THE former deputy governor of Osun, Senator Iyiola Omisore, on Sunday in Osogbo, capital of Osun State took a swipe at Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s 2018 fiscal budget of over N173 billion, saying the financial documents were weakened by poor Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and huge debt incurred by his administration.
He described the budget as a waste of time and deceptive, which cannot take the state out of doldrums and its current socio-economic challenges.
Omisore, who is a former chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation made this known at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) state party’s secretariat located at Ogo Oluwa, Osogbo while distributing food items to widows and pensioners in Osun State.
According to him, “we have a debt of over N360 billion in the state hanging for 25 years, the budget is just a waste of time. The entirety of the budget is deceptive because the Internal Generated Revenue (IGR) is zero. The budget is a testament of seven years of failure of Aregbesola but I know that we are wiser now”.
Omisore contended that the emergence of All Progressive Congress (APC) government in Osun and Nigeria had brought unprecedented hardship to innocent Nigerians, through ineffective economic policy, bad governance and failure of the ruling party in providing a conducive atmosphere for the people to thrive in their struggle to earn a decent living.
While admonishing the people to be patient with the PDP in its renewed bid to restore hope for all and also bear the increasing challenges confronting the country, he said “Nigerian nation is like a ship without a sailor, so anytime there is possibility of shipwreck we thank God that Nigerians will painstakingly endure for we the PDP to calm the storm”.
“Nigerian are tired of excuses. The APC has spent most time of the duration of governance in complaining about PDP. The current fuel scarcity is a result of lack of management which was reflected by the clash between the Minister of Petroleum, Dr Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu and NNPC chairman, Mr Maikanti Baru which the end result is fuel crisis. Yet they are still blaming PDP. So I want to appeal to Nigerians to bear with us, the PDP, bear with APC too, let us just change them in 2018 in Osun State and in 2019 at the federal level”, Omisore remarked.