The Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences
Commission (ICPC) has begun the investigation of Osun State
governor,Mr Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola, few of his former aides and
thirty one (31) Local government officials in the State over
allegations of financial fraud leveled against them by the Civil
Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State(CSCEO.
The source informed the Chairman of the CSCEO, Comrade Adeniyi, Alimi
Sulaiman, through a phone call from the desk officer in-charge of the
petition in the office of the Chairman of the anti-graft body, Mr.
Ekpo Nta of informing him that proper investigation has commenced on
the petition written to the Commission against Mr. Aregbesola, his few
aides and local government officials.
The desk officer who called Comrade Sulaiman on Friday, October 15,
2015 around 12.30 pm informing him that investigation has commenced in
earnest on the group’s petition before the anti-graft body.
The source also disclosed that the Comrade Sulaiman would soon be
invited to defend the various degree of financial allegations, ranging
from inflation of contracts sum, duplication of contracts sum, engage
in moribund projects, money laundering, among others, with the sole
aim of siphoning the State resources into the private pocket of
certain individuals, leveled against Mr. Aregbesola, his son (Kabiru),
former few aides of the governor council officials.
The group had earlier urged the Independent Corrupt Practices and
other related offences Commission (ICPC) to conduct proper, thorough
and credible investigation into the alleged financial misconduct of
Aregbesola’s government from November 2010 to August 2015 and as well
as forensic audit of the Osun State government Account books.
It would be recalled that the group had alleged in the petition dated
Thursday 10th of September,2015 and received on Monday 14th and
Thursday 17th of September,2015 in Osogbo and Abuja office of the
Commission respectively, that the immediate past Commissioners of
Finance, Dr Wale Bolorunduro, Special duties and Regional
Integration,Mr. Ajibola Bashiru, and Local Government and Chieftaincy
Affairs, Mr. Kolapo Alimi with their Permanent Secretaries,
Aregbesola’s former Special Advisers on Works, Mr. Sabitu Oladepo
Amuda and Environment and Mr. Bola Ilori should be investigated and
possibly arrested because they did not have immunity from arrest like
Governor and Deputy-Governor.
Besides, CSCEO urged the ICPC to probe all the thirty local government
Executive Secretaries with their Heads of Local Government
Administration (HLAs) and Directors of Finance (DFs),alleging that
they were collaborators of Mr. Aregbesola in defrauding Osun
people of their meager resources through the phantom projects at the
council areas of the State.
Comrade Sulaiman who further alleged that Aregbesola began his
fraudulent activities with the criminal and satanic increment of State
wage bill of workers, retirees and political office holders alike from
N1.3 billion to N3.6 billion ,when no fewer than 5,000 workers had
retired voluntarily from the service of the State government in
December 2012,as a result of the Pension Contributory Scheme policy of
the Federal government ,maintaining that Aregbesola like now, did not
also constitute the members of his cabinet for period of eleven
months, but still claiming the same amount of wage bill in the period.
According to the petition: “The Civil Societies Coalition for the
Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEOS) writes this petition to ensure
that the sanctity of truth and rule of law that will bring egalitarian
society in allocation of meager resources accrued to the State from
the Federation Account as enshrined in the amended 1999 Constitution
for the purpose of promoting good government and welfare of all
persons in our country on the principles of Freedom, Equality and
Justice and for the purpose of consolidating the Unity of our people.
“The private investigation conducted by the members of our coalition
revealed that the average monthly earnings of the State between the
year 2007 and November 2010 was N1,969,622,514.25, while the average
monthly earning income of the State between the years January 2011 to
December 2014 was at N3,050,074,327,25 and these figures represents
Osun earnings from the Federation Account alone and does not include
that of Excess Crude Oil fund:N61.7 billion, SURE-P:
N14.4billion,Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC)
Fund:N13.9billion, Internally Generated Revenue(IGR)
fund:N43.6billion, Value Added Tax(VAT) Ecological Fund and Millennium
Development Goals fund (All for the period of 2011-2014 courtesy of
budgIT, oagf and fmf)”.
Comrade Suliman therefore urged the anti-graft agency to make the
report of the outcome of its investigation public because people of
the State at home and abroad have been watching keenly, the unfolding
events on the financial mess facing the State in recent past.