Panic, fear grip Osun College Community over invitation from ICPC on N3billion Financial Impropriety

 

Osun State College of Education, Ila-Orangun Community was thrown into panic and fear on Monday as the anti-graft agency, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other related offences Commission(ICPC) sent an invitation letter to the concerned authority of the College on alleged sharing of N.3billion meant for the execution of some projects in the College.

Aregbesola

The source from the College Community, maintained that the letter from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other related offences Commission(ICPC) to the College authority was as a result of Petition Letter dated Monday 4th of April, 2016 which was forwarded to the anti-graft agency by the Osun State based Civil Society Organization (CSO), the Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEOS) and signed by its Chairman,Comrade Adeniyi, Alimi Sulaiman.

It was also learnt on Monday that the Acting Provost of the College, who is the brother to Justice Olubunmi Oyewole of the Court of Appeal, Professor Isaac Olayinka Oyewole held the emergency meeting with the staff of the College Bursary department ,alleging them of releasing the documents relating to the fraud to the Civil Society Organization(CSO) in the State.

In a statement issued by the group’s Directorate of Media and Strategy on Tuesday, recalled that the allegation of N300million financial impropriety leveled against the younger brother of former Osun State Governor and a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande, Mr. Niyi Akande who is currently, the Part-time Chairman of the Governing Council of the College since 2013, has been in the public domain for a while now over alleged diversion of public funds meant for certain projects in the College community.

Those also fingered in the corrupt allegations include the College former Acting Provost, Dr. Basiru Gbadamosi, the Registrar and Secretary to the Governing Council, Mr. Aderinola Adeoti, former College Bursar, now Bursar College of Education, Ilesa, Mr. Akin Latilo, and Mr. David Olayinka Olojede, a member of the Governing Council. Others involved in the alleged scam and diversion of Project funds were; Mr. Oyegbade Reuben Abayo, Mr. Amobi Yinusa Akinlola, Mr. Ayoola Peter Olajiola, Mr. Moses Oyewole Otitoola, and Mr. Kujeunbola Oluwafemi.

Similarly, a Petition Letter dated Monday 21st of March, 2016,had earlier been sent to the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for credible and proper investigation on the subject matter, adding that the branch Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) had forwarded a Letter to the state House of Assembly early this year on the same issue which has been placed under the carpet, apparently because of the involvement of the younger brother of former APC Interim National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande in the matter.

The alleged financial misappropriation was as a result of the sharing and diversion of public funds meant and approved for the execution of some projects in the College Community as it affects the Constructions of Tetfund Amphitheatre, the Ila Technical College, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Department and Binding Service Building.

Besides, the massive corruption according to verified documents showed that the scam also spread to fees for Certificates collection, College Transport account and College History book among others.

According to the Petition, “The sum of One Hundred and Seven Million naira (N107m) out of (N125m) as part of fund released by the Tetfund as Special Intervention Project funds to the College for building of a Lecture Theatre (Amphitheatre) remains unaccounted for as the foundation of the project has not been completed after two (2) years

which the project has been awarded. At one of the Council meetings where the failed contract was extensively discussed, Council noted that though the sum of N107million had been released to the Contractor, and evaluators which the Council brought from the Ministry of Works, Osogbo valued the work done at the site at just N13million.

“Surprisingly, Mr. Oyeniyi Akande promised to handle the issue with ‘maturity’. His position to use ‘maturity’ rather than litigation and sanction is at variance with Mr. Akande’s make-belief anti-corruption posture. But the Contractor, Otunba John Ojemuyiwa, the M.D. /CEO, Digitpro Engineering Technology Limited confessed that the larger

percentage of the project funds were given to Mr. Yinka Olojede, the Governing Council member to share with other Council members where Mr. Oyeniyi Akande collected the sum of N40million out of it”.

It added that: “Mr. Niyi Akande connived with one of his cronies who floated a consultancy Company named JAC Diran Limited, through which he fraudulently collected about N12million from the Amphitheatre project and also unilaterally increased his own monthly allowances from N110, 000 as approved to N150, 000 and those of other members of Governing Council from N68, 750 each to N100, 000 in November 2014 with retrospective effect in defiance to the Osun State government Circular with Ref.No. S/PRI/23/187 (composition of Boards and the Remuneration of members),due process and College Edict”.

