Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL), a panel set up by Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, to beam searchlight on financial activities of the immediate past administration in the state has asked the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to probe various allegations of corrupt practices against ex-Governor Abiola Ajimobi.
The Executive Chairman of the agency, Debo Adeniran stated this in a letter he wrote to the commission.
According to the letter dated Saturday, September 14, 2019, the agency alleged that the former governor and his aides allegedly took some vehicles which were not paid for.
“Many of the vehicles were never bought by officials of the past administration. There is nowhere in the public service that a governor is allowed to give public property away to cronies like a Santa Claus.”
“The Governor also made a claim about his predecessor on the money meant for the project which was diverted, what he met on the ground was a situation where a project for which money was allocated, got only about 10 percent of the total funds for execution.”
“We also have it on record that Governor Makinde’s revelations about how public funds that belonged to the good people of Oyo state were looted and shared by the administration.
“In his resolve to not allow those who looted the treasury of the state go scot-free, the incumbent Oyo state government has vowed to probe the alleged corrupt practices.
“It is instructive to note that, Section 7 (1) a and b of the EFCC Establishment Act vested the power in your Commission to, “cause investigations to be conducted as to whether any person, corporate body or organization has committed an offense under this Act or other law relating to economic and financial crimes or cause investigation to be conducted into the properties of any person if it appears to the Commission that the person’s lifestyle and extent of the properties are not justified by his source of income.
“The Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) as a group or organization with the objective of fighting corruption and corrupt persons at all level would not want or encourage anyone to jump into any conclusion on any allegation without availing those alleged the opportunity to defend themselves.
“We, therefore, have reasons to believe that the matter raised by Oyo state incumbent governor is weighty enough to attract the interest and concern of the two major anti-corruption agencies in the country (the ICPC and EFCC) to warrant a complete investigation.
“We are ready and willing to avail your agency of necessary cooperation in ensuring that justice is manifestly done on this matter,” he stated.
(Vanguard)
