… Wants DMO DG investigated
Following the controversy sorrounding the indebtedness of Osun State
to the tune of N407.32billion, a human rights organization, the Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ) had concluded plan to approach the anti-graft bodies of the Economic and Financial Crime
Commission(EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related
Offences Commission(ICPC) for credible Investigation into the alleged
criminal mismanagement of Osun public funds which lead to bogus
indebtedness on the neck of the State.
The plan action to be taken by the rights group was imperative in
order to retrieve all the Osun public funds in the private purse of certain individuals in the State and beyond, noting that every kobo of
Osun fund in the last ten(10) years should be accounted for by immediate past Governments of Gboyega Oyetola and Rauf Aregbesola respectfully.
Saluting Governor Nurudeen Ademola Adeleke for uncovered the covered
in the finances of the State by exposing their Can of Worm in the financial sector of the State.
It also wants the former Director General of Osun Debt Management
Office (DMO), Mr. Tunde Adejumo to be investigated for being an
accomplice in putting debt of repayment for Twenty-Eight(28) years on
the neck of the State without any tangible justification for the said
loan.
It added that Adejumo and his co-travelers had mortgaged the future of
the State with unfortunate and unnecessary debts, saying that the
group (CHRSJ) and its sister organization (Civil Societies Coalition
for the Emmancipation of Osun State-CSCEOS) had been vindicated with
the ongoing open secret on the present financial status of the State
from the new administration of Governor Nurudeen Ademola Adeleke.
It would be recalled recently that the new Governor of the State,
Senator Jackson Ademola Adeleke had raised an alarm over the state of
indebtedness of the State to the tune of N407.32billion when he took
over the reign of the State as 6th Executive Governor on November
27th, 2022.
It was learnt that Office of the Accountant General of the State
submitted the debt profile of the State as at 30th November, 2022, to
Governor Adeleke so as to know that his Government inherited eight
outstanding loan facilities, apart from N76billion salaries and
pension debts, from former Governor Gboyega Oyetola administration.
Governor Adeleke disclosed this penultimate week when he meet with
traditional rulers in the State by informing them that the repayment
for the loan range from period of sixteen (16) months to about twenty-
eight years.
Commending Governor Adeleke for starting his Government on the
pedestrial of transparency and open door government, the rights group
praying for Adeleke to have successful tenure of office.
In a signed press statement by CHRSJ’s Executive Chairman, Comrade
Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman on the mind boggling issue and copies were made
available to newsmen on Monday, *the group blamed former Governor
Gboyega Oyetola over his failure to handover to the new Governor of
the State the liability and asset by not constituting the then
Government transition Committee like that of Senator Ademola Adeleke
before November 27th, 2022 handing over date.
It alleged that Governor Oyetola had something to hide about the
finances of the State then and that was reason why he refused to
constitute his own transition Committee for proper handing over to
incoming Government of Senator Ademola Adeleke then.
Governor Adeleke further declared that former Governor Oyetola must
explain how the N331 Billion borrowed in the name of Osun State was
expended, with no obvious infrastructural development to justify this
huge debt, adding that Oyetola must explain how the N18 Billion Bridge
Loan taken after he lost the election on July 16, 2022, was expended.
Senator Adeleke added that Oyetola should come forward to also explain why Osun state is owing salaries and pensions to the tune of N76
Billion after collecting a N50 Billion Salary Bail Out Loan from the
Federal Government.
The rights group therefore, insisted that they would soon forward the
Petition Letter to the anti-graft agencies over the criminal mismanagement of Osun public funds in the last ten(10) years which
former Governor Gboyega Oyetola involved.
