About one year and four months after taking over the reign of the state, Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has finally moved into the Okefia Government House, Osogbo, the governor’s official residence.
Adeleke was sworn in on Sunday, November 27, 2022, and instead of moving into Government House, he has been living in his house in Ede, a nearby town to Osogbo.
Despite constant attacks from the opposition All Progressives Congress, Adeleke remained in his Ede residence and at times conducted business of the state there, on the basis that the Government House was under renovation.
The spokesperson for the governor, Olawale Rasheed, in a statement on Sunday, disclosed that after the completion of the renovation, Adeleke had officially opened the Government House and moved into the building.
Rasheed explained that the rehabilitation work covers the main house, the completion of an abandoned multi-bedroom Guest House, the remodelling of some structures, the refixing of many derelict facilities and the facelift of the entire Government House.
Speaking at the unveiling of the renovated Government House, an event attended by top officials of the Osun State Government, Adeleke said his administration was committed to upgrading state assets irrespective of whether such programmes were inherited or commenced by him.
Quoting the governor, the statement read, “I have upgraded the Government House just as I rehabilitated the Governor’s office. We ensured the Government House was rescued from the open neglect we inherited. You can all see the upgraded facilities which now place our state in good stead in the comity of states.
“I met an abandoned guest house where top dignitaries can be hosted instead of huge bills on outside accommodation. I ordered its rehabilitation, and today, it is completed. The presidential lodge I met on the ground was in a terrible state. Our team fixed it.
“Our administration is passionate about upgrading state assets because they are for generations even yet unborn. We must act genuinely on the mantra that government is a continuum. Abandoning projects or state assets as Osun witnessed in the recent past is a sign of bad leadership.”
Adeleke noted that his administration is “completing old projects and initiating new ones. We are also maintaining and upgrading the old structures, refixing them for effective usage of the state.
“To the good people of Osun state, your governor has moved into the Government House. I pledge to redouble our efforts at delivering on the five-point agenda. We are truly fixated on sustaining the delivery of good governance.”