government stated.