Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo
The federal lawmaker representing Ede North, South/Egbedero/Ejigbo Constituency, Hon. Salam Bamidele, yesterday asked the Spokesman for APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji to answer for €248,281.25, $6,430.00 and N2,032,000.00 received for drones that were never supplied during Governor Adegboyega Isiaka Oyetola’s tenure.
Bamidele, who is the Chairman, Media Committee Imole Campaign Council (TICC) said, “The Imole Campaign Council wishes to state categorically that we are in possession of documents affirming authoritatively that Remi Omowaiye, Spokesperson of the AMBO Campaign Council, obtained approval for the release of public funds amounting to €248,281.25, $6,430.00 and N2,032,000.00 for the procurement and implementation of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) surveillance project intended to combat insecurity in Osun State.
“The official memo, personally signed by Mr. Omowaiye in March 2018 as Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, sought approval for the acquisition of four intelligent surveillance drones to complement the Osun Emergency and Citizens Contact Centre.”
The memo further requested approval for the sponsorship of two ministry officials to the Netherlands to supervise the manufacturing process and the training of 10 personnel who were to operate the drones upon delivery.
He alleged that, “Omowaiye himself admitted during a live television appearance that he indeed authored the memo seeking approval for the drone acquisition. It is therefore ridiculous that he has been unable to provide a meaningful answer to the simple question repeatedly raised by the Imole Campaign Council: Where are the drones?
“The memo leaves no ambiguity regarding the financial commitment of the Osun State Government. It expressly requested and obtained approval for the release of €248,281.25 for the procurement of four UAVs and ancillary equipment, $6,430.00 for foreign travel and estacodes for two officials to the Netherlands, and N2,032,000.00 for local transportation and the training of ten personnel in Nigeria. The document further revealed that the project was to be funded through the Local Government Joint Allocation Account.
“More importantly, the memo was not a mere proposal. It outlined in extensive detail the capabilities of the drones, their deployment locations, training arrangements, foreign inspection visits, and implementation timeline. It specifically proposed the deployment of four UAVs across Osogbo, Ede, Ikire and Ilesa to provide round-the-clock aerial surveillance of the state. The level of detail contained in the memo clearly suggests that the project had progressed beyond conceptual discussions and had actually been presented for execution with public funds as openly admitted by Omowaiye himself.
“We observed keenly that while appearing on Western Spring Television’s Morning Spring on Thursday, 18th June, 2026, Omowaiye kept deflecting each time he was asked about the drone acquisition.
“Even more worrisome is the fact that Bola Oyebamiji has continued to retain Omowaiye as spokesperson of his campaign despite his denial and continued refusal to provide a straightforward explanation regarding the whereabouts of these drones which he claimed were acquired with public funds.
“This development raises serious questions about transparency, accountability and stewardship of public resources. If the drones were procured as approved, Osun people deserve to know where they are, where they were deployed, who operated them and what became of the investment. If they were not procured, then there must be a full explanation regarding the utilisation of the funds approved for the project.
“It is also important to note that the memo expressly provided for the training of ten personnel in Nigeria by the Dutch manufacturers. The document allocated N2,000,000 specifically for this training programme. This naturally raises further questions regarding the identity of those personnel, the nature of the training conducted and the records available to demonstrate that the exercise actually took place.
“This is an indication that Oyebamiji is unbothered about transparency and accountability. More troubling is the fact that the trio of Oyetola, Oyebamiji and Omowaiye all served in that administration and cannot reasonably claim ignorance of such a major procurement exercise. In fact, the approval process referenced in the memo involved multiple senior government officials, including the then Chief of Staff.”
The Imole Campaign Council therefore insisted that Omowaiye owes the people of Osun answers to the following questions:
“Is it true that public funds amounting to €248,281.25, $6,430.00 and N2,032,000.00 were approved and released for the procurement and implementation of security drones under your supervision as Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology?
“Why was the drone procurement project proposed to be funded through the Local Government Joint Allocation Account?
“Were the security drones delivered? If yes, where are they today and where were they handed over before the end of the administration on 27th November 2022?
“Who were the ten personnel approved for training to operate the drones and where are the records of such training?
“Can evidence of deployment, operational reports, maintenance records and inventory documents relating to the drones be made available to the public?
“To set the record straight, Omowaiye raised the memo in March 2018. The proposal subsequently received the necessary endorsements and approvals within government channels. He raised the memo directly in his capacity as Commissioner and personally signed the document seeking the release of funds, which was openly admitted to have been released. He cannot therefore continue to deflect responsibility or attempt to shift attention to unnamed contractors.
“In the event Remi Omowaiye failed to provide explanations as demanded, Mr. Oyebamiji, the candidate of the APC, should recuse Omowaiye as his campaign Spokesperson and for possible charges, failure of which will further prove the corruption intents of Oyebamiji and his entire governorship campaign project.
“The facts are clear. The memo exists. The approvals exist. The cost breakdown exists. The training component exists. The foreign inspection trip exists. What remains unanswered is the most important question of all: Where are the drones for which Osun taxpayers’ resources were committed? The people of Osun deserve answers.”