Panic, fear grip Osun College Community over invitation from ICPC on N3billion Financial Impropriety

Senate replies ex-APC chair, Bisi Akande over missing budget comment

The Senate on Saturday, responded to the statement credited to the former interim National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande in which he described the claim that the 2016 budget was missing from the upper legislative chamber as an indication of the indiscipline that produced its leadership.

Chief Bisi Akande

The Senate said it was regrettable that a man of Akande’s status would be responding to mere speculation without cross-checking his facts or worse still eager to latch on to any opportunity to bring to disrepute the leadership of the Senate because he failed to get his choice candidates elected.

In a statement by its spokesman, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, the Senate urged Akande to check his records properly so that he could see that “at no time did the Senate say the 2016 budget was missing”.

Rather, Abdullahi noted that the legislative house had insisted in several official statements and press interviews by its principal officers that the budget was not missing but that two different versions are now available.

“We have said it several times that the budget was not missing. That two versions of the details of the budget exist and this is no longer in doubt as the Presidency has equally admitted this.

“We expect a man of Akande’s calibre to cross-check his facts and take us up on our words. That he decided to ignore the facts and make comments on speculations is regrettable. He is a man who had served in government. He is a leader of the party with the majority in the Senate and he has several channels of cross-checking facts as against speculations,” Abdullahi stated.

The spokesperson said contrary to the description of what happened as indiscipline on the part of the leadership, the position of the present Senate leadership is a demonstration of the regime of openness, transparency and accountability that now reigns in the upper legislative chamber.

In the past, he said, such a development would have been swept under the carpet.

He noted that the statements by Akande was another expression of the frustration that the former Governor of Osun State suffers for not being able to impose his lackeys on the Senate as leaders.

“Chief Akande is still sulking after his group’s failed attempt to impose certain individuals as the leaders of the Senate last year. So, he was in a hurry to condemn the leadership. We want him to know that the leadership of the Senate can only emerge through the provisions of the constitution and the standing rules of the institution. As a democrat, Akande should know that once the majority has elected the leadership, all parties to the contest ought to accept the decision.

“To continue belly-aching and working to undermine the institution because of the failure to get one’s choice candidates elected cast doubts on his democratic credentials. It appears he is only a democrat when he has his way. We advise him to move on and let us help the legislative institution to focus on its agenda to serve the people in line with the much needed change that President Muhammadu Buhari promised the nation,” Abdullahi added.

Senate replies ex-APC chair, Bisi Akande over missing budget comment

Akande, Tinubu sold South West; They"re Reaping What They Sowed - Bode George

A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Bode George, has berated the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and a former interim National Chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande, over the seeming marginalisation of the Yoruba in the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

Chief Bode George

Buhari had since assuming office on May 29, appointed nine public officials, of which eight are from the North.

Also, Akande had alleged in an open letter that the National Assembly crisis was being sponsored by some northern elements, adding that there appeared to be a conspiracy by the North against the South-West.

Akande had said, “Most northern elite, the Nigerian oil subsidy barons and other business cartels, who never liked Buhari’s anti-corruption stance, are quickly backing the rebellion against the APC with strong support.

“While other position seekers are waiting in the wings until Buhari’s ministers are announced, a large section of the South-West sees the rebellion as a conspiracy of the North against the Yoruba.”

Reacting to the development, however, George predicted that the Yoruba would be grossly marginalised for the next four years because the Yoruba leaders within the APC did not plan properly before rushing into an alliance with the North.

He said Akande and Tinubu should have learnt from history and the politics of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who remained in the opposition all through his life because he put the Yoruba interest ahead of his personal ambition.

George, who spoke to our correspondent on the telephone, said the PDP was able to sustain democracy for 16 years because it understood Nigeria’s diversity and constantly zoned key positions among the six geopolitical zones.

He said the recent crisis in the APC started from Akande and Tinubu’s comment that the APC would not zone the positions of Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives.

George said the absence of zoning threw the contest for principal offices in the National Assembly wide open and led to crisis.

