The Osun State House of Assembly, led by Speaker Adewale Egbedun, is facing intense scrutiny for its recent alleged N1.03 billion expenditure on car purchases for lawmakers.
The controversy stemmed from the lack of transparency surrounding the transaction, coupled with the state’s current financial difficulties.
The distribution of the SUVs without prior public announcement or budgetary allocation drew sharp criticism from a coalition of civil society groups under the banner of “The Osun Mastermind” (TOM) which condemned the assembly’s spending spree.
Professor Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli, the Executive Director of TOM, also criticised the assembly’s failure to explain ambiguous spending of over N800 million in the third quarter of 2023, beyond the car purchase, which was not included in the budget.
Professor Oyedokun-Alli called for immediate disclosure of details surrounding the assembly’s N886.4 million expenditure for July, August, and September 2023.
He pointed out that a member organization, the Centre for Sustained Dialogue, had submitted a Freedom of Information request on November 22, 2023, but received no response.
He particularly criticised the assembly’s actions in light of its youthful leadership, represented by Speaker Egbedun.
He expressed disappointment that a generation supposedly advocating for positive change exhibited such blatant disregard for the people’s plight.
His words, “We keenly followed the debates that trailed the release of the Quarter 3 2023 Osun State budget performance and we are bothered that Osun assembly didn’t show accountability and provide details of ambiguous spending.
“One of our member organizations, Centre for Sustained Dialogue, on the 22nd day of November 2023, wrote a Freedom of Information request to the House of Assembly, demanding to know details of expenditure that amounted to N886,459,882.49 for the months of July, August and September which nothing has been done till now.
“This is disturbing because the Speaker of the Assembly is a young person who is supposed to belong to a generation that wants change. We also now make an open request to the Osun State House of Assembly, under Adewale Egbedun, to disclose within 7 days, details of its N886,459,882.49 expenditure for the months of July, August and September 2023.”
He added that “The Assembly recently splashed almost Forty Million Naira each on purchasing Toyota Fortuner SUVs for Members of the House of Assembly. The House, under Adewale Egbedun, must come out to give details of that expenditure of N1.04b that is not included in budget.
“We consider it sad that a House of Assembly populated by young people who are supposed to be our hopes for positive change in governance, is so insensitive to the plights of the people they represent.
“It is disheartening that in a State where government has repeatedly claimed it is frugally managing the finances of the State, the Assembly is splashing so much of Osun people’s collective resources on such frivolity.”
Responding to the criticism through his spokesperson, Olamide Tiamiyu, the speaker said, “The Osun State House of Assembly will continue to act within the purview that is been guided by the law and with reference to due process.
“There is a budgetary provision for the vehicles. But the price quoted is in the figment of the imagination of the person that said it.”