The Osun state chapter of the Social Democratic Party, SDP has warned Governor Rauf Aregbesola to desist from taking the innocence of the people of Osun state for granted through his recently launched weighing scales tagged as ‘Osunwon Omoluabi’.
Chairman of the party, Chief Ademola Ishola in a statement by the party’s Director, Media and Publicity, Mr Taofik Alabi, noted that the governor has the right to implement same but, argued that it seemed the governor has hidden agenda behind the scales.
According to Ishola, Aregbesola should have allowed the market men and women to purchase the said scales wherever it pays them, while the government plays the supervisory role.
He however advised the governor to seek the intervention of more intelligent people on how government is operated before taking any step. On quoting from the Holy books by the governor during the launching, Ademola advised Mr Aregbesola to desist from using the Holy books of Bible and Qu’ran to cajole people on justification of his wrong actions.
The statement read: “As it is the constitutional right of a government to do as Mr Rauf Aregbesola did on the issue of weighing scales, it is alternative for the market women to buy the scales from anywhere they so want.
“If his action was not for defrauding Osun people, he should have allowed an open market for the scales where everyone buys what suits him/her. He shouldn’t have allowed a sole supplier to handle the material. He can make it mandatory for the market men and women by allowing an open market for the selling of the scales and not for his government’s gain.”
Besides, the SDP boss made reference to common school uniforms for the primary and secondary schools students, and the O’BASKET for the commercial drivers in the state where price of everything was allegedly inflated.
It added: “Standing examples are the common school uniforms for primary/secondary schools students where N1,900 is used to buy a pair of school uniform. And his wife is the sole distributor; the uniform that shouldn’t cost more than N500 per one. Again, O’BASKET is another thing where, ordinarily, a piece of basket shouldn’t cost more than N200, our governor sells it at the rate of N2,000 per one. What increment in percentage is that? If he wants to mend his past wasteful spending and looting, he shouldn’t hold the masses responsible for such. And he should have done that in a wiser form than cheating our poor masses. Let him consult the more intelligent people on how to govern if he is confused about the whole system.
“Though who is handling the supply of the scales, we are yet to know, we know it won’t be other person(s) but members of his immediate family as we have witnessed in times past”.