He said, “They (Tinubu and Akande) were not cautious when they were forming their alliance. They did not understand the dynamics of national politics. They were just driven by greed. I am not saying that they should not have formed an alliance with the North but it should have been on equal basis.

“They have now been given a political circumcision. Awolowo wanted Yoruba to be equal partners with the North and not a second force. I said it that we have returned to the 1960 political era and Tinubu and Akande have been slapped. I predicted all these.

“They were not thinking of the Yoruba but their selfish interests and I have no sympathy for them. Chief Akande said he did not believe in zoning and I knew that he did not know what he was talking about.

“Zoning gives everybody, including the minorities, a sense of belonging but Akande threw zoning of out the window and that move has backfired.”

When confronted with the fact that the South-West still holds the position of vice-president which is the number two citizen in the country, George said the position of vice-president was not an influential position.

“Go and read our constitution, there is no defined job for the vice-president. He only heads the Economic Council and is directed by the President. Let all Yoruba wake up now. You don’t enter into a coalition without deep thinking,” he said.

Akande, Tinubu sold South West; They"re Reaping What They Sowed - Bode George

APC crisis: Akande’s letter angers northern party leaders

FRESH facts on Tuesday indicated that the national caucus meeting of the All Progressives Congress scheduled for Monday was cancelled because of the suspicion within the party.

Chief Bisi Akande

The PUNCH learnt that the APC leadership called off the meeting because of reported anger of some leaders of the ruling party in the north at insinuations by Chief Bisi Akande that they were behind the crisis in the party.

Akande, a former interim national chairman of the APC, had in a letter made public on Monday alleged, among other things, that, “Most Northern elite, the Nigerian oil subsidy barons and other business cartels, who never liked (President Muhammadu) Buhari’s anti-corruption political stance, are quickly backing up the rebellion against APC with strong support.”

A member of the party’s caucus from the North-East geopolitical zone, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said it would have been a rancorous session if the caucus meeting had held in what he described as “such an atmosphere of mutual suspicion.”

The party leader, who in fact said he would have spoken on the record if not for the fence- mending efforts being made by other leaders of the party, said, “We (northerners) are unhappy about Chief (Bisi) Akande’s outburst. It was unnecessary because we are all trying to put out a fire that is threatening to consume our house. And when you have a respected leader and elder making such unguarded statements it does not help.

“I personally hold Chief Akande in high esteem but what he wrote in that letter was nothing short of an insult on our collective sensibilities. How can you single out a section of your party and call them criminals who were supporting rebels to destroy the party we all built? This is most unexpected and uncharitable to say the least.”

Also, a chieftain of the APC, Alhaji Kawu Baraje, on Tuesday, described as unfortunate, the statement by Akande.

Baraje, in a statement in Abuja, said he was disappointed that Akande who had led the party and served as a state governor could author a statement in which he was allegedly seeking to divide the nation by setting the North against the South-West.

The APC leader, who once served as the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, said, “I do not know where Chief Akande and his cohorts are getting this unsubstantiated information they are circulating. We challenge them to provide proof and let Nigerians make their judgment.

“Akande and co believe that they have exclusive right to determine who occupies what position in today’s Nigeria and whoever tries to challenge their position must be subjected to savage attack in the media. That tactic is definitely undemocratic.

“I have known Chief Akande to be an honest man. I got the shock of my life when he alleged that I had a meeting in my house with ‘some old and new PDP members with a view to hijacking the National Assembly’ through the aspiration of Dr. Bukola Saraki as the Senate President.

“I have been quiet as a leader so as to not to be seen as taking sides because of my closeness to Dr. Saraki, else people will read meaning into it.

“Akande has been playing a role which I admire. He will recall that he met some actors, with a governor from the North-West and a leader of the party from the South-West, where the leader from the South-West was cautioned to be reasonable in this crisis.

“He (Akande) supported the view of the governor from the North-West that the particular leader from the South-West should be admonished for his action. It is therefore surprising that Akande is now being economical with the truth and painting a picture that exists only in his imagination.”

