Osun State Governor, Gboyega Oyetola, has spoken on his relationship with his predecessor, Rauf Aregbesola.
The duo are believed to be at loggerheads over the politics and governance of the state, despite the fact that Oyetola was Aregbesola’s Chief of Staff for eight years.
While the governor acknowledged the need to direct and redirect policy for public good, however, he said there was no rift between him and his former boss who is now the Minister of Interior.
Speaking on the Osun State Broadcasting Corporation on Thursday, he noted, “My relationship with Ogbeni Aregbesola is very cordial. I see him as my brother. So, there is nothing to it. At least, somebody I served for eight years to ensure his success, so why would I be working against him?
“But when it comes to the issue of governance, yes, we could have issues relating to style and I think it is expected, it is normal.
“The minimum policy on education, 6-3-3-4, made us to access funds from bodies, especially UNICEF, but immediately we changed the policy, they all left the state. A state that needs help will do everything possible to access grants. There must be a periodic review of policies. I said during a debate in 2018 that no policy is rigid. If people say they don’t want a policy, we will review it. l will always want to do things that will be in line with what will qualify us for grants.
“People are just orchestrating what is not there between me and Ogbeni. My relationship with Ogbeni is very cordial.
“Anywhere you see a convergence of two to three people, there will be differences once in a while. But the most important thing is that such bickering should not affect governance and delivery of dividends of democracy to the people.”
