Stop the Blame Game, Give Ogun People Good Governance, Amosun Fires Back at Dapo Abiodun

The immediate past governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun has berated the incumbent governor of the state, Prince Dapo Abiodun, charging him to focus his energy on delivering the dividends of democracy and good governance to the people of the gateway state.

The former governor advised the incumbent governor to roll up his sleeves and concentrate on serving the good people of the state instead of shying away from his constitutional responsibilities, playing the blame game or giving excuses for his failure to deliver results.

Amosun broke his silence in reaction to a recent statement, issued by an aide to Governor Dapo Abiodun over the nonpayment of the severance allowances for the special assistants who served under the administration of the former governor between 2015 and 2019, noting that the statement was nothing but a smear campaign against his person and his past administration.

Open Television Naija recalls publishing a previous report in which the Special Adviser to the Ogun state Governor on Media and Strategy, Hon. Kayode Akinmade had told former political appointees who worked with the previous administration to "Blame Amosun, Not Dapo Abiodun" for their plight.

Open Television Naija reports that the reaction by former governor Amosun via a press release from his media office, duly signed by Lanre Akinwale, is a swift response to the previous statement credited to Kayode Akinmade.

Earlier in the week, the Special Assistants who served under former governor of Ogun state, Senator Amosun between 2015 to 2019 had in a statement called on President Bola Tinubu to prevail on Prince Dapo Abiodun to pay their outstanding severance gratuity

According to them, they had written several letters to the incumbent Governor, pleading for the payment of their entitlements since 2019, but Abiodun has failed to respond to their requests.

However, Amosun went back in time, revealing that during his own administration, he paid the severance benefits of political appointees who served during the administration of his predecessor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, without asking the beneficiaries to resort to begging, appeasing, worshipping and bootlicking him.

He said he paid it voluntarily, fully aware that government is a continuum, noting that he considered it part of his responsibility to the affected people for the services rendered to the state.

The statement by the Senator Ibikunle Amosun media office reads in part: “It is beyond logical reasoning and common sense that a government that had spent more than five (5) years in office, will still be shying away from its statutory responsibilities to the people of Ogun State.

“It is high time the present administration in Ogun State cured itself of the pull him (Amosun) down syndrome from which says it suffers, deluding it to think it can score cheap political points via calculated smear campaigns against the former governor.

The statement further reads:“Amosun has served the people of Ogun State selflessly, passionately and committedly. His legacies are still noticeable across the nooks and crannies of the state, spanning different sectors.”

The former governor described the present administration’s directive to blame him despite having the handover note in the last five years as unthinkable.

“It is sad and unthinkable that the present administration will direct the affected appointees to Amosun after detailed information about his (Amosun’s) government was presented in the form of handover notes to the present administration five years ago.

“It is obvious that the present administration deliberately refused to pay the severance of the past appointees just because he is still nursing feelings of vendetta against them for failure to lick his boots after having served the state diligently.

The former governor further schools the incumbent governor to take cognizance of the fact that his tenure of office is fast ticking away.

"Time is tickling away, we will only advise the present administration to stop politicking, blame game, and pull him down syndrome.Rather it should concentrate on good governance." he concluded.

Tags: Ogun state, Ogun Politics, SIA, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Dapo Abiodun, Former Political Appointees, Severance Allowance,