Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has directed the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to take immediate action regarding the case of the Apetumodu of Ipetumodu, Oba Joseph Oloyede, who was recently jailed in the United States.
This directive was contained in a statement released on Saturday by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi.
Oba Oloyede was convicted by a U.S. District Court in Ohio for his role in a COVID-19 relief fraud scheme. Judge Christopher Boyko sentenced the monarch to imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and ordered him to pay $4,408,543.38 in restitution.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, Oloyede led a conspiracy that defrauded emergency loan programmes intended to support struggling businesses during the pandemic.
In his cabinet address, Governor Adeleke reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to accountability and development despite ongoing challenges.
He highlighted progress in critical areas, including infrastructure projects such as the Ilesa dualisation, the Ile Ife flyover, the Oke Fia/Lameco flyovers, and the Iwo dualisation project.
The Governor also directed the Commissioner for Energy to draft an implementation plan for the recently passed State Electricity Market Law, with support from the National Electricity Regulatory Commission.
On technology and innovation, Adeleke tasked the Ministry of Science and Innovation with fast-tracking policies such as the State ICT Policy and the Tech Innovation Policy.
He further encouraged the development of a roadmap for Artificial Intelligence and blockchain applications in Osun.
In agriculture, he called for the immediate rollout of the Statewide Youth Agropreneurship Project across all local governments, following its pilot launch in Oriade.
The Governor also stressed the importance of sports development, urging urgent actions to establish the Osun Sports Commission, the Police Trust Fund, and the Osun Sports Development Fund, while working closely with the State Assembly to accelerate the legislative process.
Governor Adeleke equally reminded cabinet members of the high performance rating of his administration among citizens, urging them not to relent in delivering democratic dividends across all sectors.
