The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has criticised Governor Ademola Adeleke over the award of a ₦678 million contract for the reconstruction of the Sango-Timi Shrine and Grove at Timi’s Palace in Ede.
In a press statement signed by the party’s Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, on Thursday, the APC described the project as a misplaced priority and an act of favouritism.
The party alleged that the state government only included other historical sites in its tourism development plan after backlash trailed the controversial Ede shrine contract.
The APC maintained that the move was an afterthought aimed at deceiving the people of the state.
“Why was it that it was after the governor’s award of the ₦678 million contract for the construction of the Sango Shrine in his town received wide condemnation that he thought of naming other historical tourist attraction sites across the state to be developed in phases?
“The ploy has refused to fly because it is a glaring insult on the sensibility of the people of this state,” the party added.
The opposition party further argued that the project offered no tangible economic benefit compared with other pressing needs of the state.
“It is worrying that the amount allocated to this shrine project is almost double the ₦376 million released by the government as education subsidy in the first half of the year,” Olabisi said.
The statement also drew attention to unmet promises on workers’ welfare, noting that of the ₦6 billion budgeted for gratuity arrears payment in 2025, no funds had been released by the second quarter.
According to the APC, “only ₦500 million, representing 11.1 per cent of the ₦4.5 billion budgeted, has been disbursed for gratuity payments, while ₦998 million, or 14.3 per cent of ₦7 billion, has been released for the Contributory Pension Scheme.”
The party accused Governor Adeleke of concentrating development in his hometown of Ede, adding that in 2025 alone, seven road projects valued at over ₦70 billion were awarded for dualisation in Ede, while projects in other towns such as Ife, Osogbo, and Ilesa remained uncompleted.
It added that Adeleke’s earlier promise to deliver five flyovers within 12 months had not been fulfilled almost two years later, with two yet to begin and three still incomplete.
The APC also questioned why Ede was considered for the first phase of cultural and tourism development if the intention was to promote heritage and boost tourism across Osun State.
On Wednesday, the state governor, Ademola Adeleke, through a statement by his Spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, revealed that he has approved the upgrade of tourism sites at Osogbo, Ilesa, Ile-Ife, and Ede towns.
Governor Adeleke also disclosed that the upgrades were in line with the administration’s tourism and creative industry expansion agenda in preparation to meet UNESCO recognition.
He also said the target is to expand tourist inflow to the various cultural sites in the state by over 60 per cent in the next one year.