Oyebamiji Was Not Part of Half-salary Regime, AMBO Media Punctures Adeleke’s Half-Salary Lie...• Reaffirms Oyebamiji's Youth-Friendly Record

PRESS STATEMENT

The Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji (AMBO) Media Fronts has read with utter disbelief yet another tissue of lies peddled by the loquacious Spokesperson to Governor Ademola Adeleke, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, wherein he mischievously attempted to brand the APC Governorship Candidate in the 2026 election, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji (AMBO), as “not youth-friendly” by linking him to the infamous half-salary (modulated salary) regime in Osun State.

Let it be stated clearly and emphatically that Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji was not part of the half-salary experiment. Historical facts do not lie. The modulated salary regime commenced in June 2015, whereas Oyebamiji was appointed Commissioner for Finance in May 2017 --- a clear 23 months apart. How then does one become an “architect” of a policy that was already in force nearly two years before his appointment? Only a spokesman who has made falsehood a profession could advance such an illogical claim.

More instructively, just a few months after Oyebamiji assumed office as Commissioner for Finance, the half-salary regime was discontinued and Osun civil servants began to receive their full salaries, despite the acute paucity of funds facing the state at the time. That achievement alone speaks volumes about his financial prudence, workers-friendly disposition and capacity for humane economic management.

For the avoidance of doubt, the real architect of the half-salary regime in Osun State is not AMBO. Ironically, the architect of half-salary in Osun is today the one advising Governor Adeleke on economic matters as his Chief Economic Adviser. It is therefore hypocritical and dishonest for the Adeleke government to attempt to hang the past failures of his chief economic adviser on Asiwaju Oyebamiji.

Contrary to the false narrative being circulated, everywhere AMBO has served, he has consistently prioritised the welfare and future of the youth. This was clearly demonstrated during the administration of former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, when Oyebamiji served as Commissioner for Finance. During that period, bursaries to Osun students were paid regularly, providing much-needed relief to young people and their families. In addition, school fees in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions were deliberately kept at bearable minimums, ensuring that no child was denied education because of inability to pay.

Today, the story is tragically different under Governor Adeleke. Osun parents are now forced to break banks and pay through their noses to afford the exorbitant school fees imposed by the current administration. In UNIOSUN and the University of Ilesa, students are reportedly paying as much as ₦1.5 million, making them  the most expensive public universities in Nigeria. A government that has effectively pushed education beyond the reach of ordinary parents cannot, with any moral standing, claim to be a lover of the youth.

This is even more scandalous when viewed against the backdrop that the Adeleke government has earned close to ₦1 trillion in revenue in just three years. Yet, instead of easing the burden on families and investing in the future of the youth, it has chosen to commercialise education and punish students.

The government has not only commercialised education; it is now making huge profits from the misfortune of our youths. After sacking 1,500 teachers earlier recruited by the Adegboyega Oyetola administration, the Adeleke government went on to dupe over 32,000 young applicants who paid recruitment fees for the much-publicised teachers’ jobs. Three years later, not a single teacher has been recruited, leaving our schools understaffed and our children without qualified teachers to guide them.

No genuine lover of youths would cripple the education system by denying students the teachers they need. Yet this government prefers to turn schoolchildren into tools of political propaganda, parading them to campaign and sing indecorous, petty songs against opposition figures.

Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji has made youth welfare, access to education, and economic opportunity the centre-piece of his programme. He understands that the destiny of Osun lies in the hands of its young people, and he is fully committed to doing everything within his capacity to secure their future. By God’s grace, when he becomes the Governor of Osun State this November, that promise will be faithfully fulfilled.

Signed:

Adebayo Adedeji

Coordinator, AMBO Media Fronts

12 January 2026