- Lawmakers threatened to blackmail us if we didn’t part with $5m – Consultant
- Adeleke to involve EFCC, ICPC in recovering alleged loots
BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
The Osun State House of Assembly has been enmeshed in a bribery allegation as the state government commenced investigation into the alleged questionable handling of $106 million enmarked for the Ilesa Water Project.
The Point had reported that the state governor, Ademola Adeleke directed the immediate suspension of the project consultant, Mrs Tawa Williams over questionable handling of $106 million dollar loan for the project.
The governor ordered full scale probe of the entire project and disbursed loans especially, saying there was no progress on the project despite reported disbursement of N10 billion and another $28million on the project.
Adeleke equally suspended the project coordinator to allow for unhindered review of the loan administration while the Consultant was directed to return to government the N70m bullet proof jeep in her possession.
This directive was sequel to the interim report of the State’s Assets Recovery Committee which made recommendations for immediate action to stop further squandering of loans secured to execute the Water Project.
Adeleke had frowned at alleged large scale corruption reflected in the handling of the loans and the project, an action he regretted has denied people of Ilesa and environs of drinkable water.
But, reacting to her suspension on Thursday, Engineer Williams accused the Osun House of Assembly of demanding a sum of $5 million from her on the project.
Williams alleged that the Chairman, House Committee on Water Resources, Nasiru Olateju, demanded the $5m bribe on behalf of the assembly.
Answering questions on a television station in Osogbo, Western Spring TV, monitored by The Point, the consultant said the lawmakers had invited her and the team working on the site after an earlier inspection, lauding the quality of work done so far before demanding the ‘bribe.’
“The House is asking for $5 million and I said I don’t have $5 million to give to anybody. They asked for it for themselves. They are asking for takeaway grant and they are saying that they will go to the press and say that the quality of work that we have done is not good.
“I told them that one year ago, you were on the site. You were commending us. Now, you will go back to the press and say we have not done well, what would be your reason?
“Yes. They demanded the bribe. I am saying it from all sense of responsibility. It did not come from the house as a whole. The Chairman of the House Committee on Water Supply and members of his committee called us to the meeting. They were saying that we didn’t give them money, and I was saying we do not have money to give to them. The money I have is to do the job.”
Williams also denied using a N75 million project vehicle as claimed by the Governor Adeleke’s administration, noting that the project vehicle, cost only N45 million.
On when she would be returning the vehicle since she had been relieved of her duty on the project, Williams said, “as I am speaking with you, I am yet to be formally written of the suspension. I only read it in the news. When I am formally written, then I will know what to do about the vehicle.”
Denying that there is nothing to show for the money that has been expended on the water project, the consultant said there was no corruption in the handling of the project fund.
She said the delay on the project was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the redesigning of one of the tanks because of the nature of the soil, and procedural challenges from partnering organisations including Islamic Development Bank, Federal Ministries of Finance and Water Resources.
Meanwhile, the state government has said it was considering inviting the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission in its bid to recover looted funds and assets by the previous administration.
Speaking on the programme, a close ally of Governor Adeleke, Diran Odeyemi said some of the appointees of former governor Gboyega Oyetola administration had been secretly returning official vehicles that were carted away, adding that other measures such as involving the police, Department of State Services, EFCC and ICPC would be considered to retrieve the assets from defaulting persons.
Odeyemi, a former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party and chieftain of the party in the state alleged that corrupt practices were prevalent during Oyetola’s government, stressing that all possible legal means would be utilised to recover stolen funds and looted assets.
“We are not ruling the EFCC, ICPC out because of a lot of money had gone without any trace, if a lot of money has gone out without a commensurable job on ground, we just have to ask questions and there is no way we can ask questions on our own so that it won’t appear as if we are vindictive or paying them back in their coin. Wether they like it or not, if there are abandoned projects they did which they are beneficial, at the appropriate time, we will have to consult these appropriate agencies and appeal to them to help us get our money back because it’s the money that belongs to the people of Osun State and we need this money to use it for them, that’s one of our electoral promises and we must fulfill that.
“On a daily basis, we are discovering a lot of things. This Ilesa water project loan is a new one. It’s not part of what Governor Adeleke presented to traditional rulers recently. On a daily basis, we are getting to know why they (Oyetola’s government) didn’t handover to us, we are getting to know why they were so desperate to remain in government even after losing election, we are now realising it that they have a lot of things to cover and that is the reason why as a responsible government, we just must let the people of Osun know that this is the level of corruption that has taken place in the state.”
On wether the government will use coercive powers on those who refused to voluntarily return looted assets, Odeyemi said, “at some level, if we have to use our police in the state, we will use them, at any level when we have to involve the state security service, we will employ them, and at higher level when we have to use the EFCC and ICPC, we will use them. All that we are concerned with is that whenever we have to make you return all that you have take unconstitutionally, we will do that. Whatever it is you have taken that belongs to the people of Osun State, you just must return them.
“They have started returning all these things, it’s only that they are too ashamed to say it in the public or admit that “yes, we do not have right to take these things away but now that there has been a subtle threat, we have been returning it” and we believe that before the expiration of that time given to them, we will recover everything, that is at the vehicles and materials level.
“But at the higher level, with the millions of dollars we are talking about, then, we will involve the highest authorities which are the EFCC and ICPC,” he stated.
When The Point contacted the Osun State House of Assembly to react to the allegation of bribe demand, Kunle Alabi, the media aide to the Speaker said he was yet to be authorised to speak on the matter.
