Since unveiling the names of the Osun State cabinet members as well as those of chairmen of a few statutory and non-statutory boards, Governor Ademola Adeleke has come under attacks for alleged acts of nepotism and favouritism.
Some of the people opposed to the appointments, however, noted that a number of the appointees had distinguished themselves in their previous posts.
Nonetheless, they were curious about the appointment of Mrs. Adenike Adeleke, who has since been named the Commissioner for Federal Matters.
Adenike, an indigene of Osogbo, is said to be the second wife of the first governor of Osun State, late Senator Isiaka Adeleke, who was an elder brother to the incumbent governor.
The appointment of the Abuja-based businesswoman as commissioner to fill one of the cabinet slots allocated to the Osogbo Local Government Area angered the main opposition party in the state -All Progressives Congress.
The Chairman of Osun State APC , Mr. Tajudeen Lawal, in a statement, argued that since Adenike is still married to the Adeleke family from Ede, she should not have been given the commissioner slot meant for Osogbo, her local government of origin.
Going further, Lawal expressed displeasure that cabinet post was being handed out to a sister-in-law to the governor, as if Osun government business has become part of the private estate of the Adelekes.
Despite the opposition to her appointment, the late Adeleke’s wife, alongside 24 others, proceeded to the House of Assembly, got confirmation of the lawmakers after their screening, and were sworn-in by the governor.
The widow of the late governor was assigned the post of Commissioner for Federal Matters, setting the record of being the first person to hold such an office.
Just as the dust raised by the late Adeleke’s wife appointment was beginning to settle, another furore hit Osun political landscape with the appointment of Tunji Adeleke (Jnr), a 30-year old graduate of Adeleke University, Ede, Osun State.
He is said to be the eldest son of the ex- governor, Adeleke, and a nephew to the incumbent Osun helmsman.
Most probably, if the younger Adeleke had not been appointed Chairman of the Local Government Service Commission, a post considered almost top on the exclusive reserve of the people in their 60s and 70s, perhaps the opposition to his choice, would not have been so huge.
Rummaging through the history of Osun, and paying particular attention to the LGSC since 1999, four elderly men had at different times in the past, occupied the seat of chairman of the commission, with the youngest of them being in his early 60s as of the time of his appointment.
During Chief Bisi Akande’s reign as Osun State governor between 1999 and 2003, late Chief Tunji Abolade occupied the post and was succeeded by Chief Femi Omotara, who was chairman of the Local Government Service Commission during Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola’s tenure as governor between 2003 and 2010.
Dr. Peter Babalola, who had previously served as the Chief of Staff to Oyinlola was made chairman of the commission during Aregbesola’s tenure, while Mr. Tunde Adedeji occupied the post for the entire duration of the immediate past governor, Adegboyega Oyetola’s tenure of office.
Besides all past occupants of the post being indigenes of Osun and on average being in their early 60s and early 70s at the time they were appointed, they all had distinguished careers either in private business, military and politics before being handed the baton to lead the commission.
Therefore, the appointment of the younger Adeleke as the chairman of the commission that is responsible for the promotion, training and transfer of local government staffers in the state, was considered a total break from the norm.
Providing insight into the kind of person fits to be appointed the chairman of the commission, a 71-year old, Mr. Tunde Adedeji, who left the post, less than nine months ago, after serving for about four years, listed age, maturity, sound education, solid experience in personnel management, among others as some of the needed qualities.
Adedeji did not however completely write off Adeleke, saying if the new appointee could embrace humility, learn very fast and take necessary advice, he might succeed as chairman of the commission.
He said, “When I became the chairman of Local Government Service Commission, I was a 66-year-old man. I really never worked for long in the civil service. I work practically for one year and I travelled for Post Graduate program for another two years.
“When I came back and moved into the private sector where at least, I rose to a senior manager level in Unilever before I went into my own business in 1984. The job of the Local Government Service Commission chairman is all about the staff of the Local Government minus political office holders.
“Every staff from the head of local government administration to the least officer are under the purview of the Local Government Service Commission. They take care of their apportionment and everything that has to do with their career, welfare and training. So, if you put a young person who does not have the experience, one thing that would happen is; if he is a well trained person coming from a good home and is prepared to learn, he might be able to cope.”
He gave further insight into how the young Adeleke could cope on the ne job.
The former boss of the commission said, “If he is an arrogant and saucy type, the civil servants will mess him up because they are more matured, experienced and elderly. We have in the civil servants, people that are close to 60 years; people that doctored their ages and are calling themselves under 60 years.
