Residents of Osun State have called on Governor Ademola Adeleke to investigate the alleged mismanagement of ₦25 million earmarked for an Information and Communication Technology training programme by the Ministry of Youth Affairs, following controversy over the project’s implementation and the commissioner’s petition against a journalist who reported the matter.
The Commissioner for Youth Affairs, Hon. Moshood Olagunju, has come under criticism over allegations that he sought police intervention against the Publisher of Insight Links, Jare Ismahil Tiamiyu, after the latter published an investigative report questioning the management of funds allocated to the proposed youth ICT training.
The controversy has generated public debate, with residents questioning whether the programme was actually conducted, how the ₦25 million was utilised and why the ministry has not provided a detailed public account of the project.
The disagreement also centres on conflicting statements attributed to officials of the ministry regarding the status of the training. While Olagunju reportedly told the police that the programme had been conducted, a Special Assistant in the ministry, Babawale Popoola, had earlier indicated that the exercise was yet to take place and would be organised on a date to be announced.
In a statement published on his Facebook page, Popoola said the ministry would announce the implementation of its programmes at the appropriate time.
“The Ministry of Youth Affairs will publicly announce plans to execute its programmes at the appropriate times, and I will play my role in ensuring that such information reaches all concerned youths,” he stated.
The conflicting accounts have intensified calls for the commissioner to clarify the programme’s status, provide details of its implementation and explain the expenditure of the public funds.
The development featured prominently during a live programme on Afinju FM, monitored by our correspondent, where callers and stakeholders expressed concerns about the ministry’s accountability, the commissioner’s handling of the controversy and the reported police petition against the journalist.
Several participants argued that instead of resorting to police complaints against a journalist, the commissioner should have responded to the questions raised in the investigation by making relevant records and explanations available to the public.
Human rights activist Wole Oladapo, who spoke during the programme, criticised the commissioner’s leadership and questioned the basis of appointments into public offices, arguing that political loyalty should not take precedence over competence and experience.
Oladapo described the controversy as another indication of what he considered poor leadership in the Ministry of Youth Affairs, insisting that the performance of those appointed to oversee public institutions should be assessed based on their ability to deliver results.
“This issue is like putting the wrong peg in a right hole and it’s a pity for us in Osun. Even if the governor was asked to rate the commissioners working under him for the past four years, I know he would have many ugly things to say about the Ministry of Youth and its commissioner,” he said.
He argued that the process of appointing public office holders needed to be reviewed to ensure that individuals with the necessary exposure, experience and administrative capacity were entrusted with ministries responsible for delivering essential services.
According to him, political considerations have continued to influence appointments at the expense of competence, a situation he said could undermine public service delivery.
“The way we used to appoint people into our ministry needs to be revisited. We need to be looking for the best with experience and exposure in supervising the ministry, not all about politics. In this part of the world, we always compensate loyalty over competency,” Oladapo said.
He further claimed that he had questioned Olagunju’s preparedness for the office shortly after his appointment, arguing that the controversy surrounding the ICT training had reinforced his earlier concerns.
“Immediately he was appointed, I saw it clearly that this commissioner didn’t know what he was appointed to do, and this and many other issues have justified my claim. What we have seen so far is that this commissioner is not capable,” he added.
However, the activist commended the Nigeria Police Force, particularly the X-Squad of the Zone XI Command under the leadership of ACP Akinloye Oyegade, for what he described as a professional handling of the petition involving Tiamiyu.
Oladapo said he had confidence that the police would approach the matter in accordance with professional standards rather than allow the situation to become an avenue for intimidating the journalist.
“I commend the Osun State Police Command and particularly the officer in charge of this case, ACP Akinloye Oyegade. When this issue of arresting Jare Tiamiyu came out, I said that the police will do their job effectively because they would handle this case professionally,” he stated.
Other callers on the programme expressed concern that funds allegedly intended to equip young people with digital skills could have been mismanaged, warning that any failure to implement the programme would deny potential beneficiaries an opportunity to acquire skills that could improve their employment prospects.
One participant questioned why the commissioner would allegedly seek the intervention of the police against a journalist instead of publicly explaining how the money was spent and providing evidence that the training had taken place.
“Did the Commissioner for Youth not know that he would need citizens again? How could he do that with the youth whom he was supposed to empower with ₦25m, and does he have to threaten the arrest of people who expose their atrocities?” the caller asked.
Another resident raised concerns about the information being supplied to Governor Adeleke regarding the ministry’s activities, suggesting that the governor might not have been receiving a complete account of the situation.
The caller urged the state government to examine the ministry’s programmes and determine whether funds approved for youth development had been used for their intended purposes.
“Where we do have an issue is from those following political leaders. This commissioner will be giving reports to the governor that they are doing well in that ministry. Many bad things have happened in this ministry and the question is, has the governor not heard about it? These are the things that could be of benefit to the people, but the commissioner and his ministry decided to divert it,” the resident alleged.
Another caller defended Tiamiyu’s right to investigate and report issues involving public expenditure, maintaining that journalists should not be subjected to intimidation for demanding accountability from public officials.
The participant also appealed to Adeleke to intervene by ordering a review of the ministry’s activities and ensuring that the questions surrounding the ICT training were adequately addressed.
“How much is that money that the commissioner has to be threatening people? If they had done that programme, they were supposed to have come out for clarification where many youths would have benefitted from it. I believe that Mr Jare Tiamiyu has not done anything bad. I am using this medium to call on the state governor to look into the affairs of this ministry,” the caller said.
A further participant appealed to the commissioner and the state government to exercise restraint and embrace transparency, arguing that public officials must be prepared to account for government resources entrusted to them.
The caller stressed that young people remained important to the state’s development and should not be denied programmes designed to improve their economic opportunities.
“Our youth are the future of tomorrow. I beg the state government and the Commissioner for Youth to take things easy. These are government funds, for God’s sake, and citizens have the right to ask questions about it, and we need accountability over public funds,” the participant said.
The reactions have renewed demands for the Adeleke administration to establish whether the ₦25 million ICT training programme was implemented, identify the beneficiaries, disclose the expenditure and clarify the conflicting statements attributed to officials of the ministry.
Residents have also urged the government to address concerns over the commissioner’s reported petition against Tiamiyu, stressing that questions about public expenditure should be answered with verifiable information rather than allowed to degenerate into confrontations between public officials and journalists.
