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Rejoinder: Re: July 16: Oyetola, Famodun cheaply delivered victory to PDP – Salinsile
By KOLA OLABISI
Talk indeed, is cheap. It is unbelievable that one of the leaders of a political tendency, the self-styled The Osun Progressives (TOP), which is a known ally of the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Rasaq Ayobami Salinsile, could brazenly stoop so low to address a press conference where he, together with his group of cohorts, accused the ever-focused and workaholic Osun State Governor Gboyega Oyetola and the quintessential party administrator, Prince Gboyega Famodun, the elected and duly recognized state party chairman, of being responsible for the loss of the APC in the July 16, 2022 governorship election.
The discerning minds in the state and beyond may be forced to believe and conclude that the memory must be failing Alhaji Salinsile if he has suddenly forgotten the threat of the members and the leaders of the inglorious TOP that they would work against the reelection of Governor Oyetola which was reflected in the results of the said election.
It was audible to the deaf, visible to the blind and tangible to the idiots how the members and leaders of the shameless TOP members were fond of outdoing one another in engaging in the campaign of calumny against the administration of Governor Oyetola even more than the opposition PDP.
If I may ask Salinsile, has his boss, the Interior Minister, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, resigned his self-asserted patronship of TOP where he agreed to all the actions and inactions of the political tendency that were capable of halting the re-election of Governor Oyetola?
Has Salinsile forgotten the outbursts of Aregbesola, the state former governor, at different fora in Ijebu-Jesa, Osogbo, Iwo and Ikire where he threatened to give Oyetola an Ambode treatment?
Did Aregbesola not deride Oyetola in his twitter message shortly after the said election went the way his group wanted and worked for?
Did the members of TOP not roll out the drums to celebrate the loss of the APC governorship candidate with accompanying curses of the governor, the party chairman and all other leaders of the APC?
If Salinsile and his group did not deliberately work and scheme for the loss of the APC, he should tell the world why he shunned the invitation to the pre-election meeting of the Iwo Federal Constituency issued by its secretary, Hon Kola Aworinde.
Salinsile’s position that the members of the TOP worked for Oyetola is a fluke and face-saving which could only be believed by scallywags based on direct and verifiable circumstantial evidences before and after the election.
Salinsile should be told that the members of his shameless group cannot eat their cake and at the same time, have it.
It is annoying, nauseating and smelling to high heaven for a group which has been operating outside the constituted sphere to be canvassing for the restructuring of the Osun APC when it was known to all and sundry that they contributed immensely to its present plight.
Salinsile and his people don’t have the moral right to canvass, effect or suggest the restructuring of the Osun State APC after having collectively and conscientiously worked for the PDP in the state.
What are we even talking about? Has Salinsile and his group of political renegades forgotten that Senator Ademola Adeleke, the Osun State governor-elect attested and comfirmed that the TOP people worked for his success during the governorship election?
Assuming without conceding that an effort is in top gear to sanction any member of the Osun APC who runs foul of the constitution of the party by engaging in serial anti-party activities; this development should not bring a sleepless night as whoever does no wrong does not need to fear anything.
The shameless TOP handlers and their supporters who are canvassing the restructuring of the Osun APC should be told that the state leader of the party, Governor Gboyega Oyetola, has promised to engage in its restructuring in due course shortly after the governorship election. But this should not be at the behest of the rebellious group who have been operating from outside the main stream of the party.
Salinsile and Elder Biyi Adelowo together with their followers should stop insulting the sensibilities of the people of the state as it’s in the public domain that the duo lost their units, wards and local governments during the July 16, 2022 governorship election.
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*OLABISI is the Media Adviser to the Osun State APC chairman*
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is projected to rise from 3.4 per cent in 2023 to 3.8 per cent in 2024.
Abebe Selassie, Director, African Department, IMF, said this at a news briefing on the IMF’s Regional Economic Outlook for SSA titled “A Tepid and Pricey Recovery” on Friday in Washington DC.
Selassie said economic recovery was expected to continue beyond 2024, with growth projections reaching 4.0 per cent in 2025.
“After four challenging years and multiple shocks, SSA’s economy appears to be on the mend.
“We expect growth to accelerate to 3.8 per cent from 3.4 per cent last year, after peaking at almost 10 per cent in late 2022.
“We are also seeing inflation having been halved in the early months of this year, thanks to decisive actions by central banks.
“This includes slower food price increases, a positive development in a region where the cost-of-living crisis has been acute in recent years.”
He said further, fiscal consolidation efforts were starting to pay off, with the median public debt stabilising at around 60 per cent of Gross Domestic Product(GDP), halting a 10-year upward trend.
“ With global financial conditions easing, a few countries have been able to return to international markets, ending a two-year hiatus.”
The director said though the signs were encouraging, the region was not out of the woods.
Selassie said far too many countries still faced a funding squeeze, adding that their borrowing costs were high and funding sources curtailed.
“Government interest payments now account for about 12 per cent of revenues, more than double the level a decade ago, and official development assistance concessional financing has become much more scarce.
“What does this mean for countries? It means much-needed funds are being diverted from spending on investment development to interest payments, with consequences for the region’s growth potential and its ability to withstand future shocks.”
He said sustaining reforms would be important for macroeconomic conditions to continue to improve.
Selassie said this would ensure that countries in the region can build their resilience to shocks, generate jobs, diversify their economies, and improve living standards.
The director said three policy priorities could help countries in the region adapt to the challenges
“First, to continue to improve public finances, with an emphasis on domestic revenue mobilisation.
“This will help meet the region’s vast development spending needs in the context of scarce concessional financing and high borrowing costs.”
He said the second policy priority was to sustain the focus on reducing inflation wherever inflation remained well above target.
Selassie said the third policy was to implement reforms that enhance skills development, spur innovation, improve the business environment, and promote trade integration to secure more affordable and stable financing.
“But the burden should not just be on countries alone. Support from the international community will remain essential.
“The IMF stands ready to support, having already provided 58 billion dollars in financing to the region since the start of the pandemic.
“Let me conclude by stressing that the region is at a turning point. With the right policy choices, I am very confident that the region will ensure that this will be the African century.”
Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo has called on the federal government to assist the state in tackling the menace of insecurity and incessant flooding in some parts of the state.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, Ismaila Isah in a statement on Friday quoted Governor Ododo to have made the call when he received a delegation of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC at the Government House, Lokoja.
The governor noted that as a transit state that borders the federal capital territory and 10 other states, Kogi is in dire need of improved financial intervention from the federal government to address challenges of insecurity and flooding.
Ododo said the problems of insecurity and perennial flooding could impact the federal capital Abuja and other neighbouring states if left unaddressed.
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