NO NEW SECURITY VEHICLES : YET OSUN GOVERNMENT SPENT N9.7BN ON SECURITY IN 30 MONTHS - 300% More Than Oyetola's 48 Months

By Adebayo Adedeji 

On Friday, Governor Ademola Adeleke took the falsehood of his administration to another height, struggling to explain to the public the N9.7 billion incurred under Security expenses in 30 months. In the past, the governor had claimed his administration had never spent a Kobo from the Security Votes, a lie that was vehemently dispelled by the discerning members of the leading opposition party, APC, neccesitating the government officials, when faced with public backlash, to create different explainers to shield the obvious extravagant spending.

The governor's spin doctor, Olawale Rasheed, in his latest narrative, is advancing a troubling position to rationalize the profligacy of the government, claiming that under the watch of Senator Adeleke, the government doesn't "operate security votes in the sense Nigerians understand it." Only Governor Adeleke and his handlers could explain what they mean by "Security Votes" in the "sense Nigerians understand it." Nonetheless, the fact of the matter is that the current administration has spent in 30 months about 300% more of what the previous administration spent under Security expenses. 

Security expenses are often listed under three budget lines: Security services, Security votes and Rescue services. According to the state government, Security and safety expenses are costs incurred in the protection of lives and properties and the maintenance of law and order while Rescue services cover communal and related clashes within the State.

In 2023, the state government spent N2.64 billion on Security. A further analysis of the expenditure goes thus: Security services - N527 million; Security votes- N2.09 billion and Rescue services - N32.3 million. ( See page 27 of the Osun State Budget Performance Report 2023)

In 2024, the state spent N3.59 billion on Security, detailing the expenditure thus: Security services - N2.01 billion and Rescue services N1.58 billion. (See page 48 of the Report of the Accountant General of Osun State 2024). 

However, how did the expenditure on Rescue services gallop from N32.3 million in 2023 to N1.58 billion in 2024? Did Osun fight Taliban or Boko Haram war to have needed whooping N1.58 billion to rescue its citizens and properties from the war-torn tunnels? We will return to this issue shortly.

In the first half of 2025, the state government already has spent N3.57 billion on Security: Security services- N3.17 billion; Security votes - N320 million and Rescue services - N10.7 million. (See page 40 of the Osun State Budget Performance Report Q2 2025)

Could the state government of Osun justify these insane expenses given that no operational equipment or security vehicle, to enable security operatives perform optimally, has been purchased in the last 3 years of Governor Adeleke in the saddles? In 2022, ex-Governor Adegboyega Oyetola purchased no fewer than 20 vehicles for security operatives in the state.

Why would the Osun State Government need N1.58 billion for Rescue services in 2024 when in 2020, in the heat of COVID-19 pandemic and END-SARS onslaught, the state under Oyetola only spent N30 million for the same purpose? Two reasons could account for the humongous expenditure in 2024: either, the figure was bloated to line the pockets of the government officials or Osun recorded more communal or severe security clashes in 2024 than what it experienced during the international and national disaster of COVID-19 and END-SARS riot. Governor Adeleke and his men need to clarify these grey and concerning areas. The public needs to know that the state resources are not being frittered away to serve personal interests. It is absurd that a state governor is secretly accessing and enjoying the Security Votes yet claiming otherwise in the public. It is crudely dishonest.