Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has dismissed allegations of wasteful spending on international trips, stating that he often travels with his family's private jet to minimise costs to the state.
In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, Governor Adeleke described recent media reports accusing him of excessive spending on foreign trips as a deliberate distortion by opposition elements. He maintained that the actual figures for travel and training expenses represent costs incurred by over 100 government agencies — not just the governor’s office.
“The governor’s personal travel expenses are negligible in the total figure. He frequently uses the family’s private jet, including for his current trip to the United States, thereby significantly cutting down public costs,” Rasheed clarified.
According to the statement, the expenses in question include logistics, accommodation, and feeding for commissioners, heads of parastatals, permanent secretaries, and top officials of tertiary institutions who embarked on both local and international training programmes.
Rasheed explained that most of these trainings and official trips were conducted in the first half of 2025 in anticipation of heightened political activities ahead of the 2026 electoral cycle.
“The opposition-sponsored report is a misleading attempt to create controversy over legitimate training and operational costs. The irony is that the same government being accused of secrecy actually published the expenditure details on its official website — a clear commitment to transparency,” the spokesperson said.
He highlighted that the expenses covered delegations from key ministries and agencies, including Commerce and Industry; Agriculture and Food Security; Science, Innovation and Digital Economy; Water Resources; Climate Change and Renewable Energy; and Mining and Natural Resources.
Rasheed also pointed to Governor Adeleke’s participation in the 2025 Commonwealth Business Investment Conference, where the state signed a Memorandum of Understanding with ESG Management Services UK Ltd. to attract investments from British companies into agriculture, manufacturing, and solid minerals.
“These are not leisure trips. They are strategic engagements to position Osun for investment and development,” Rasheed said.
He further noted that rising foreign exchange rates have had a major impact on the cost of international travels, even with reduced delegation sizes and frequency compared to past administrations.
“For example, $1,000 now costs about ₦1.6 million, as opposed to ₦400,000 a few years ago. The figures may look large, but they reflect economic realities, not financial recklessness,” he explained.
On other recurrent expenditure items like cleaning and refreshments, Rasheed said they covered services across the state secretariat, government offices, schools, hospitals, and various agencies — not just the Government House.
Reassuring the public of the Governor’s dedication to fiscal accountability, Rasheed said, “This administration has nothing to hide. We urge anyone seeking more details to request them under the Freedom of Information Act. What you see is proof of openness, not misuse.”
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