Mallam Olawale Rasheed, Spokesperson to Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has chided Dr Bolaji Akinola, the Special Adviser to the Blue Economy Minister, Gboyega Oyetola, telling him to “face the under-performing ministerial leadership he is engaged to manage rather than disparaging a popularly acclaimed performing governor of Osun state.”

Responding to the adviser’s recent statements attacking Governor Adeleke, Mallam Rasheed said “the minister’s media aide should provide reasons for the ministerial failure to curb waterways deaths that now run into more than a thousand under his boss among other shortcomings.”

Continuing, he said in a statement issued late Thursday: “Waterway deaths are not only increasing, the ministry has failed to provide a workable solution or create a strategy either short or long term to address the crisis.

“The same way the former boss of Nigerian Waterways Inland Authority (NIWA), Bola Oyebamiji failed abysmally as the head of the agency is being replicated and sustained at ministerial level under Mr Oyetola, Mr Bolaji’s boss.

“Bolaji should explain the under-performance of his boss in critical areas of marine economy reforms as evidenced and exposed at the recent budget defence where the minister was put to task by many senators.

“Excuses for failing in Osun and now complaints for under-performing as a minister is a matter that should worry Bolaji rather than venturing into Osun political water in which he is a novice.

“At a time when the blue economy sector is rated by many industry specialists as the one of the most screwed up within the federal structures, Bolaji is uninterested in providing supportive solutions for his embattled boss but is rather focussed on commenting on territory he was never educated about.

“Governor Adeleke who arrived Nigeria this evening after attending the mining Indaba conference that increased direct foreign investment inflow into Osun from 50 million dollars to almost 150 million dollars is a result-oriented reformer of the Osun mining sector and economy as a whole.

“When Bolaji bosses were in charge of Osun, the mining sector remained comatose as Osun mining licences were about to expire and earnings from the sector were largely going into the private sector.

“Governor Adeleke changed the story by introducing root and branch reform of the Mining sector, revalidation of state owned licences, exciting investors into the productive participation and securing for the first time Osun shareholding and returns in Segilola gold projects.

“Governor Adeleke is today widely applauded in every corner of Osun state for his exceptional performance across the sectors. Where Bolaji boss failed, Governor Adeleke is excelling.”