So, when you now put somebody of 30 years in charge of 58 years old staff, one could imagine what would be the result. Definitely, there would be some brushes here and there.
“I don’t know what the Governor saw, why he put him in that position. Maybe he just wanted job for the boys. Let him go and be there, whatever they are doing there, let him go and do it. Because somebody who has never gone through any training himself, who has not gone through several courses, training and re-training, how will he be able to supervise training of people?
“Also, somebody who has never really worked, how would he appreciate the criteria to be used for appointment, promotion, placement, advancement and other things? How will he be able to appreciate placement of people in position? And everything ends on the table of the chairman of local government service commission.”
But Adedeji’s position was countered by the newly appointed Chairman of the Osun State College of Technology, Esa-Oke, Mr. Diran Odeyemi, who believes the elderly ex-chairman of the commission was assessing the younger Adeleke competence for his new job, using old fashioned parameters.
Odeyemi, who is of the opinion that many people belonging to the younger generation, with their vast knowledge of Information Communication Technology, have excelled in the terrain where the so called more elderly technocrats stumbled, insisted that all pointers have indicated that the new appointee is good enough to manage the office given to him.
On the appointment being regarded as nepotism in nature by people who felt the governor should not have given his fraternal nephew such a huge post, Odeyemi said, “The way and manner the children of nowadays develop themselves in technology and governance generally is different from the time when age was almost the most important criterion for appointment into big offices.
“What we believe in now is giving opportunity to the youths. If we say not to the young to run, where do we start if we are still talking about age? We should even give credit to the governor, Ademola Adeleke for giving his nephew that opportunity. We were here when someone appointed his brother as Chief of Staff. We were here when someone appointed his wife as a commissioner without portfolio.
“But in this case, giving them an open appointment means that they are going to work for whatever money they earn and they also know people are watching them on how they work. It will be very difficult for them to misuse the opportunity given to them to serve the state.”
Offering legal perspectives to the debate, a United Kingdom-based legal practitioner, Dr. Misbau Lateef, said Adeleke did not break any law by appointing his family members into public offices.
His view was also shared by an Osogbo-based lawyer, Mr Nahim Adekilekun.
Lateef, a law lecturer at the University of Hull, however noted that it was morally questionable for Adeleke to give public offices to members of his family, whose competence could not be ascertained.
He said, “Generally speaking, the governor has not contravened any law appointing Tunji Adeleke or his family members or whoever into government positions. Section 192(2) of the Constitution gives him the power to appoint commissioners and other appointments as he wishes.
“Mr Tunji Adeleke is well qualified to become a commissioner, and there is no law whatsoever against his appointment. However, being qualified for a position may not exactly mean being competent. I am aware people have expressed doubts about his competence. Well, that’s up to the governor and whatever performance the appointed may put up at the end.
“So, it’s possible the governor may not have been fair or equitable to all local government areas in the state. There is also the moral burden of nepotism associated with appointing cronies and family members into government as many have accused the governor of.”
In his own submission, Adekilekun, who said law and morality are miles apart, asked, “for the purpose of comparison, will anybody have complained if Davido had been made the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism?”
Continuing, the legal practitioner further said, “Another angle to this is, Mrs Adenike Adeleke is the daughter of the renowned Baba Omidiran in Osogbo and a wife to the late Isiaka Adeleke. The Omidirans of Osogbo are wealthy people, this is to show that the appointment is not for any financial gain.
“Tunji Adeleke (jnr) is a USA-based son of the late governor Adeleke. His appointment also cannot be said to be for financial gain, because prior to his appointment he has a business of his own he ran and still runs in the US.”
Unlike the two legal practitioners that differed, two civil society organization leaders that commented on the appointments of family members into sensitive posts by the Osun governor, said such action could not be right steps for a government currently riding on the wave of massive support from the people.
Speaking separately, the Convener of Nigerian For Good Governance, , Mr Wole Oladapo; and the Programme Officer of the Centre for Public Accountability, Ayo Ologun, berated the governor over the appointments.
Oladapo, who observed that the state was not lacking competent professionals that could have been allowed to fill those positions Adeleke had given his family members, also said, “Appointing the wife of your brother as commissioner, the son of that same brother as the chairman of a sensitive organisation as the Local Government Service Commission is unfortunate, and this is not what we bargained for in Osun at a time like this.”
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