The Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has revealed that the travelling costs being pushed around represent the near full-year training allocation for the over 100 agencies of the state government.

In a statement, his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, said the public is also invited to note that a full breakdown of the state travelling cost showed that the amount connected directly to the governor is very negligible as he mostly footed his expenses through the family's private jet, as in the case of his current visit to the United States.

Rasheed clarified that many agencies undertook their local and international training in the first half of the year because of the anticipated kick-off of pre-2026 political activities in the latter part of the year, adding that the opposition’s sponsored reports about international travelling and training expenditures are not only misleading but also mischievous.

“The sponsored publication is a failed attempt by the opposition to misrepresent and mischaracterise much-needed expenditure on local and international training programmes for public servants, service-wide facility maintenance costs and several critical overhead expenses across over 100 government agencies. The fact that the state government actually posted those details on her website confirms that there is no foul play or misapplication of state funds, he clarified.

Rasheed disclosed further that the amount quoted for international travels and trainings for the first two quarters of 2025 is the expenditure of the entire officials of the state government, including commissioners, agency heads, management staff of state-owned tertiary institutions, Permanent Secretaries, and Directors of over 100 parastatals, which covers their transportation, accommodation, feeding, etc.

“The governor is only the head of the government; there are several other sectoral heads and career officers whose expenditures on travels and training make up the state government expenditure.

"So it is incorrect to say Governor Adeleke spent so much on travelling. Also, one has to probe the importance of these travels and training and the value it brings to the state now and in the near future,” Rasheed said.

He highlighted key international events attended by officials of the Osun State Government in the first half of year 2025 like Commonwealth Business Investment Conference where Governor Adeleke led his team to meet potential partners in the creative sector and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ESG Management Services UK Ltd., a UK investment facilitation firm to source and facilitate investment opportunities from UK-based companies in the sectors of agriculture, manufacturing, solid minerals, and other strategic areas.

Other key sectoral trips include the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Digital Economy, the Climate Change and Renewable Energy, the Ministry of Water Resources, the Office of Mining and Natural Resources, state-owned institutions, among others.

The spokesperson further adds that “as a governor committed to public service reforms to meet global standards, some Permanent Secretaries and top officials of the state have undergone several international training and engagements to improve their skills and enhance their productivity”.

More importantly, Rasheed argued that the current high exchange rate of the naira has largely impacted the amount quoted as these trainings and travels are mainly funded by the naira, thereby significantly increasing the total cost despite a marked reduction in the number of delegates and frequency of travelling when compared to the past administration in the states

“The value of naira is why the figure seems outrageous. We have compared notes with the records of the past administration, and I can confirm that this administration is well-positioned in terms of prudence and management of state resources. To get $1000 today, you will need about #1.6 Million, unlike some years ago when you only needed about #400,000. One has to be objective when it comes to discussions like this so as not to be misled by the mischievous propaganda of opposition parties,” he added.

On cleaning and fumigation services, and refreshments, Rasheed said, “The expenditure represents the amount spent by the state to maintain a clean environment across the state secretariat, agency offices, the government house, several state institutions, several health facilities, several state agencies and parastatals, public schools, etc.

While reassuring the public of the governor’s passion for transparency, the spokesperson said it was the state government that posted the widely quoted figures as a mark of accountability and transparency.

“There are no smoking guns. We urge those interested in a full breakdown of the state expenditure to apply for the requisite information under the federal Freedom of Information Act”, he concluded.

ASA