Osun APC, PDP clash over NSE validation on Adeleke’s projects
…As PDP blasts APC over attack on NSE visit
By Ismail Azeez, Osogbo
The All Progressives Congress (APC), and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun, have exchanged words over the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) validation of Governor Ademola Adeleke’s Projects during the visit to the State.
The APC State chairman, Sooko Tajudeen Lawal, in a statement issued by the party’s Director of Media and Information, Chief Kola Olabisi, on Tuesday, said that the circumstances surrounding the visit were equally nauseating and offensive to rational reasoning.
The party alleged that the combined engineering visiting team came under the guise of validating the architectural, structural and construction design and processes of the various ongoing infrastructure projects in Osun State and only visited one project site.
In Lawal’s words: “It defies a logical sense of reasoning that the Engr Margaret Aina-led professional team was welcomed to Osun State by the members of the state cultural group ostensibly prearranged by the state government which put a big question mark on the seriousness of the corporate mission of the body in the state.
“It is absurd and stranger than fiction that a supposed inspection team of a purported professional association would conduct itself in this kind of unbecoming, lousy and compromising manner.
“The question arises that at what point did the combined team of the NSE and COREN engineers thought it desirable and auspicious to give an award of excellence on the projects they were supposed to audit and appraise in Osun State?
“Is it proper to issue a student a certificate before conducting an examination of fitness for such a student which was exactly the ignominious function of the leadership of the NSE and COREN in Osun State during their last questionable visit?
“It won’t be out of tune for a discerning mind to question the propriety of giving an award to the person you have come to grade his projects.
“Do we need to question why there have been incessant incidents of collapsed roads, houses and bridges across the nation in recent time?
“We make bold to say that the road and flyover projects were awarded to fertiliser distributors and cyber cafe operators by Governor Adeleke.
“The circumstances surrounding the NGE/COREN team visit to Osun State appeared like an endorsement of a glaring failure and mediocrity of the shoddy projects being done by Governor Adeleke.
“It is despicable and contemptible that the pliable professionals found in this ignominious showing were the supposed independent assessors of public projects being financed by the public’s money.
“With this shameful development, one may be tempted to review his hitherto rating of the NSE/COREN which before now were held in high esteem as there could not be any acceptable plausible reason under the sun why the highly-rated professional bodies could descend into such abyss of morally repugnant and professionally less-dignified conduct in order to please an irredeemable failure of the Governor Adeleke-led administration in Osun State.
“There are some other noble ways of soliciting patronage from the Adeleke government by the NSE/COREN team without necessarily lowering the esteem of the age-long professional bodies as it was witnessed in Osun State during the controversial working visit of the bodies to the state.
“It would not be an overstatement to recommend the proper investigation of the mission of the characters who constituted the NSE/COREN team to Osun State by the members of the body who have not been blindfolded by whatever might have been the bait for the controversial visit with a view to separating the pebbles from the edible grains of rice,” the state APC chairman stated.
However, the Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said that APC is desperately seeking return of relevance which was irredeemably lost on the volition of their arrogance in failure, wickedness and looting.
The PDP, in a statement by the Chairman, Hon. Sunday Bisi said, “We are not surprised by the APC’s desperation to discredit the NSE’s commendation of our Governor’s projects,” said Hon. Sunday Bisi. Their attack on the NSE is a clear indication that they are afraid of the progress we are making in Osun State.”
Bisi described the APC’s statement as “a laughable attempt to undermine the credibility of a reputable professional body like the NSE, the same organisation that has been to other states doing semblance of what Osun state government is doing in massive infrastructure deliverables.”
“APC should be reminded that the NSE is not a political organisation, and their commendation of our projects is further proof of the quality of work we are doing,” he said.
“Unlike the APC, who are used to shoddy jobs and miscreants like Asiri Eniba assessing their projects and issuing them weed-induced pass marks. We are confident in the quality of our work and are not afraid to showcase it to technical teams like the NSE.”
Bisi also accused the APC of being sore losers, saying, “They are merely preparing for more tears because our Governor will not stop at anything to change the ruinous story they left behind into a state that is prosperous for all and sundry.”
“His Excellency, Governor Ademola Adeleke will not be distracted by their antics,” he added.
“We will continue to deliver quality projects that will benefit the people of Osun State, and we will not be afraid to showcase them to anyone even if Taju Lawal or Mr Oyetola accidentally becomes the leader of such a technical team as NSE.”
The PDP Chairman concluded by saying, “The APC should focus on rebuilding their entangled party rather than trying to stick their nose into a realm that is beyond them, their history and especially their thievery regime. We are the ones with the mandate of the people, and we will not be swayed by their desperation.”
