Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, on Thursday disclosed that his administration has maintained transparency and priority spending to keep the state running, following the non-release of monthly allocation to the local government areas in the state.
The governor, however, expressed hope that the local government crisis ravaging the state would soon be resolved within the context of the rule of law and respect for the federal constitution.
Adeleke made this known in Ilesa, Osun State, at the free enrollment of the inmates in the two Correctional Centres in the State into the Osun Health Insurance Scheme.
The governor, who recalled some of the initiatives his administration had executed to improve the health and well-being of the residents, further said the inmates were considered worthy members of society, whose health needed to be accorded the necessary attention.
“Today, we extend our healthcare coverage to inmates of correctional centres as a demonstration of our concern for the health and well-being of every segment of our people.
“Many have asked how we are achieving all these despite the State’s lean financial situation, especially in the last seven months. The answer is simple.
“Aside from being strong believers in God, we embrace transparency and priority spending in the management of state funds. We have raised our internally generated revenue, and we judiciously manage our special project account,” he said.
Earlier, the Controller of Corrections in the State, Rotimi Olalekan, said the initiative followed a request he made to the Executive Secretary, Osun Health Insurance Agency, Dr. Rasaq Akindele, when he resumed duties in the state.
Olalekan further said, “I emphasised majorly on the enrollment of our inmates, and he promised to discuss with you, sir. As a listening Governor, he conveyed your message back to us that you had expressly and graciously approved the enrollment of 1,200 inmates into OHIS, which we are witnessing today.”
He commended the governor for approving the enrollment of the inmates and requested;Â installation of barbed wire on the perimeter fence to prevent escape attempts and ensure safety, installation of CCTV cameras to enhance surveillance and security and provision of a solar power system to provide a reliable source of energy, among others, for the correctional centres in the state.
