The Osun State government has denied any involvement in the ₦1 billion donation made to the Cherubim and Seraphim Church, clarifying that the contribution was a personal philanthropic act by Dr. Deji Adeleke, a globally recognized business mogul.
This clarification was issued by the Spokesperson to the state Governor, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, who emphasized that Governor Ademola Adeleke did not authorize the donation, nor was it sourced from the state’s treasury.
The statement from Mallam Rasheed came in response to allegations by the Osun State chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC), which accused Governor Adeleke of misusing state funds by contributing to the C&S Church. The APC had claimed that the Governor squandered state assets through the donation.
In his response, Mallam Rasheed criticized the APC’s claims, stating, “The state APC and its operatives have run out of ideas, hence the opposition resorts to barefaced lies and fake news on an event globally live-streamed and a donation personally made by the billionaire father of a billionaire, Dr. Deji Adeleke.”
He further questioned the APC’s logic, reminding the public of Dr. Adeleke’s previous charitable contributions. “Let us all recall that Dr. Adeleke made substantial donations to the state government under the Oyetola administration during the COVID crisis. Was Governor Adeleke in office then? Dr. Adeleke also hugely contributed to the Federal Government during the COVID crisis. Was Governor Adeleke in charge of the Osun treasury then?” Rasheed asked rhetorically.
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Rasheed also refuted the APC’s attempt to stir religious tensions, noting that the Muslim community in Osun has benefited significantly from the Adeleke administration. “Today, Governor Adeleke is almost completing the state Hajj Camp, which the previous APC government did nothing about,” he added.
The Spokesperson did not mince words in addressing the APC’s frequent criticisms, stating, “The Osun APC is daily hallucinating as it has become overwhelmed by the superlative performance of Mr. Performer, Governor Ademola Adeleke.
These days, press statements from the state APC appear to be silly concoctions from depressed minds who are lost as to how to tackle the state Governor.”
Rasheed concluded by reiterating that neither the Osun State government nor the Governor made the ₦1 billion donation. “We seek to put this unnecessary debate to rest by clarifying once again that neither the state government nor the state Governor donated the said One Billion naira to the Lagos church.
We add too that the said money is not being sourced from the state treasury. And we conclude by affirming that the philanthropist who made the donation had made even bigger donations in the past and even to the APC government to address the state emergency,” he said.
“Members of the public should ignore the vituperations and the fake news merchants who now run the deeply unpopular and polarized APC structures in Osun state,” Rasheed concluded.
