By Ifedolapo Esan
Rauf Adesoji RAUF AREGBESOLA , former Governor of Osun State and Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, remains a figure of intense debate in Nigeria’s political landscape. He is a Pan- Yoruba activist and politician.
While hailed by some as a reformist and innovator, others brand him the worst governor to emerge from Osun State largely due to unpopular fiscal policies such as the half salary payment system, as well as controversial education reforms like the single school uniform policy. Yet, beyond the criticisms lies a complex legacy of bold infrastructure, education reforms, and political tenacity.
One of the most damaging and widely criticised aspects of Aregbesola’s administration was the half salary regime, which began around mid-2015 during his second term.
This policy arose from a national fiscal crisis triggered by falling global oil prices and dwindling federal allocations, which hit many Nigerian states, including Osun, hard. Aregbesola’s government responded by introducing a controversial graduated salary structure.
The details of the half salary policy were as follows:
🟣Workers on Grade Levels 1–7 received full salaries.
🟣Workers on Grade Levels 8–12 received 75% of their monthly salaries.
🟣Workers on Grade Levels 13 and above, including directors and political appointees, were paid only 50%.
🟣Several months of salaries were unpaid, leading to a massive backlog of arrears.
This decision sparked outrage across the state. Labour unions staged protests, schools and hospitals faced staff shortages, and morale among civil servants plummeted. Critics accused Aregbesola of prioritising infrastructure and political visibility over worker welfare.
However, he defended the decision as a necessary measure to avoid total economic collapse and argued that his administration paid more workers than previous governments despite the hardship.
Another controversial policy was the single school uniform policy, which aimed to eliminate inequality and promote identity among public school students.
While intended to foster discipline and unity, it was widely criticised for erasing school identities, allegedly encouraging cultism, and benefiting a select private garment contractor. Parents and old students’ associations opposed the change, seeing it as an unnecessary social experiment that yielded little academic benefit.
Still, Aregbesola’s tenure was not without NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS. His administration undertook massive infrastructural development, constructing hundreds of kilometres of roads and initiating urban renewal in key cities like Osogbo, Ilesa, and Ejigbo.
He built “mega schools” with modern facilities and introduced the Opon Imo (Tablet of Knowledge), a digital device containing textbooks and past questions aimed at boosting student performance.
His government also launched impactful social intervention schemes like O-YES (Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme), which employed over 20,000 youths, and O-MEALS, a school feeding programme that became a national model.
He also provided stipends to elderly citizens under the Agba Osun welfare initiative.
In his role as Minister of Interior, he pursued reforms in passport processing which Bunmi Tunji-Ojo, the current Minister of Interior is amplifying, prison decongestion, and internal security.
Aregbesola supervised the transition of the Nigerian Prisons Service into the Nigerian Correctional Service, emphasising rehabilitation and reintegration.
Politically, Aregbesola remains a strong force in the South-West APC bloc. A former Commissioner for Works under Bola Tinubu in Lagos, he was long considered one of Tinubu’s major allies.
However, his falling-out with his successor in Osun, Gboyega Oyetola, and his eventual political separation from Tinubu, signalled a significant shift in Yoruba APC politics.
Despite being sidelined, Aregbesola still commands a loyal grassroots base and influences political decisions through his faction, The Osun Progressives (TOP).
In conclusion, Rauf Aregbesola’s legacy is one of visionary ideas marred by controversial implementation. His tenure as governor was bold and transformative in some areas, yet deeply unpopular in others, especially concerning public sector welfare. A large truthful people will remember him for infrastructural renewal and youth empowerment.
Politically, however, he remains a resilient and influential figure
Ifedolapo Esan is an Abuja-based Legal Practitioner