Osun Govt House Looting: Open letter to Speaker Owoeye – Ayo Ologun Writes

Osun Speaker, Rt Hon. Timothy Owoeye
Mr. Speaker,

I write to you today with deep concern but for the love I have for due process and sense of appropriateness in governance.

The events that have unfolded in the last couple of weeks especially in the political spaces concerning looting and otherwise failure for proper transmission of power is such that should strengthen the democracy of the state but it is scary the role that major political actors had played lately.

In a case like this, one would think that the right thing to do to arrest the situation is to fall back to the law and check what it says about the situation on ground, but if there is no law then there could be no sin.

It is also on the basis of this law that arrests are made and prosecutions are done, so if none exists then no basis.

Mr. Speaker, to avoid the total breakdown of law and order especially when a government is leaving and another new one is coming, regardless of the political party, there is a need to promulgate a Transitional law in Osun State to take care of issues of take over and hand over of government.

A law is needed to establish arrangements for the political transfer of administration from one democratically elected Governor to another, to provide for the regulation of the political transfer of power and for related matters.

The transitional law should be such that makes it impossible for the outgoing Governor to Employ or terminate employment except employment in the health sector, even if such person is succeeding himself.

This law should mandate exit from all government quarters by all appointees of government at least a month to end of their administration to enable inventory taking and to make it possible for renovations and proper handling over.

Such appointee if anything is found missing at hand over contrary to inventory taken at possession should be made to lose his or her last salary in office and other entitlement enough to clear what is missing.

Such law should ensure a limit on expenses from the government coffers right from the day election is won and lost, among many other issues.

We can take a cue from states of the country or countries of the world that had done a similar thing or consult agencies that are experts in working out documents after a thorough research must have been carried out.

I’m particularly bothered that if we do not curb the issues that arise when a government is leaving and a new one is coming by officially establishing a working system, we would have created a loophole for theft of government properties and waste of government resources.
I thank you.

Yours sincerely,
Ayodeji Ologun
Spokesperson,
Transparency and Accountability Group.