Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke
By OLA MODUPE, Osogbo –
Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, has denied allegations that his administration lavished the state’s funds on foreign travels and training in the first half of 2025.
The governor’s spokesperson, Malam Olawale Rasheed, clarified this in a statement issued to newsmen on Monday in Osogbo.
Malam Rasheed said the reports of N2.8 billion spent on international travels and N1.674 billion on refreshments and meals are untrue.
Rasheed described the public debate around the figures as a “politically-motivated smear campaign” aimed at tarnishing the Governor’s reputation.
He explained that the traveling and training costs were legitimate expenditures tied to capacity-building initiatives for civil servants across several ministries, departments, and agencies.
Rasheed clarified that the amount quoted for international travels and trainings for the first two quarters of the year is the expenditure of the entire officials of the state government, not just the Governor.
“The governor is only the head of the government; there are several other sectorial heads and career officers whose expenditures on travels and training make up the state government expenditure,” he said.
The spokesperson attributed the high cost of travels and trainings to the current exchange rate of the naira, which has significantly increased the total cost despite the reduction in the number of delegates and frequency of traveling compared to past administrations.
Rasheed also explained that the expenditure for cleaning and fumigation services, and refreshments represented the amount spent by the state to maintain a clean environment across the state secretariat, agency offices, and the government house, among others.