Baraje said the allegation by Akande that a purported meeting took place in his (Baraje’s) house after the general elections, where “a so-called new PDP group plotted with a view to hijacking the National Assembly…with an ultimate aim of resuscitating the PDP as their future political platform” was a mere fabrication.

Our correspondents learnt that renewed peace moves were being made in the party and that the party leaders were hoping that they would before Friday achieve an atmosphere conducive to holding the APC NEC meeting.

The APC NEC meeting was shifted from Tuesday (yesterday) to Friday to enable party leaders to engage in further consultations.

A top member of the APC National Working Committee, who did not want his name mentioned, said that the meeting was postponed to allow tempers to go down.

“All leaders are in touch with one another and I can assure you that the crisis will be resolved on Friday,” the party source said.

However, the Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah, himself a northerner, had defended Akande on Monday. Na’Allah said Akande must have been misquoted.

The senator said, “Chief Bisi Akande is a highly respected senior member of this country and I am not so sure he had not been misquoted on that issue. Even where it exists, I am absolutely sure that it cannot be the correct statement on the situation.

“The North holds every section of this country high; we detest the idea of even labelling us as North because we have passed that stage with the current development in our country.

“We are a united country whether we like it or not with some few interests being defined at different levels of our governance but as far as Nigeria is concerned, I don’t want to believe that there is any conspiracy.

“If there is any conspiracy on the part of the North, what made you think that the conspiracy will involve bringing somebody from the Peoples Democratic Party and from the South-East to become the deputy senate president?”

The Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mr. Timi Frank, on Tuesday, confirmed that the party’s National Executive Committee would meet in Abuja on Friday to thrash out all issues affecting the party.

“We are holding our NEC meeting on Friday and I am sure all our issues will be thrashed out and the party will come out stronger,” Frank said.

APC crisis: Akande’s letter angers northern party leaders

Stop Party Drift Now - Bisi Akande tells Buhari

A former interim National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Bisi Akande, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC governors to halt the party’s drift.

Chief Bisi Akande

Akande, in a statement, on Sunday, warned that the ongoing crisis afflicting the party was capable of jeopardising the chances of the APC in 2019.

He said, “Now that the whole conspiracy has blown open, it is doubtful if the present institutions of party leadership can muster the required capacity to arrest the drift.

“It is my opinion that President Buhari, and the APC governors should now see the APC as a rocking platform that may not be strong enough again to carry them to political victory in 2019 and they should quickly begin a joint damage control effort to reconstruct the party in its claim to bring about the promised change before the party’s shortcomings begin to aggravate the challenges of governance in their hands.”

Condemning the crisis rocking the country’s National Assembly, Akande alleged that “numerous among those calling themselves businessmen in Nigeria are like leeches sucking from the nation’s blood largely through various governments and particularly through the Nigerian Federal Government.

“While all these schisms were going on in the APC, those who were jittery of Buhari’s constant threat of anti-corruption’s battle began to encourage and finance rebellions against the APC democratic positions which led to the emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki as the candidate of the PDP tendencies inside and outside the APC.”

The Ila-Orangun-born political chieftain recalled that, “With the air of oneness, APC went ahead to conduct primaries to select candidates for state governors and Houses of Assembly and for the Presidency and the National Assembly.

“After the elections which saw APC to victory all round, a meeting was reported to have been held by certain old new-PDP leaders in a Peoples Democratic Party (chieftain’s house) in Abuja to review what should be their share in this new Buhari’s government and resolved to seek collaboration with the PDP with a view to hijacking the National Assembly and, having got rid of Goodluck Jonathan, with an ultimate aim of resuscitating the PDP as their future political platform.”

The statement read in part, “Unknown to most APC members, while Senator Bukola Saraki was being adopted as the candidate for Senate President by certain old new-PDP tendencies, the theory was being propagated that, like in most presidential democracy, the APC minority leaders in the old National Assembly (i.e George Akume for the Senate and Femi Gbajabiamila for the House of Representatives) should automatically become Senate President and Speaker respectively now that the APC has the majority.

“Certain leaders felt that most past Senate Presidents had come from Benue State which Akume represented and that Benue State should be made to assume the traditional home of all senate presidents. At the same time, certain senators were clamouring for one of the most ranking senators anywhere outside the North-west zone that produced the President. That was how Ahmed Lawan who had been in the House of Representatives for eight years and in the Senate for another eight years emerged as the candidate for the senate president.”

Stop Party Drift Now - Bisi Akande tells Buhari

Tinubu, Akande are local campions - Bode George

…..says Tinubu political career is over

Chief Bode George

A former National Deputy Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Bode George, has said that the political career of the National Leader, All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, is over.

George said this during a telephone interview with our correspondent while reacting to the emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki as the Senate President ahead of Senator Ahmed Lawan, who was the preferred candidate of Tinubu.

Specifically, George said Tinubu should start preparing to quit politics as his political influence has grossly diminished.

The PDP leader said Nigerians had become fed up with Tinubu and Chief Bisi Akande’s style of politics which he alleged involved imposition of candidates.

He said having nominated the APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; and the Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Tinubu should have “taken things easy” but “Tinubu continued to push his luck too far.”

He said, “You know I predicted weeks ago that the APC is just a congregation of strange bedfellows. The most beautiful thing about what has happened is that Bola Tinubu’s political influence in Nigeria is coming to a sunset and it is about five minutes to midnight for him.

“If he cannot see this now, then it will be foolish of him. He brought in the APC national chairman and the vice-president and he thinks Nigeria belongs to him. So, he thought what he did in Lagos was what he could replicate at the national level and they have shown him that he cannot continue to be the lord of the manor.

“So, if he is wise, he will slow down. President Muhammadu Buhari, as an army general, has fought more battles than him and has an understanding of things.”

George said the re-election of Senator Ike Ekweremadu as the Deputy Senate President was a victory for the PDP.

He said this was in line with his prediction that the PDP would bounce back. He praised the PDP senators for carrying out a successful ‘political manoeuvre’.

George said, “The PDP was never dead. We were only given a bloodied nose, not a technical knockout. So, this is an opportunity to start regrouping and getting ready for 2019. I want to salute the dexterity and perfect political manoeuvres for which the PDP is well known.

“People like Tinubu and Chief Bisi Akande in Osun have always been local champions. Now, they have come to the national level of politics and they are now learning the tricks that all that glitters is not gold.

“I congratulate Saraki and Ekweremadu. They understand what Nigeria is all about.”

George slammed the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, for rejecting the outcome of the elections.

He said the APC had no powers to sanction Saraki.

“The APC would discipline Saraki? Is Saraki a child? They probably think they are playing local politics like the one they play in Lagos State. I welcome them to the real world,” he said.

Tinubu, Akande are local campions - Bode George

Odigie Oyegun may replace Akande as APC National Chairman

The All Progressives Congress, APC has started looking for a new National Chairman after the interim NC, Chief Bisi Akande voluntarily step down from office.

His decision not to contest, despite plea from senior members of the party, is to open the way for the implementation of the recommendation of the party’s goernors that theoffice be move out of the South-West to the South-South or South-East

Already, party elders, it was learnt, are canvassing two prominent figures from Edo State— Chief Tom Ikimi and Chief John Odigie-Oyegun— as replacement for Akande, who has been commended for his stabilising role in the merger of the former Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, and Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, into APC.

It was the first successful merger of registered political parties in post independent Nigeria.

Akande, who has successfully steered the affairs of the party towards becoming the opposition party, sources in the party say, would step aside based on age.

Chief Akande was, however, reticent yesterday saying that the issue is not for the press.

“What I have in mind to do for now is not for the pages of the newspaper,” Akande, a former governor of Osun State told Vanguard yesterday.

Akande, it was learnt, had even before the merger inclined himself to only serving as an interim national chairman.

Aged 75, he had served as deputy governor to the late Chief Bola Ige who was governor of the old Oyo State between 1979 and 1983 and was eventually elected governor of Osun State in 1999.

With Akande out of the way, party sources revealed, shopping for a new chairman has begun with Ikimi and Odigie-Oyegun topping the list.

However, chances of Ikimi receiving the open support of the influential South-West wing of the party narrowed on Tuesday after the shouting match between him and a national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

 

Odigie Oyegun may replace Akande as APC National Chairman